LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Tim Griffin formally announced Monday that he would no longer pursue the office of Governor and instead pivot to Attorney General.  Political pundits believe this change is seismic in the 2022 election cycle, Republican strategist Bill Vickery said, “His entry into the AG’s race, I truly believe, is a game changer for that race.”

Democrat strategist Jessica Deloach agrees and that Griffin’s resume is more qualifying than what Rutledge had when she first ran for office in 2014, “Tim has plenty of experience that actually speaks to serving as Attorney General so for him this isn’t a bad mood it’s just not what a lot of people expected.”

Vickery says he believes this will help the Republican party overall by avoiding a potential messy primary.  He thinks Griffin can still flex a conservative agenda from the AG’s office, “As much as I think it’s a real opportunity for him to show some leadership even at the national level when you consider how much the states attorneys general have to fight the federal government now.”

Some believe with Griffin’s large war chest and clout that he could make others who were considering an AG run to think twice about it.  “He is enough to scare off most potential contenders he is a person who is very familiar with what is expected of that role if anything I think his they were probably some people who were considering entering this race until this morning when he made his announcement,” Deloach said.

Vickery believes Griffin’s wealth of funds puts him well ahead of any potential challengers, “It puts a powerhouse candidate in the Attorney General’s race so in an environment where it’s going to be increasingly hard to raise money because of the sheer volume of candidates that are out there for different offices please or just on the front end is a huge, huge advantage of for Tim Griffin to start with.”