Poll Shows Big Beebe Lead; Asa Launches Ad

A new poll in the Arkansas Governor's race is giving the Democratic nominee Mike Beebe a huge lead over his Republican opponent Asa Hutchinson.

The SurveyUSA poll gives Beebe a 17-point lead, 55%-38%.

Seven percent were undecided. The poll sampled 538 likely voters Aug. 27-29 by telephone. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.3 percent.

This just as Hutchinson's first TV ad began running Saturday night.

The Arkansas News Bureau isn't kind to Hutchinson in THIS article.

Here's the A.P. analysis of Hutchinson's ad:

ANALYSIS: This is the first television ad aired by Hutchinson, who is running against Democratic nominee and state attorney general Mike Beebe. Beebe began airing the first television ads of the gubernatorial campaign last month. Hutchinson's ad is mostly an introduction and recitation of his biography to voters and doesn't include any references to his campaign proposals or his Democratic opponent, Beebe. The spot begins with grainy video of Hutchinson as a small boy on a farm in northwest Arkansas, where he grew up. The ad refers to Hutchinson's values being shaped in "rural Arkansas." Hutchinson has tried to portray himself as a champion of rural schools, particularly during a months-long battle over the closing of a tiny Saline County school. The ad runs through Hutchinson's public service career, starting with his tenure as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, which he served as from 1982 to 1985. It briefly mentions his role in prosecuting James D. Ellison, founder and spiritual leader of the Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord, a survivalist, white supremacist organization. It also refers to Hutchinson's service in Congress and as head of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Hutchinson served in Congress from 1997 until 2001, when President Bush named him director of the DEA. As DEA director, Hutchinson focused on the fight against methamphetamine, an issue Beebe has tried to tout through his work as attorney general. Hutchinson's service as undersecretary of the federal Department of Homeland Security is also mentioned, and the ad includes a brief picture of the World Trade Center rubble. Hutchinson's service at Homeland Security has been targeted frequently by state Democrats, who have criticized him for what they say are shortcomings at the agency.