Candidate's bid for Arkansas Senate ballot spot rejected

LITTLE ROCK (AP) — A federal judge won't grant a spot on Arkansas' ballot to an independent candidate who had hoped to challenge Republican Sen. Tom Cotton but fell short of the signatures needed to qualify.

U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker on Wednesday denied the request by Dan Whitfield, who argued the coronavirus pandemic made it impossible to collect the 10,000 signatures needed to qualify. Whitfield said on Twitter that he planned to appeal the ruling.

Cotton currently only faces a Libertarian challenger. The only Democrat running against him dropped out hours after the end of the filing period in November.