LITTLE ROCK – Former U.S. Attorney and candidate for U.S. Senate Conner Eldridge today released a statement condemning the remarks made by Donald Trump regarding Federal Judge Gonzalo Curiel and calling those comments racist. Yesterday, Conner let his thoughts be known through social media, saying "I absolutely condemn Trump's recent remarks about Judge Gonzalo Curiel and his heritage. I call on my opponent to do the same." Today, Conner is again asking his opponent to let Arkansans know where he stands, acknowledge that those comments were racist and condemn them.
Statement from Conner Eldridge:
"I absolutely condemn the recent remarks made by Donald Trump regarding Federal Judge Gonzalo Curiel and his ethnicity. We've seen virtually all leaders in the Republican party, from Newt Gingrich to Speaker Paul Ryan to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell come out in vehement opposition to this explicitly offensive rhetoric. But where is Senator Boozman? His silence speaks volumes about where and with whom he stands. And it begs the bigger question: what will it take for Mr. Trump to say before we hear anything but silence from Sen. Boozman?
Judge Curiel is an American-born citizen, and to suggest his family heritage will somehow impede his ability to correctly judge this case is offensive. If Senator Boozman will not outwardly condemn an action that is so clearly wrong now, how can we expect him to stand up for what's right in the years ahead? We need a strong, new voice that isn't afraid to speak up for what's right for all Arkansans."
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Born in Fayetteville, Eldridge grew up in Augusta and Lonoke. After law school, he moved to Arkadelphia where he worked as a community banker and served as a prosecutor for Clark County. Eldridge moved to Fort Smith following his unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate in 2010 to become U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas. A husband and father of three, Eldridge now lives in Fayetteville.