UPDATE: Here’s a surprise. Gov. Mike Beebe is recommending Todd Turner, a trial lawyer from Arkadelphia and a good one, as Arkansas Democratic Party chair. If sticktoitiveness will get the job done, Todd will get it done. Payday lenders won’t cheer. Heh. He’s been Clark County Democratic chair. We mentioned him in last week’s Arkansan of the Year report.

John Williams provides the bulletin from a Governor’s Mansion meeting of the Political Animals Club.

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It’s hard for the general public to get worked up about this, understandably. But that chair has one very important role — raising money. And money will be important in 2010 when U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln hopes to hang onto her seat.

I was told this morning by a member of the Democratic State Committee, which will elect the chair, that three people had turned down overtures about the job, which might say something. (Gov. Beebe said the job was not offered to anyone but Turner.) Jimmie Lou Fisher, Political Animals Club pres Steve Ronnel, political operator Vince Insalaco of North Little Rockand PR man Jordan Johnson were among those who’d been mentioned for the job to succeed the late Bill Gwatney, the car dealer who was slain at Democratic Party HQ last year by a man who later died at the end of a police chase. The killer left no explanation for the crime. Retired U.S. Sen. David Pryor has been leading the party on an interim basis.

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