Arkansas State Senate elections, 2026
From Ballotpedia
| 2026 Arkansas Senate Elections | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Primary | Pending |
| General | November 3, 2026 |
| 2026 Elections |
|---|
| Choose a chamber below: |
Elections for the Arkansas State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026.
The Arkansas State Senate is one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2026. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
Party control
| Party | As of March 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 6 | |
| Republican Party | 29 | |
| Independent | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 35 |
Candidates
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
This list will be updated after the candidate filing deadline has passed and the official list of candidates becomes available. Please contact us if you notice an official candidate missing from the list or the inclusion of a candidate who withdrew.
Primary
General election
Arkansas State Senate general election 2026 |
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| Office |  Democratic |
 Republican |
Other |
| District 2 |
Matt Stone (i) |
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| District 7 | |||
| District 9 | |||
| District 10 |
Ronald Caldwell (i) |
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| District 11 |
Ricky Hill (i) |
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| District 13 | |||
| District 14 |
Clarke Tucker (i) |
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| District 15 |
Fredrick Love (i) |
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| District 16 | |||
| District 21 |
Blake Johnson (i) |
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| District 24 | |||
| District 27 |
Justin Boyd (i) |
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| District 28 | |||
| District 30 | |||
| District 31 |
Clint Penzo (i) |
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| District 32 |
Joshua Bryant (i) |
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| District 35 |
Tyler Dees (i) |
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Arkansas
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Competitiveness
This section will be updated with information about the competitiveness of state legislative elections in Arkansas. For more information about Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Process to become a candidate
See statutes: Title 7 of the Arkansas Code
A candidate in Arkansas may run for office as a candidate of a recognized political party, as an independent, or as a write-in.
Political party candidates
A political party candidate must seek his or her party's nomination through either a primary election or party convention.[1][2]
A political party candidate must file an affidavit of eligibility, political practices pledge, and party certificate with the Arkansas Secretary of State by March 1 in the year of the election. If March 1 falls on a holiday or weekend, these forms are due on the following business day. The candidate must pay a filing fee if one has been established by his or her party.[1][2]
Independent candidates
An independent candidate must file a political practices pledge, affidavit of eligibility, and notice of candidacy with the Arkansas Secretary of State by March 1 in the year of the election. If March 1 falls on a holiday or weekend, these forms are due on the following business day.[1][2][3]
Independent candidates must also collect petition signatures to gain ballot access. This process may begin 90 days before the petition filing deadline. The signature requirements vary depending on the office being sought. If a candidate is running for state executive office or the United States Senate, 10,000 qualified signatures, or the equivalent of 3 percent of voters in the state, whichever is fewer, are required. If the candidate is running for state legislative office or the United States House of Representatives, signatures equaling 3 percent of voters in the county, township, or district in which the candidate is seeking office are required. If this amount exceeds 2,000, the requirement is capped at 2,000.[1][2][4]
Write-in candidates
State law prohibits write-in candidates from running in elections. Election administrators are prohibited from counting votes for write-in candidates.[5] In 2023, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed SB 254, eliminating write-in candidates in Arkansas elections.[6]
Vacancies
Upon the death, resignation, or removal of a member of the U.S. Senate, the governor must make an appointment to fill the vacancy. If the term of the departing senator would have ended at the next scheduled general election, the gubernatorial appointee will serve out the remainder of the term. No special election will be held. If the term of the departing senator was not set to expire at the next general election (and the vacancy occurred four months or more before the next general election), a special election to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the vacated term will be held concurrently with the next general election. If the vacancy occurred less than four months before the next general election, a special election to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term will be held concurrently with the second general election occurring after the vacancy.[7]
Qualifications
Article 5, Section 4 of the Arkansas Constitution states: No person shall be a Senator or Representative who, at the time of his election, is not a citizen of the United States, nor any one who has not been for two years next preceding his election, a resident of this State, and for one year next preceding his election, a resident of the county or district whence he may be chosen. Senators shall be at least twenty-five years of age, and Representatives at least twenty-one years of age.
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[8] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $44,356/year | For legislators residing within 50 miles of the capitol: $59/day. For legislators residing more than 50 miles from the capitol: $166/day. |
When sworn in
Arkansas legislators assume office on the second Monday of January following their election.[9]
Arkansas political history
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
Arkansas Party Control: 1992-2025
Eleven years of Democratic trifectas • Eleven years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Presidential politics in Arkansas
2024
- See also: Presidential election, 2024
 |
There were no incumbents in this race The results have been certified. |
Total votes: 1,182,676 |
2020
- See also: Presidential election, 2020
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
||
| ✔ |
| Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R) |
62.4 |
760,647 | 6 |
|
| Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D) |
34.8 |
423,932 | 0 | |
|
| Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L) |
1.1 |
13,133 | 0 | |
|
| Ye/Michelle Tidball (Independent) |
0.3 |
4,099 | 0 | |
|
| Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (G) |
0.2 |
2,980 | 0 | |
|
| Phil Collins/Billy Joe Parker (Independent) |
0.2 |
2,812 | 0 | |
|
| Brock Pierce/Karla Ballard (Independent) |
0.2 |
2,141 | 0 | |
|
| Don Blankenship/William Mohr (Constitution Party) |
0.2 |
2,108 | 0 | |
|
| Brian T. Carroll/Amar Patel (American Solidarity Party) |
0.1 |
1,713 | 0 | |
|
| Connie Gammon/Phil Collins (Independent) |
0.1 |
1,475 | 0 | |
|
| J.R. Myers/Tiara Lusk (Life and Liberty) |
0.1 |
1,372 | 0 | |
|
| Gloria La Riva/Sunil Freeman (Party for Socialism and Liberation) |
0.1 |
1,336 | 0 | |
|
| Roque De La Fuente/Darcy Richardson (Independent) |
0.1 |
1,321 | 0 |
|
Incumbents are bolded and underlined The results have been certified. |
Total votes: 1,219,069 |
2016
- See also: Presidential election, 2016
| U.S. presidential election, Arkansas, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine | 33.7% | 380,494 | 0 | |
| Republican |  Donald Trump/Mike Pence |
60.6% | 684,872 | 6 | |
| Constitution | Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley | 0.4% | 4,613 | 0 | |
| Independent | Jim Hedges/Bill Bayes | 0.4% | 4,709 | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 2.6% | 29,829 | 0 | |
| Independent | Lynn S. Kahn/Kathleen Monahan | 0.3% | 3,390 | 0 | |
| Better for America | Evan McMullin/Nathan Johnson | 1.2% | 13,255 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 0.8% | 9,473 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 1,130,635 | 6 | |||
| Election results via: Arkansas Secretary of State |
Arkansas presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 20 Democratic wins
- 11 Republican wins
- 1 other win
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | AI[10] | R | D | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Redistricting following the 2020 census
On December 29, 2021, new state House and Senate district maps went into effect.[11] The Arkansas Board of Apportionment—made up of the governor, secretary of state, and attorney general—initially displayed these maps on Oct. 29, 2021, beginning a month-long public comment period.[12] The board met on Nov. 29 to incorporate feedback and then voted 3-0 in favor of the final maps. These maps took effect for Arkansas' 2022 legislative elections.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners, "Running for Public Office: A 'Plain English' Handbook for Candidates," 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Arkansas Code of 1987, "Title 7, Elections," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑ Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners, "Running for Public Office: A 'Plain English' Handbook for Candidates," 2016
- ↑ On December 15, 2017, a federal judge ruled that Arkansas' March 1 deadline for independent candidates was unconstitutional.
- ↑ Arkansas Code of 1987 (2023), "Section 7-5-205," accessed February 21, 2025
- ↑ WKY 3, "Arkansas governor signs several bills that change elections in the Natural State," March 18, 2023
- ↑ Arkansas Code, "Section 7-8-102," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Justia, "Arkansas Constitution Article 5 - Legislative Department Section 5 - Time of meeting," accessed October 26, 2021
- ↑ American Independent Party
- ↑ Democracy Docket, "Arkansas State Conference NAACP v. The Arkansas Board of Apportionment complaint," Dec. 29, 2021
- ↑ Arkansas Online, "Arkansas board accepts redrawn legislative district maps," Oct. 30, 2021
Leadership
Majority Leader:Blake Johnson
Minority Leader:Greg Leding
Senators
Republican Party (29)
Democratic Party (6)
