Senate races

Pryor says he’s working for ‘smaller’ government

Vulnerable Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) is running to the right in his new ad, claiming he’s pushed to shrink government and touting his opposition to Environmental Protection Agency regulations, while voters tout his fiscal conservatism.

{mosads}”The EPA wanted to write a federal regulation regulating agriculture dust. Obviously, Washington knows nothing about farming. Working with Republicans and Democrats, we stopped them. But there’s more work to be done,” Pryor said in the ad, first shared with The Hill.

Voters then say Pryor “led a bipartisan effort to cut regulations” and “supported tax cuts for small business,” before Pryor says he’s “working to help make Washington smarter — and smaller.”

The ad is running in tandem with another new attack ad ripping his opponent, Rep. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), for voting against “equal pay for women” and against “helping women who are victims of domestic violence.”

Pryor has worked hard to appeal to conservative-leaning voters in Arkansas, which has trended away from Democrats in recent years.

Most recent polling shows Cotton with a narrow lead in the race, one of a handful that will decide Senate control after next month’s election.