LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -- A state legislator and a prosecutor who negotiated the West Memphis Three plea deal will face off in a Democratic runoff next month for the party's nomination in east Arkansas' 1st Congressional District.
Prosecutor Scott Ellington was a few hundred votes shy of winning a majority and skirting the June 12 runoff, but state Rep. Clark Hall, who had the best-funded campaign, held onto enough votes. Economist Gary Latanich also ran, but he trailed Ellington and Hall.
Whoever wins the Democratic nomination will face Republican Rep. Rick Crawford in the fall in a battle for the vast geographic district that stretches from the Missouri state line to the Louisiana border -- not to mention the mountains of north-central Arkansas and nearly all of the Delta farmland.
Ellington made a name for himself last year as a prosecutor who cut a deal that freed three men who were convicted of killing three Cub Scouts in eastern Arkansas. He has said the way he handled the high-profile "West Memphis Three" case shows he's capable of compromise, a trait he said is lacking in Congress. But the case wasn't a major part of the campaign.
Hall, meanwhile, garnered endorsements from top Democrats, including backing from the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition. He called himself "a Marion Berry Democrat," channeling the former congressman who held the seat for more than a decade. He also scored a bump from Berry, whose decision not to seek a seventh term because of health reasons opened the door for Crawford to run for and win the seat.
Hall outpaced his opponents in fundraising and is the only candidate airing television spots around the district. He also pumped more than $80,000 of his own money into the campaign.
"It's a lot of money, but I have no regrets," he said. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to win."
Latanich said he decided to run because, as an economist, he saw congressional Republicans putting forth "really bad economic policies."
Ellington said early Wednesday that he was humbled by the number of Arkansans who cast ballots for him.
"It's amazing to have been able to show up and get those numbers," he said. "My concern is trying to get those people who voted for me to get them to vote again."