A former head of the Arkansas Farm Bureau and contributor to Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln's campaigns said Thursday he's seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Lincoln next year.
Stanley Reed becomes the eighth Republican to announce he's seeking the GOP nomination to challenge Lincoln, who is seeking her third term next year. Reed, a Marianna cotton farmer, is also the former chairman of the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees.
"I'm running," said Reed, who said he would make a more formal announcement early next year. "I'm filing my statement of candidacy tomorrow."
Reed has praised Lincoln and given money to her campaigns as recently as March, when he donated $1,000 to her re-election efforts. Reed said in October that he believed Lincoln had done a good job on agriculture, but was concerned about her stances on issues such as health care.
Reed declined to comment Thursday on why he's decided to enter the race.
Republicans have targeted Lincoln's seat as Arkansas' top race next year. Lincoln is viewed as one of a handful of moderates whose support is crucial to health care legislation in the Senate. Republicans in Arkansas have criticized her for voting to open debate on the health care bill, but Lincoln has said she doesn't support the proposal in its current form.
So far, seven Republicans have announced they're seeking the Senate nomination for the seat next year. Former state Sen. Jim Holt, who lost the 2004 election to Lincoln, has said he's leaning toward joining that field.
State Sen. Gilbert Baker leads among the seven in fundraising, with more than $500,000 raised for his bid. Baker also scored a narrow victory in a straw poll among Republicans organized by the state party last week, winning 35 percent of the roughly 700 votes cast.
Curtis Coleman, the CEO of Safe Foods and the former campaign manager for Mike Huckabee's unsuccessful 1992 Senate bid, won 33 percent of the vote in that poll.
Other Republicans in the race include retired Army Col. Conrad Reynolds, North Little Rock businessman Tom Cox, state Sen. Kim Hendren of Gravette, Searcy businessman Fred Ramey and Rogers financial adviser Buddy Rogers.
Reed said he planned to start raising money in the coming days, but would not say how much he expected to bring in by the end of the year. Lincoln has more than $4.1 million in the bank for her re-election bid.
Reed said David J. Sanders had resigned his position as a columnist for Stephens Media to manage his campaign.
Steve Patterson, Lincoln's campaign manager, declined to comment on Reed's candidacy and said that Lincoln was focusing on her job in the Senate.
Lincoln also faces the potential for a primary challenge. Democratic State Sen. Bob Johnson has said he is considering running against Lincoln. Democratic Lt. Gov. Bill Halter has been mentioned as a potential candidate, but won't say whether he's considering a run.
