Lincoln says anti-incumbent mood forced her into runoff race

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) on Thursday endorsed the popular theory that she was forced into a primary run-off because of an anti-incumbent mood among voters.

Lincoln, who faces a June 8 runoff primary against Arkansas Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, said she shares voters' anti-incumbent sentiment.

"I think people are extremely frustrated with Washington, and I don't disagree with them. I mean, look at what I go through," Lincoln told The Hill, referring to her centrist ideology and occasional vote against her party. "I'll be honest with you. I'm all about working hard to get results, and I think that's what people are frustrated with."

Lincoln said she understands and agrees with the frustration, pointing to the Senate's slow pace. Yet she also said the chamber needs more moderation and bipartisanship, not less.

"We just produce uncertainty as opposed to the kind of predictability that businesses need and individuals need in order to be able to create jobs and put the economy back on track. They want to see us doing things, and we don't move at breakneck speeds up here. But the fact is, we all need to do a better job of finding common ground and moving things forward. Everybody wants that 100 percent perfection, and life is just not that way. Life is a journey, a series of small steps, and you've got to start taking them up here and get things moving."

Neither Lincoln nor Halter reached 50 percent of the vote in Tuesday's Democratic primary, triggering the runoff.

— Cross posted to the Briefing Room.