Bill Clinton pitches e-mail for Sen. Lincoln's reelection effort in Arkansas

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) got a boost in her reelection effort on Thursday morning by way of a fundraising e-mail from former President Bill Clinton.

Clinton, the one-time governor of Arkansas, sent an e-mail to Lincoln supporters asking for funds and seeking to beat back attacks from the senator's left and right.

"I am going to tell you what I told Sen. Lincoln this week: She's going to win this thing," Clinton wrote. "Make no mistake, this will be a tough fight. But I know Sen. Lincoln well and I know she is up to it. That's why I'm standing with her, and I'm asking you to do the same."

Lincoln is among a handful of centrist Democrats in the Senate whose votes have been needed for the party to stick together and muster 60 votes to break filibusters. The two-term senator has had to straddle that obligation and a reelection battle in 2010 in which she's expected to face a brisk Republican challenge and potentially a primary challenge from her left as well.

Clinton acknowledged the stress on Lincoln in his e-mail.

"Through all the attacks from the left and the right, Blanche has maintained a steady course for common sense reforms that matter most to a rural state like Arkansas where most people are self-employed or employees of small businesses," he wrote. "I admire her grit and I want to help her. I hope you do too."

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