Changes

Burris had led the [[primary]] balloting on May 20 with 43 percent of the vote, barely ahead of Flippo, who polled 42 percent. A third candidate, David Osmon, the [[mayor]] of Mountain Home, held the remaining but critical 16 percent of the votes cast.<ref name=katv>{{cite web|url=http://www.katv.com/story/12801589/katv-election-results|title=Arkansas Primary Election Results, May 20, 2014|publisher=KATV|accessdate=May 21, 2014; returns no longer accessible on-line}}</ref>

Burris had led the [[primary]] balloting on May 20 with 43 percent of the vote, barely ahead of Flippo, who polled 42 percent. A third candidate, David Osmon, the [[mayor]] of Mountain Home, held the remaining but critical 16 percent of the votes cast.<ref name=katv>{{cite web|url=http://www.katv.com/story/12801589/katv-election-results|title=Arkansas Primary Election Results, May 20, 2014|publisher=KATV|accessdate=May 21, 2014; returns no longer accessible on-line}}</ref>

Burris was the leading spokesman for the state's "private option" [[Medicaid]] expansion proposal, which he had considered essential to keeping open rural hospitals in Arkansas. Under the plan, federal Medicaid funds are earmarked to purchase health insurance for the approximately 170,000 indigent persons in Arkansas. Osmon also supported the private option plan.<ref name=burrisdefeat>{{cite web|url=http://www.katv.com/story/25745732/flippo-beats-burris-in-arkansas-state-senate-race|title=Flippo beats Burris in Arkansas state Senate race|date=June 10, 2014|publisher=KATV|accessdate=June 17, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/three-gop-senate-battles-could-determine-the-future-of-the-arkansas-health-care-private-option/Content?oid=3293438|title=Three GOP Senate battles could determine the future of the Arkansas health care private option: Opponents of incumbent Sens. [[Bill Sample]] and Bruce Holland, Rep. John Burris focus on private option vote|author=David Ramsey|date=May 15, 2014|publisher=''The Arkansas Times''|accessdate=December 26, 2020}}</ref> Flippo carried the backing of several Republican lawmakers who oppose the "private option" championed by Burris. One of those lawmakers was the outgoing District 21 Representative Terry Rice of Waldron,  who unseated District 9 Senator Bruce Holland in the Republican runoff primary.<ref name=burrisdefeat/>

Burris was the leading spokesman for the state's "private option" [[Medicaid]] expansion proposal, which he had considered essential to keeping open rural hospitals in Arkansas. Under the plan, federal Medicaid funds are earmarked to purchase health insurance for the approximately 170,000 indigent persons in Arkansas. Osmon also supported the private option plan.<ref name=burrisdefeat>{{cite web|url=http://www.katv.com/story/25745732/flippo-beats-burris-in-arkansas-state-senate-race|title=Flippo beats Burris in Arkansas state Senate race|date=June 10, 2014|publisher=KATV|accessdate=December 26, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/three-gop-senate-battles-could-determine-the-future-of-the-arkansas-health-care-private-option/Content?oid=3293438|title=Three GOP Senate battles could determine the future of the Arkansas health care private option: Opponents of incumbent Sens. [[Bill Sample]] and Bruce Holland, Rep. John Burris focus on private option vote|author=David Ramsey|date=May 15, 2014|publisher=''The Arkansas Times''|accessdate=December 26, 2020}}</ref> Flippo carried the backing of several Republican lawmakers who oppose the "private option" championed by Burris. One of those lawmakers was the outgoing District 21 Representative Terry Rice of Waldron,  who unseated District 9 Senator Bruce Holland in the Republican runoff primary.<ref name=burrisdefeat/>

Another surrogate for the Flippo campaign was Curtis Coleman, an opponent of the private option plan who lost the Republican [[Governor|gubernatorial]] nomination to [[Asa Hutchinson]] in 2014. Coleman carried only Flippo's Baxter County in his race against Hutchinson.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kansas.com/2014/06/08/3498424/state-senate-race-focuses-on-medicaid.html|title=State Senate race focuses on Medicaid expansion|author=Andrew DeMillo|date=June 8, 2014|publisher=''The Wichita Eagle''|accessdate=June 21, 2014; information no longer on-line}}</ref>

Another surrogate for the Flippo campaign was Curtis Coleman, an opponent of the private option plan who lost the Republican [[Governor|gubernatorial]] nomination to [[Asa Hutchinson]] in 2014. Coleman carried only Flippo's Baxter County in his race against Hutchinson.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kansas.com/2014/06/08/3498424/state-senate-race-focuses-on-medicaid.html|title=State Senate race focuses on Medicaid expansion|author=Andrew DeMillo|date=June 8, 2014|publisher=''The Wichita Eagle''|accessdate=June 21, 2014; information no longer on-line}}</ref>