LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Some supporters of retiring Democratic Congressman Mike Ross decided to vote for Republican candidates Tuesday in the Arkansas primary, dissatisfied that any of the Democrats running would be able to match the veteran Blue Dog's conservative record.
Besides the contest to succeed Ross, Democrats were picking a challenger to Republican U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford in the eastern part of the state. Any primary in which a candidate doesn't win a majority of the vote would head to a June 12 runoff pitting the top two finishers against each other.
Ross' departure after 12 years representing south Arkansas' 4th District drew a crowd of candidates from both parties seeking his seat. The Republican race pits Tom Cotton, an Army veteran and management consultant, against Beth Anne Rankin, a former Miss Arkansas who worked as an aide to former Gov. Mike Huckabee.
Jimmy Witt of Dardanelle voted for hometown candidate Cotton in the GOP primary but said he was sorry to see Ross go.
"You hate to see somebody that's been successful and is obviously pretty well liked get out of politics," said Witt, a lifelong Democrat. "But with Tom, I think we'll be in good shape."
Cotton has drawn the backing of conservative groups, including the Club for Growth, and Republican leaders, including Arizona Sen. John McCain. Rankin, the party's 2010 nominee for the seat, has badly trailed Cotton in fundraising but has Huckabee's support. She has portrayed the race as a battle between her and outside groups trying to influence the district.
Doug and Glenda Tippit of Hot Springs said they voted for Rankin, in part because of her experience.
"The Democrat party has become too liberal," Doug Tippit said. "I'm a pastor, and the things they believe in, I can't vote for."
John Cowart, a Marine veteran and Texarkana police officer, also vied for the party's nod.
On the Democratic side, Hot Springs lawyer Q. Byrum Hurst led in fundraising but faced state Sen. Gene Jeffress and Little Rock businessman D.C. Morrison. Both Jeffress and Morrison have name recognition that could make up for their cash-strapped operations.
William Glover, a retired city worker, said he voted for D.C. Morrison in the 4th district primary. Glover, 68, said he's a lifelong Democrat and wasn't excited with the choices in the primary.
"I don't think we had much to choose from," Glover said.
The 1st District race in eastern Arkansas came down to a contest between state Rep. Clark Hall and prosecutor Scott Ellington, with economist Gary Latanich threatening to siphon enough votes from either to force a runoff. Hall has outpaced the two in fundraising and is the only candidate airing television spots around the district.
In Lonoke, Camille Bennett said she voted for Latanich because of his financial background.
"He (Latanich) teaches economics. I think that's an issue that's important to us," she said. "It was a tough choice."
Voters were also casting ballots in 22 contested state House primaries and 11 contested Senate primaries. In a nonpartisan judicial race, state Appeals Court judges Raymond Abramson and Jo Hart are running for a spot on the state Supreme Court.
Arkansas voters also were able to cast ballots in the presidential primaries, although those races have largely been decided. Even though the state's Democratic Party said last week it wouldn't give President Barack Obama's challenger any of its delegates to the party's national convention, many opted to vote for John Wolfe anyway as a protest vote.
"That's a wasted vote," retiree Bill Fountain said after casting his ballot in Little Rock. "I guess you just do it in opposition."
Joshua Thomsen said he voted for Obama, as he had done in the 2008 general election.
"I am not entirely happy with what he is doing, but when we get to the fall election I will still vote for him," Thomsen said. "I would like to see him be more of a leader. It seems like he wants to appease everyone. He's watering down what he wants to do."
After a slow two-week early voting period, turnout was expected to fall far short of Secretary of State Mark Martin's initial prediction that 30 percent of the state's 1.5 million registered voters would cast ballots.
More than 89,000 people had cast ballots in the two-week early voting period, Martin's office said. Spokesman Alex Reed said no problems had been reported Tuesday morning.