In campaign news, Arkansas Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter has announced he will challenge Senator Blanche Lincoln in the Democratic primary. Halter had been recruited by the progressive group Accountability Now to challenge Lincoln, who is seen as one of the most conservative Democrats in the Senate. She has opposed including a public insurance option in the Senate healthcare bill and the pro-union Employee Free Choice Act. Bill Halter released a video on Monday announcing his candidacy.

Arkansas Lt. Gov. Bill Halter: “Washington is broken, bailing out Wall Street with no strings attached while leaving middle-class Arkansas taxpayers with the bill; protecting insurance company profits instead of protecting patients and lowering health costs; gridlock, bickering and partisan games, while unemployment is at a twenty-five-year high. Enough’s enough. It’s past time to put more Arkansas values in Washington.”

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said President Obama will support Blanche Lincoln in her reelection bid, but the AFL-CIO has reportedly decided to throw its weight behind Bill Halter.