The Mississippi story is paired in print editions with a story, “Democrats, to Counter GOP, Turn Their Focus to Local Issues in Midterms,” about Senate races. It says Democrat Mark Pryor, chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on agriculture, backs an Arkansas referendum for a higher state minimum wage although not as high as proposed nationally. It is cagey positioning, an analyst for the Cook Political Report tells the Times – Pryor can back pay for his state and “say no to the president at the same time.”