Hutchinson ran for the Senate seat being vacated by popular Democrat [[David Pryor]], who is also a former Arkansas governor (1975-1978). Initially, the leading Republican candidate for the party nomination was Lieutenant Governor [[Mike Huckabee|Michael Dale "Mike" Huckabee]], a former [[Southern Baptist]] pastor. . However, when Democratic Governor James Guy "Jim Guy" Tucker resigned upon his conviction for mail fraud, Huckabee assumed the governorship and dropped out of the Senate race;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=108 |title=Mike Huckabee |publisher=''The Encyclopedia of Arkansas'' |accessdate=April 27, 2020}}</ref> | Hutchinson ran for the Senate seat being vacated by popular Democrat [[David Pryor]], who is also a former Arkansas governor (1975-1978). Initially, the leading Republican candidate for the party nomination was Lieutenant Governor [[Mike Huckabee|Michael Dale "Mike" Huckabee]], a former [[Southern Baptist]] pastor. . However, when Democratic Governor James Guy "Jim Guy" Tucker resigned upon his conviction for mail fraud, Huckabee assumed the governorship and dropped out of the Senate race;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=108 |title=Mike Huckabee |publisher=''The Encyclopedia of Arkansas'' |accessdate=April 27, 2020}}</ref> |