Arkansas Lt. Gov. Bill Halter to Challenge Blanche Lincoln for Senate

Arkansas Lt. Gov. Bill Halter unexpectedly announced Monday that he would challenge Sen. Blanche Lincoln in the Democratic primary this year.

"Washington is no longer on the side of Arkansas families," Halter said on his Web site. "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 25-year high. Enough's enough."

The 49-year-old Halter has degrees from Stanford and Oxford, and has Washington experience on his resume. He served in the Office of Budget Management under President Clinton, and eventually as the deputy commissioner of Social Security.

Lincoln is the senior senator from Arkansas and is finishing her second term in office. According to Politico, Lincoln trails a slew of potential Republican opponents, and Halter's entrance in the race further complicates what was already an uphill battle for re-election.