Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor is warning about the dangers of "hyper-partisanship" and urging Washington lawmakers to find ways to work together as he prepares to leave office after 12 years.
The outgoing two-term senator from Arkansas on Monday delivered his farewell speech on the Senate floor. Pryor, the only Democratic member of Arkansas' congressional delegation, was defeated by Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton in his re-election bid last month.
Pryor said the biggest problem facing the country is Washington's "dysfunction," and urged lawmakers to find ways to work in a bipartisan manner.
Pryor was first elected to the Senate in 2002 and won re-election in 2008 without a Republican opponent. Cotton's win over Pryor was one of several that gave Republicans control of the Senate next year.