Arkansas' 1st Congressional District election, 2020
- Election date: Nov. 3
- Registration deadline(s): Oct. 5
- Online registration: No
- Same-day registration: No
- Recount laws
- Early voting starts: Oct. 19
- Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): Nov. 3 (received)
- Processing, counting, and challenging absentee/mail-in ballots
- Voter ID: Photo ID
- Poll times: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
2022 →
← 2018
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| Arkansas' 1st Congressional District |
|---|
 |
| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: November 11, 2019 |
| Primary: March 3, 2020 Primary runoff: March 31, 2020 General: November 3, 2020 Pre-election incumbent: Rick Crawford (Republican) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voting in Arkansas |
| Race ratings |
Inside Elections: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th Arkansas elections, 2020 U.S. Congress elections, 2020 U.S. Senate elections, 2020 U.S. House elections, 2020 |
All U.S. congressional districts, including the 1st Congressional District of Arkansas, held elections in 2020.
Incumbent Rick Crawford won election in the general election for U.S. House Arkansas District 1.
| Candidate filing deadline | Primary election | General election |
|---|---|---|
Heading into the election the incumbent was Republican Rick Crawford, who was first elected in 2010.
The 1st Congressional District is located in northeastern Arkansas. Arkansas, Baxter, Chicot, Clay, Cleburne, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Desha, Fulton, Greene, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Lonoke, Mississippi, Monroe, Phillips, Poinsett, Prairie, Randolph, Sharp, St. Francis, Stone, and Woodruff counties as well as portions of Jefferson and Searcy counties are included.[1]
Post-election analysis
The table below compares the vote totals in the 2020 presidential election and 2020 U.S. House election for this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.
| Presidential and congressional election results, Arkansas' 1st Congressional District, 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Presidential | U.S. House |
Democratic candidate  |
27.9 | 0 |
Republican candidate  |
69.1 | 100 |
| Difference | 41.2 | 100 |
Election procedure changes in 2020
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
Arkansas modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:
- Absentee/mail-in voting: Voters in the general election could cite concerns over COVID-19 as a valid excuse for voting absentee.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.
Candidates and election results
General election
General election for U.S. House Arkansas District 1
Incumbent Rick Crawford won election in the general election for U.S. House Arkansas District 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Rick Crawford (R) | 100.0 | 237,596 |
| Total votes: 237,596 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Rick Crawford advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 1.
District analysis
- See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores
The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+17, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 17 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Arkansas' 1st Congressional District the 65th most Republican nationally.[2]
FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.06. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.06 points toward that party.[3]
Campaign finance
This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[4] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[5] The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rick Crawford | Republican Party | $966,801 | $1,095,518 | $182,708 | As of December 31, 2020 |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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Race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[6]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[7][8][9]
| Race ratings: Arkansas' 1st Congressional District election, 2020 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| November 3, 2020 | October 27, 2020 | October 20, 2020 | October 13, 2020 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season. | |||||||||
Candidate ballot access
The table below details filing requirements for 1st Congressional District candidates in Arkansas in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Arkansas, click here.
| Filing requirements, 2020 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Signature formula | Filing fee | Filing fee formula | Filing deadline | Source |
| Arkansas | 1st Congressional District | Democratic | N/A | N/A | $10,000.00 | Fixed number | 11/12/2019 | Source |
| Arkansas | 1st Congressional District | Republican | N/A | N/A | $15,000.00 | Fixed number | 11/12/2019 | Source |
| Arkansas | 1st Congressional District | Unaffiliated | 2,000 | 3% of votes cast for governor in the last election in the district, not to exceed 2,000 | N/A | N/A | 5/1/2020 | Source |
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
One of 75 Arkansas counties—1.33 percent—is a Pivot County. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Woodruff County, Arkansas | 8.91% | 4.21% | 7.46% | ||||
In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Arkansas with 60.6 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 33.7 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Arkansas voted Democratic 66.67 percent of the time and Republican 30 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Arkansas voted Republican all five times.
District election history
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House Arkansas District 1
Incumbent Rick Crawford defeated Chintan Desai and Elvis Presley in the general election for U.S. House Arkansas District 1 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Rick Crawford (R) | 68.9 | 138,757 |
 | Chintan Desai (D) | 28.8 | 57,907 | |
 | Elvis Presley (L) | 2.3 | 4,581 | |
| Total votes: 201,245 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 1
Chintan Desai advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 1 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Chintan Desai |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Robert Butler (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 1
Incumbent Rick Crawford advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 1 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Rick Crawford |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Rick Crawford (R) and Mark West (L) ran unopposed in their respective primaries. Crawford defeated West in the general election on November 8, 2016. No Democratic candidates filed to run for the seat.[10][11]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Rick Crawford Incumbent |
76.3% | 183,866 | |
| Libertarian | Mark West | 23.7% | 57,181 | |
| Total Votes | 241,047 | |||
| Source: Arkansas Secretary of State | ||||
2014
The 1st Congressional District of Arkansas held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Rick Crawford (R) defeated Jackie McPherson (D) and Brian Scott Willhite (L) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Rick Crawford Incumbent |
63.3% | 124,139 | |
| Democratic | Jackie McPherson | 32.4% | 63,555 | |
| Libertarian | Brian Scott Willhite | 4.4% | 8,562 | |
| Total Votes | 196,256 | |||
| Source: Arkansas Secretary of State | ||||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Arkansas, 2020
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2020
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Counties by Congressional Districts," accessed June 8, 2016
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
- ↑ Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Candidate Information," accessed November 10, 2015
- ↑ CNN, "Election Results," accessed November 8, 2016
