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Arkansas House of Representatives elections, 2018

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2020
2016
2018 Arkansas
House elections
Flag of Arkansas.png
GeneralNovember 6, 2018
PrimaryMay 22, 2018
Primary RunoffJune 19, 2018
Past election results
20162014201220102008
2006200420022000
2018 elections
Choose a chamber below:

Republicans maintained their majority in the 2018 elections for the Arkansas House of Representatives, winning 76 seats to Democrats' 24. All 100 House seats were up for election. At the time of the election, Republicans held 75 seats to Democrats' 24, with one vacancy.

The Republican Party maintained its trifecta in Arkansas in 2018 by holding its majorities in the state Senate and House and by retaining the governorship.

The Arkansas House of Representatives was one of 87 state legislative chambers with elections in 2018. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.

Arkansas state representatives serve two-year terms, with all seats up for election every two years.

Democratic Party For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
Republican Party For more information about the Republican primary, click here.

Post-election analysis

See also: State legislative elections, 2018

The Republican Party maintained supermajority status in both chambers of the Arkansas General Assembly in the 2018 election. In the state Senate, 18 out of 25 seats were up for election. Republicans increased their supermajority in the Arkansas State Senate from 25-9 to 26-9 by filling a vacant seat. Two Republican incumbents were defeated in the primary and no incumbents were defeated in the general election.

The Arkansas House of Representatives held elections for all 100 seats. Republicans increased their supermajority in the House of Representatives from 75-24 to 76-24 by filling a vacant seat. Five incumbents were defeated in the general election; two Democrats, two Republicans, and one independent.

National background

On November 6, 2018, 87 of the nation's 99 state legislative chambers held regularly scheduled elections for 6,073 of 7,383 total seats, meaning that nearly 82 percent of all state legislative seats were up for election.

  • Entering the 2018 election, Democrats held 42.6 percent, Republicans held 56.8 percent, and independents and other parties held 0.6 percent of the seats up for regular election.
  • Following the 2018 election, Democrats held 47.3 percent, Republicans held 52.3 percent, and independents and other parties held 0.4 percent of the seats up for regular election.
  • A total of 469 incumbents were defeated over the course of the election cycle, with roughly one-third of them defeated in the primary.

Want more information?

Candidates

See also: Statistics on state legislative candidates, 2018

General election

Arkansas House of Representatives General Election 2018

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 1

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngCarol Dalby (i)
District 2

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngLane Jean (i)
District 3

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngDanny Watson (i)
District 4

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngDeAnn Vaught (i)
District 5

Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Fielding (i)

Wade Andrews

District 6

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngMatthew Shepherd (i)
District 7

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngSonia Eubanks Barker (i)
District 8

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngJeff R. Wardlaw (i)

Did not make the ballot:
Christopher Ogburn  (Independent)

District 9

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngLeAnne Burch (i)
District 10

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngMike Holcomb (i)
District 11

Green check mark transparent.pngDon Glover

Ricky Lattimore

Mark McElroy (i) (Independent)

District 12

Green check mark transparent.pngChris Richey (i)

Jason Dobson

District 13

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Hillman (i)
District 14

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngRoger Lynch (i)
District 15

Green check mark transparent.pngKen Bragg (i)

Wayne Willems (Libertarian Party)

District 16

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngKen Ferguson (i)
District 17

Green check mark transparent.pngVivian Flowers (i)

Gregory Maxwell (Libertarian Party)

District 18

Did not make the ballot:
Morgan Wiles 

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngRichard Womack (i)
District 19

Jeremy Ross

Green check mark transparent.pngJustin Gonzales (i)

District 20

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Maddox (i)
District 21

Stele James  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngMarcus Richmond (i)

District 22

Kevin Rogers

Green check mark transparent.pngMickey Gates (i)

District 23

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngLanny Fite (i)
District 24

Kallen Peret

Green check mark transparent.pngBruce Cozart (i)

J. Kent Percefull (Independent)

District 25

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngLes Warren (i)
District 26

Alan Hughes

Green check mark transparent.pngLaurie Rushing (i)

District 27

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngJulie Mayberry
District 28

Dustin Parsons

Green check mark transparent.pngJasen Kelly

District 29

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngFredrick Love (i)
District 30

Green check mark transparent.pngFred Allen (i)

Mitchell Fenton (Libertarian Party)

District 31

Randy Haun

Green check mark transparent.pngAndy Davis (i)

District 32

Jess Mallett  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngJim Sorvillo (i)

District 33

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngTippi McCullough
District 34

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngJohn W. Walker (i)
District 35

Green check mark transparent.pngAndrew Collins

Judith Goodson

William Barger (Libertarian Party)

District 36

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngCharles Blake (i)
District 37

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngJamie Scott

Did not make the ballot:
Mark Foster  (Independent)

District 38

Chase Mangiapane

Green check mark transparent.pngCarlton Wing (i)

District 39

Monica Ball  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngMark Lowery (i)  Candidate Connection

District 40

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngDouglas House (i)
District 41

Jonathan Crossley

Green check mark transparent.pngKarilyn Brown (i)

District 42

Green check mark transparent.pngMark Perry

Linda Dyson

District 43

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngBrian Evans
District 44

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngCameron Cooper
District 45

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngJim Wooten
District 46

Green check mark transparent.pngLes Eaves (i)

Drew Tanner (Libertarian Party)

District 47

Michael John Gray (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngCraig Christiansen

District 48

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngReginald Murdock (i)
District 49

Howard Smith

Green check mark transparent.pngSteve Hollowell (i)

District 50

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngMilton Nicks Jr. (i)
District 51

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngDeborah Ferguson (i)
District 52

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngDwight Tosh (i)
District 53

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngDan Sullivan (i)
District 54

Austin Jones

Green check mark transparent.pngJohnny Rye (i)  Candidate Connection

District 55

Green check mark transparent.pngMonte Hodges (i)

Gary Tobar

District 56

Ryan Carter

Green check mark transparent.pngJoe Jett (i)

District 57

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngJimmy Gazaway (i)
District 58

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngBrandt Smith (i)
District 59

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngJack Ladyman (i)
District 60

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngFrances Cavenaugh (i)
District 61

Scott Baltz (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngMarsh Davis

District 62

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngMichelle Gray (i)
District 63

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngStu Smith
District 64

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Payton (i)
District 65

Michael Roetzel

Green check mark transparent.pngRick Beck (i)

District 66

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngJosh Miller (i)
District 67

Green check mark transparent.pngStephen Meeks (i)

Sandra Richter (Libertarian Party)  Candidate Connection

District 68

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngStan Berry
District 69

Eddie King

Green check mark transparent.pngAaron Pilkington (i)

District 70

Andy Hawkins

Green check mark transparent.pngSpencer Hawks

District 71

Nathan George  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngJoe Cloud

District 72

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngSteve Magie (i)
District 73

Dana Bonham

Green check mark transparent.pngMary Bentley (i)

District 74

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngJon S. Eubanks (i)

Did not make the ballot:
Curtis Varnell  (Independent)

District 75

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngLee Johnson
District 76

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngCindy Crawford
District 77

Luke Pruitt

Green check mark transparent.pngJustin Boyd (i)

Stephen Edwards (Libertarian Party)

District 78

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngJay Richardson
District 79

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngGary Deffenbaugh (i)
District 80

Lou Sharp

Green check mark transparent.pngCharlene Fite (i)

Casey Copeland (Libertarian Party)

District 81

Donald McKinney

Green check mark transparent.pngBruce Coleman (i)

District 82

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngSarah Capp (i)
District 83

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngKeith Slape
District 84

Green check mark transparent.pngDenise Garner  Candidate Connection

Charlie Collins (i)

District 85

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Whitaker (i)
District 86

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngNicole Clowney
District 87

Kelly Unger

Green check mark transparent.pngRobin Lundstrum (i)

Did not make the ballot:
Justin Jones  (Libertarian Party)

District 88

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngClint Penzo (i)
District 89

Green check mark transparent.pngMegan Godfrey

Jeff Williams (i)

District 90

Kati McFarland

Green check mark transparent.pngJana Della Rosa (i)

District 91

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngDan Douglas (i)
District 92

Chris Birch

Green check mark transparent.pngGayla McKenzie

District 93

Gayatri Agnew  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngJim Dotson (i)  Candidate Connection

District 94

Jene Huffman-Gilreath

Green check mark transparent.pngRebecca Petty (i)

District 95

Celeste Williams

Green check mark transparent.pngAustin McCollum (i)

District 96

Christie Craig  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngGrant Hodges (i)

District 97

Gary Morris

Green check mark transparent.pngHarlan Breaux

District 98

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngRon McNair (i)
District 99

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngJack Fortner (i)
District 100

The general election was canceled and this candidate was elected:

Green check mark transparent.pngNelda Speaks (i)


Primary runoff election

Arkansas House of Representatives Primary Runoff Election 2018

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 83

Donald Ragland (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngKeith Slape


Primary election

2018 Arkansas House primary candidates
District Democratic Party

Democrat

Republican Party

Republican

Other
1 No candidate Carol Dalby (I) Approveda
2 No candidate Lane Jean (I) Approveda
3 No candidate Danny Watson (I) Approveda
4 No candidate DeAnn Vaught (I) Approveda
5 David Fielding (I) Approveda Wade Andrews Approveda
6 No candidate Matthew Shepherd (I) Approveda
7 No candidate Sonia Eubanks Barker (I) Approveda
8 No candidate Jeff Wardlaw (I) Approveda
9 LeAnne Burch (I) Approveda No candidate
10 No candidate Mike Holcomb (I) Approveda
11 Don Glover Approveda Ricky Lattimore Approveda
12 Chris Richey (I) Approveda Jason Dobson Approveda
13 No candidate David Hillman (I) Approveda
14 No candidate Roger Lynch (I) Approveda
Christia Jones
15 No candidate Ken Bragg (I) Approveda
16 Ken Ferguson (I) Approveda No candidate
17 Vivian Flowers (I) Approveda No candidate
18 Morgan Wiles Approveda Richard Womack (I) Approveda
19 Jeremy Ross Approveda Justin Gonzales (I) Approveda
20 No candidate John Maddox (I) Approveda
21 Stele James Approveda Marcus Richmond (I) Approveda
22 Kevin Rogers Approveda Mickey Gates (I) Approveda
Don Pierce
23 No candidate Lanny Fite (I) Approveda
24 Kallen Peret Approveda Bruce Cozart (I) Approveda
25 No candidate Les Warren (I) Approveda
26 Alan Hughes Approveda Laurie Rushing (I) Approveda
Ernie Hinz
27 No candidate Julie Mayberry Approveda
28 Dustin Parsons Approveda Jasen Kelly Approveda
Kerry Murphy
29 Fredrick Love (I) Approveda No candidate
30 Fred Allen (I) Approveda No candidate
31 Randy Haun Approveda Andy Davis (I) Approveda
32 Jess Mallett Approveda Jim Sorvillo (I) Approveda
33 Ross Noland
Tippi McCullough Approveda
No candidate
34 John W. Walker (I) Approveda No candidate
35 Andrew Collins Approveda
Annie Depper
Judith Goodson Approveda
36 Charles Blake (I) Approveda
Darrell Stephens
No candidate
37 Isaac Henry
Jamie Scott Approveda
No candidate
38 Chase Mangiapane Approveda Carlton Wing (I) Approveda
39 Monica Ball Approveda
Joshua Price
Mark Lowery (I) Approveda
40 No candidate Douglas House (I) Approveda
41 Jonathan Crossley Approveda Karilyn Brown (I) Approveda
42 Mark Perry Approveda Linda Dyson Approveda
43 No candidate Brian Evans Approveda
Darlene Byrd
44 No candidate Cameron Cooper Approveda
45 No candidate Jim Wooten Approveda
46 No candidate Les Eaves (I) Approveda
47 Michael John Gray (I) Approveda Craig Christiansen Approveda
48 Reginald Murdock (I) Approveda
Nancy Blount
No candidate
49 Howard Smith Approveda Steve Hollowell (I) Approveda
50 Milton Nicks Jr. (I) Approveda No candidate
51 Deborah Ferguson (I) Approveda No candidate
52 No candidate Dwight Tosh (I) Approveda
53 No candidate Dan Sullivan (I) Approveda
Cole Peck
54 Austin Jones Approveda Johnny Rye (I) Approveda
55 Monte Hodges (I) Approveda Gary Tobar Approveda
56 Ryan Carter Approveda Joe Jett (I) Approveda
57 No candidate Jimmy Gazaway (I) Approveda
58 No candidate Brandt Smith (I) Approveda
59 No candidate Jack Ladyman (I) Approveda
60 No candidate Frances Cavenaugh (I) Approveda
61 Scott Baltz (I) Approveda Marsh Davis Approveda
62 No candidate Michelle Gray (I) Approveda
63 No candidate Stu Smith Approveda
Bryson Wood
64 No candidate John Payton (I) Approveda
65 Michael Roetzel Approveda Rick Beck (I) Approveda
66 No candidate Josh Miller (I) Approveda
67 No candidate Stephen Meeks (I) Approveda
Rodney Leggitt
68 No candidate Stan Berry Approveda
Dustin Morphis
69 Eddie King Approveda Aaron Pilkington (I) Approveda
70 Andy Hawkins Approveda Spencer Hawks Approveda
71 Nathan George Approveda Joe Cloud Approveda
72 Steve Magie (I) Approveda No candidate
73 Dana Bonham Approveda Mary Bentley (I) Approveda
74 No candidate Jon S. Eubanks (I) Approveda
75 No candidate Lee Johnson Approveda
76 No candidate Cindy Crawford Approveda
Kelly Pierce
77 Luke Pruitt Approveda Justin Boyd (I) Approveda
78 Jay Richardson Approveda No candidate
79 No candidate Gary Deffenbaugh (I) Approveda
80 Lou Sharp Approveda Charlene Fite (I) Approveda
81 Donald McKinney Approveda Bruce Coleman (I) Approveda
82 No candidate Sarah Capp (I) Approveda
83 No candidate Timmy Reid
Keith Slape RunoffArrow.jpg Approveda
Donald Ragland RunoffArrow.jpg
84 Denise Garner Approveda Charlie Collins (I) Approveda
85 David Whitaker (I) Approveda No candidate
86 Mark Kinion
Nicole Clowney Approveda
No candidate
87 Kelly Unger Approveda Robin Lundstrum (I) Approveda
88 No candidate Clint Penzo (I) Approveda
89 Megan Godfrey Approveda Jeff Williams (I) Approveda
90 Kati McFarland Approveda Jana Della Rosa (I) Approveda
Kendon Underwood
91 No candidate Dan Douglas (I) Approveda
Scott Richardson
92 Chris Birch Approveda Gayla McKenzie Approveda
93 Gayatri Agnew Approveda Jim Dotson (I) Approveda
Gan Nunnally
94 Jene Huffman-Gilreath Approveda Rebecca Petty (I) Approveda
95 Celeste Williams Approveda Austin McCollum (I) Approveda
96 Christie Craig Approveda Grant Hodges (I) Approveda
97 Gary Morris Approveda Harlan Breaux Approveda
98 No candidate Ron McNair (I) Approveda
99 No candidate Jack Fortner (I) Approveda
100 No candidate Nelda Speaks (I) Approveda
Notes • An (I) denotes an incumbent.
• Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. Ballotpedia staff update this list monthly. To suggest changes, click here to email our State Legislature Project.

Margins of victory

See also: Margin of victory analysis for the 2018 state legislative elections

A margin of victory (MOV) analysis for the 2018 Arkansas House of Representatives races is presented in this section. MOV represents the percentage of total votes that separated the winner and the second-place finisher. For example, if the winner of a race received 47 percent of the vote and the second-place finisher received 45 percent of the vote, the MOV is 2 percent.

The table below presents the following figures for each party:

  • Elections won
  • Elections won by less than 10 percentage points
  • Elections won without opposition
  • Average margin of victory[1]
Arkansas House of Representatives: 2018 Margin of Victory Analysis
Party Elections won Elections won by less than 10% Unopposed elections Average margin of victory[1]
Democratic Party Democratic
24
1
14
27.1%
Republican Party Republican
76
6
41
30.7%
Grey.png Other
0
0
0
N/A
Total
100
7
55
28.9%



The margin of victory in each race is presented below. The list is sorted from the closest MOV to the largest (including unopposed races).

Arkansas House of Representatives: 2018 Margin of Victory by District
District Winning Party Losing Party Margin of Victory
Arkansas House of Representatives District 89
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
0.8%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 61
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
1.3%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 47
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
1.4%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 32
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
6.0%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 38
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
6.7%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 41
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
7.8%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 39
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
8.9%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 84
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
10.8%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 70
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
11.1%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 94
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
12.3%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 11
Electiondot.png Democratic
Grey.png Independent
13.6%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 5
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
13.8%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 42
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
14.8%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 93
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
15.9%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 69
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
16.7%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 97
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
18.6%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 35
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
21.6%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 77
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
21.7%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 26
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
22.1%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 12
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
22.1%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 55
Electiondot.png Democratic
Ends.png Republican
23.4%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 49
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
25.6%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 71
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
29.9%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 22
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
30.8%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 95
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
30.8%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 90
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
32.4%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 96
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
32.8%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 19
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
33.0%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 65
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
33.6%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 31
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
34.5%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 28
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
35.5%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 24
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
36.7%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 80
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
37.4%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 87
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
40.6%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 92
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
42.5%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 81
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
44.6%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 56
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
50.8%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 73
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
51.5%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 54
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
51.8%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 21
Ends.png Republican
Electiondot.png Democratic
57.3%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 67
Ends.png Republican
Specialsession.png Libertarian
57.7%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 46
Ends.png Republican
Specialsession.png Libertarian
63.7%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 15
Ends.png Republican
Specialsession.png Libertarian
69.9%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 30
Electiondot.png Democratic
Specialsession.png Libertarian
72.7%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 17
Electiondot.png Democratic
Specialsession.png Libertarian
77.4%
Arkansas House of Representatives District 1
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 10
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 100
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 13
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 16
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 2
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 20
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 23
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 25
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 27
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 29
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 3
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 34
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 4
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 40
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 44
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 45
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 50
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 51
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 52
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 57
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 58
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 59
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 6
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 60
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 62
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 64
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 66
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 7
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 72
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 75
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 78
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 79
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 82
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 85
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 88
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 9
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 98
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 99
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 33
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 36
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 37
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 48
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 86
Electiondot.png Democratic
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 8
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 14
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 18
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 43
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 53
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 63
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 68
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 74
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 76
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 83
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed
Arkansas House of Representatives District 91
Ends.png Republican
None
Unopposed


Seats flipped

See also: State legislative seats that changed party control, 2018

The below map displays each seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives which changed partisan hands as a result of the 2018 elections, shaded according to the partisan affiliation of the winner in 2018. Hover over a shaded district for more information.

State legislative seats flipped in 2018, Arkansas House of Representatives
District Incumbent 2018 winner Direction of flip
Arkansas House of Representatives District 47 Democratic Party Michael John Gray Republican Party Craig Christiansen D to R
Arkansas House of Representatives District 61 Democratic Party Scott Baltz Republican Party Marsh Davis D to R
Arkansas House of Representatives District 84 Republican Party Charlie Collins Democratic Party Denise Garner R to D
Arkansas House of Representatives District 89 Republican Party Jeff Williams Democratic Party Megan Godfrey R to D

Incumbents retiring

Nineteen incumbents did not run for re-election in 2018.[2] Those incumbents were:

Name Party Current Office
Andy Mayberry Ends.png Republican House District 27
Kim Hammer Ends.png Republican House District 28
Warwick Sabin Electiondot.png Democratic House District 33
Clarke Tucker Electiondot.png Democratic House District 35
Eddie Armstrong, III Electiondot.png Democratic House District 37
J.P. Bob Johnson Electiondot.png Democratic House District 42
Tim Lemons Ends.png Republican House District 43
Joe Farrer Ends.png Republican House District 44
Jeremy Gillam Ends.png Republican House District 45
James Sturch Ends.png Republican House District 63
Trevor Drown Ends.png Republican House District 68
David Meeks Ends.png Republican House District 70
Kenneth Henderson Ends.png Republican House District 71
Charlotte Vining Douglas Ends.png Republican House District 75
Mathew Pitsch Ends.png Republican House District 76
George McGill Electiondot.png Democratic House District 78
Greg Leding Electiondot.png Democratic House District 86
Kim Hendren Ends.png Republican House District 92
Bob Ballinger Ends.png Republican House District 97

Process to become a candidate

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Arkansas

DocumentIcon.jpg 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.[3][4]

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.[3][4]

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.[3][4][5]

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.[3][4][6]

Write-in candidates

State law prohibits write-in candidates from running in elections. Election administrators are prohibited from counting votes for write-in candidates.[7] In 2023, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed SB 254, eliminating write-in candidates in Arkansas elections.[8]

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.[9]

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

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[10]
SalaryPer diem
$44,356/yearFor 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

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Arkansas legislators assume office on the second Monday of January following their election.[11]

Arkansas political history

See also: Partisan composition of state houses and State government trifectas

Party control

2018

In the 2018 elections, Republicans increased their majority in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 75-24 to 76-24.

Arkansas House of Representatives
Party As of November 6, 2018 After November 7, 2018
     Democratic Party 24 24
     Republican Party 75 76
     Vacancy 1 0
Total 100 100

2016

In the 2016 elections, Republicans increased their majority in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 64-34 to 73-27.

Historically, Democrats had maintained a commanding control of the House. That control began to change in 2010 when Republicans went from controlling 28 seats to 45 seats. Republicans gained control of the state House in the 2012 elections and have held the chamber since then. The same changes occurred in the state Senate.

Arkansas House of Representatives
Party As of November 7, 2016 After November 8, 2016
     Democratic Party 34 27
     Republican Party 64 73
     Independent 1 0
     Vacancy 1 0
Total 100 100

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. Republicans in Arkansas gained a state government trifecta as a result of the 2014 elections, when they recaptured the governor's office and retained control of the state legislature. Democrats had trifectas in the state from 1992 to 1997 and 2007 to 2013.

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

Impact of term limits

See also: Impact of term limits on state representative elections in 2018 and Impact of term limits on state legislative elections in 2018

The Arkansas House of Representatives has been a term-limited state house since Arkansas voters approved the Arkansas Term Limits Initiative in 1992 as an initiated constitutional amendment. In 2014, voters approved the Arkansas Elected Officials Ethics, Transparency and Financial Reform Amendment, which permits a legislator to serve a total of 16 years in the House or Senate during his or her lifetime.

All 100 seats in the Arkansas House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. In the 2018 elections, no state representatives were ineligible to run because of term limits.

Of the 87 state legislative chambers that held elections in 2018, 24 of them—12 senate chambers and 12 house chambers—included incumbents who were unable to run for re-election due to term limits.[12] In the 24 chambers affected by term limits in 2018, 1,463 seats were up for election.[13] The Nevada Senate, Arkansas House, and Arkansas Senate are impacted by term limits, but no incumbents were term-limited in 2018. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.

A total of 271 state legislators—96 state senators and 175 state representatives—were ineligible to run in the 2018 elections because of term limits. This represented 4 percent of the 6,066 total seats up for election in November 2018.[14][15] Republicans had twice as many state legislators term-limited in 2018 than Democrats. A total of 86 Democrats were term-limited, while 177 Republicans were term-limited.

Wave election analysis

See also: Wave elections (1918-2016)

The term wave election is frequently used to describe an election cycle in which one party makes significant electoral gains. How many seats would Republicans have had to lose for the 2018 midterm election to be considered a wave election?

Ballotpedia examined the results of the 50 election cycles that occurred between 1918 and 2016—spanning from President Woodrow Wilson's (D) second midterm in 1918 to Donald Trump's (R) first presidential election in 2016. We define wave elections as the 20 percent of elections in that period resulting in the greatest seat swings against the president's party.

Applying this definition to state legislative elections, we found that Republicans needed to lose 494 seats for 2018 to qualify as a wave election.

The chart below shows the number of seats the president's party lost in the 10 state legislative waves from 1918 to 2016. Click here to read the full report.

State legislative wave elections
Year President Party Election type State legislative seats change Elections analyzed[16]
1932 Hoover R Presidential -1,022 7,365
1922 Harding R First midterm -907 6,907
1966 Johnson D First midterm[17] -782 7,561
1938 Roosevelt D Second midterm -769 7,179
1958 Eisenhower R Second midterm -702 7,627
2010 Obama D First midterm -702 7,306
1974 Ford R Second midterm[18] -695 7,481
1920 Wilson D Presidential -654 6,835
1930 Hoover R Presidential -640 7,361
1954 Eisenhower R First midterm -494 7,513

Competitiveness

Every year, Ballotpedia uses official candidate lists from each state to examine the competitiveness of every state legislative race in the country. Nationally, there has been a steady decline in electoral competitiveness since 2010. Most notable is that the number of districts with general election competition has dropped by more than 10 percent.

Results from 2016

Click here to read the full study »


Historical context

See also: Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections: 1972-2014

Uncontested elections: In 2014, 32.8 percent of Americans lived in states with an uncontested state senate election. Similarly, 40.4 percent of Americans lived in states with uncontested house elections. Primary elections were uncontested even more frequently, with 61 percent of people living in states with no contested primaries. Uncontested elections often occur in locations that are so politically one-sided that the result of an election would be a foregone conclusion regardless of whether it was contested or not.

F5 Pop. % with uncontested state legislative races.png

Open seats: In most cases, an incumbent will run for re-election, which decreases the number of open seats available. In 2014, 83 percent of the 6,057 seats up for election saw the incumbent running for re-election. The states that impose term limits on their legislatures typically see a higher percentage of open seats in a given year because a portion of incumbents in each election are forced to leave office. Overall, the number of open seats decreased from 2012 to 2014, dropping from 21.2 percent in 2012 to 17.0 percent in 2014.

Incumbent win rates: Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of elections between 1972 and 2014 documented the high propensity for incumbents to win re-election in state legislative elections. In fact, since 1972, the win rate for incumbents had not dropped below 90 percent—with the exception of 1974, when 88 percent of incumbents were re-elected to their seats. Perhaps most importantly, the win rate for incumbents generally increased over time. In 2014, 96.5 percent of incumbents were able to retain their seats. Common convention holds that incumbents are able to leverage their office to maintain their seat. However, the high incumbent win rate may actually be a result of incumbents being more likely to hold seats in districts that are considered safe for their party.

Marginal primaries: Often, competitiveness is measured by examining the rate of elections that have been won by amounts that are considered marginal (5 percent or less). During the 2014 election, 90.1 percent of primary and general election races were won by margins higher than 5 percent. Interestingly, it is usually the case that only one of the two races—primary or general—will be competitive at a time. This means that if a district's general election is competitive, typically one or more of the district's primaries were won by more than 5 percent. The reverse is also true: If a district sees a competitive primary, it is unlikely that the general election for that district will be won by less than 5 percent. Primaries often see very low voter turnout in comparison to general elections. In 2014, there were only 27 million voters for state legislative primaries, but approximately 107 million voters for the state legislative general elections.

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.


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Excludes unopposed elections
  2. Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners, "Running for Public Office: A 'Plain English' Handbook for Candidates," 2014
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Arkansas Code of 1987, "Title 7, Elections," accessed February 20, 2025
  5. Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners, "Running for Public Office: A 'Plain English' Handbook for Candidates," 2016
  6. On December 15, 2017, a federal judge ruled that Arkansas' March 1 deadline for independent candidates was unconstitutional.
  7. Arkansas Code of 1987 (2023), "Section 7-5-205," accessed February 21, 2025
  8. WKY 3, "Arkansas governor signs several bills that change elections in the Natural State," March 18, 2023
  9. Arkansas Code, "Section 7-8-102," accessed February 20, 2025
  10. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
  11. Justia, "Arkansas Constitution Article 5 - Legislative Department Section 5 - Time of meeting," accessed October 26, 2021
  12. The Nevada Senate, Arkansas House, and Arkansas Senate were up for election in 2018 and have term limits, but no incumbents were term-limited in 2018.
  13. The Nevada Senate, Arkansas House, and Arkansas Senate are impacted by term limits, but no incumbents were term-limited in 2018. In the three chambers, a total of 129 seats were up for election in 2018. No legislators were unable to run in 2018 in those three chamber because of term limits.
  14. Ballotpedia confirmed through phone calls that at least seven California legislators were term-limited in 2018. The number of California legislators term-limited and the overall number of term-limited state legislators had a chance to change if Ballotpedia could confirm that more members were term-limited in 2018.
  15. Some of the 271 term-limited state legislators in 2018 may resign before their term ends. These legislators were still counted in the total number of term-limited legislators in 2018.
  16. The number of state legislative seats available for analysis varied, with as many as 7,795 and as few as 6,835.
  17. Lyndon Johnson's (D) first term began in November 1963 after the death of President John F. Kennedy (D), who was first elected in 1960. Before Johnson had his first midterm in 1966, he was re-elected president in 1964.
  18. Gerald Ford's (R) first term began in August 1974 following the resignation of President Richard Nixon (R), who was first elected in 1968 and was re-elected in 1972. Because Ford only served for two full months before facing the electorate, this election is classified as Nixon's second midterm.


Current members of the Arkansas House of Representatives
Leadership
Majority Leader:Howard Beaty
Minority Leader:Andrew Collins
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
John Carr (R)
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
Brad Hall (R)
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
Joey Carr (R)
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
District 43
Rick Beck (R)
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
District 48
Ryan Rose (R)
District 49
District 50
District 51
District 52
District 53
District 54
District 55
District 56
District 57
District 58
Les Eaves (R)
District 59
District 60
District 61
District 62
District 63
District 64
District 65
District 66
District 67
District 68
District 69
David Ray (R)
District 70
District 71
District 72
District 73
District 74
District 75
District 76
District 77
District 78
District 79
District 80
District 81
RJ Hawk (R)
District 82
District 83
District 84
District 85
District 86
District 87
District 88
District 89
District 90
District 91
District 92
District 93
District 94
District 95
District 96
District 97
District 98
District 99
Lane Jean (R)
District 100
Republican Party (81)
Democratic Party (19)