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Arkansas Secretary of State election, 2022 (May 24 Republican primary)

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Arkansas Secretary of State
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 1, 2022
Primary: May 24, 2022
Primary runoff: June 21, 2022
General: November 8, 2022
Pre-election incumbent(s):
John Thurston (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Voting in Arkansas
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2022
Impact of term limits in 2022
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
Arkansas
executive elections
Governor

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Attorney General
Secretary of State
Treasurer
Auditor
Public Lands Commissioner

Incumbent John Thurston defeated Eddie Joe Williams in the Republican primary for Arkansas secretary of state on May 24, 2022.

Thurston and Williams disagreed on how Arkansas handled the 2020 election. Thurston said his office assisted counties in implementing a uniform system of election equipment, saying, "There were inconsistencies across the country ... however, as a result of the hard work of my staff, we did not have these issues in Arkansas."[1] Williams pointed to 327 disqualified ballots included in the total count for Pulaski County.[2] Thurston responded, saying elections were run at the county level, not by the secretary of state's office. Williams replied, "When that happens, leadership has to stand up ... I will make every effort to ensure that doesn't happen again."[3]

Thurston was first elected secretary of state in 2018 and served as the commissioner of state lands from 2011 to 2019. Before entering office, Thurston was a minister in Little Rock and with the Arkansas state prison system.[4] Thurston highlighted his experience as secretary of state, saying he would "continue the focus on election security, preservation and security of the Capitol, and to continue to provide great customer service to those wishing to do business within the state of Arkansas."[1]

Williams was mayor of Cabot from 2007 to 2010 and served in the Arkansas Senate from 2011 to 2017. Williams left that position when former President Donald Trump (R) appointed him to the Southern States Energy Board. Williams also worked with Union Pacific Railroad as a regional director of transportation.[5] In a candidate interview, Williams said, "my greatest obligation as secretary of state is to prepare for the unexpected, whether that is preparing for Capitol protests, ensuring integrity during elections, or having groups and teams ready to uphold Arkansas voting laws."[5]

In Arkansas, the secretary of state has jurisdiction over state election laws, ensuring uniform implementation throughout the state. The secretary of state is also responsible for assisting county officials with conducting elections. In addition to election-related responsibilities, the secretary of state oversees business filings and maintains the state capitol grounds and the capitol police.[6]

Arkansas had a Republican triplex, meaning Republicans controlled the offices of the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. Upon his election to the office in 2018, Thurston became the second Republican secretary of state in Arkansas since Reconstruction. Democrats had not won a statewide race in Arkansas since 2010.

This page focuses on Arkansas' Republican Party Secretary of State primary. For more in-depth information on Arkansas' Democratic Secretary of State primary and the general election, see the following pages:

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Candidates and election results

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arkansas Secretary of State

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of John Thurston
John Thurston
 
72.1
 
236,974
Image of Eddie Joe Williams
Eddie Joe Williams
 
27.9
 
91,721

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 328,695
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate comparison

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

John Thurston

Image of John Thurston

WebsiteFacebook

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

Biography:  Thurston received a degree in Biblical studies from Agape College in 1999 and, at the time of the primary, was enrolled at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock studying economics. Before entering politics, Thurston worked in ministry operations at Agape Church in Little Rock and worked as a licensed minister with the Arkansas state prison system.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Thurston called election integrity the most pressing issue of the race, saying, "I want to make it easier for Arkansas to vote, but harder to cheat." Regarding the 2020, election, Thurston said, "There were inconsistencies across the country ... however, as a result of the hard work of my staff, we did not have these issues in Arkansas."

Thurston highlighted his experience as secretary of state, saying, his office "finalized the purchasing of new election equipment for all 75 counties" and "assisted over 20,000 companies acquiring Paycheck Protection Program loans" during the coronavirus pandemic.

Thurston said he would "continue the focus on election security, preservation and security of the Capitol, and to continue to provide great customer service to those wishing to do business within the state of Arkansas."

Show sources

Sources: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, "Secretary of State John Thurston, Republican candidate for secretary of state," April 28, 2022; VoteSmart, "John Thurston," accessed May 3, 2022, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, "Secretary of State John Thurston, Republican candidate for secretary of state in Arkansas," April 28, 2022, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, "Front and Center: John Thurston," Nov. 28, 2010

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Arkansas Secretary of State in 2022.

Eddie Joe Williams

Image of Eddie Joe Williams

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Biography:  Williams attended Arkansas Baptist College before joining Union Pacific Railroad as a laborer and retiring as regional director of transportation. In 2017, President Donald Trump (R) appointed Williams as a representative to the Southern States Energy Board where he worked as a senior policy advisor for three-and-a-half years. Williams was a veteran of the Army and Air National Guard.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Williams said there were discrepancies in the 2020 election and criticized Thurston's tenure, referencing 327 disqualified ballots included in the total count for Pulaski County, saying, "When that happens, leadership has to stand up ... I will make every effort to ensure that doesn't happen again."

Williams said, "my greatest obligation as secretary of state is to prepare for the unexpected, whether that is preparing for Capitol protests, ensuring integrity during elections, or having groups and teams ready to uphold Arkansas voting laws."

Williams criticized the size and budget of the secretary of state's office, saying it should "lead by example" and "cut back, tighten [its] belt, and pinch pennies," during periods of economic downturns.

Show sources

Sources: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, "Eddie Joe Williams, Republican candidate for secretary of state in Arkansas," April 28, 2022, YouTube, "Episode 4: 'Rags to Riches,'" April 29, 2022, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, "Ahead of GOP primary, Arkansas secretary of state challenger attacks first term of incumbent, who calls charges misleading," April 24, 2022; Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, "State senator quits post, joins federal energy agency," Nov. 17, 2017, Eddie Joe Williams' campaign website, "About," accessed May 3, 2022, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, "Eddie Joe Williams, Republican candidate for secretary of state in Arkansas," April 28, 2022

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Arkansas Secretary of State in 2022.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign advertisements

This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.

Republican Party John Thurston

Oct. 19, 2021

View more ads here:

Republican Party Eddie Joe Williams

April 29, 2022
March 9, 2022

View more ads here:


Endorsements

If you are aware of candidates in this race who published endorsement lists on their campaign websites, please email us.

Election competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.

Election spending

Campaign finance

Candidates in this election submitted campaign finance reports to the Arkansas Secretary of State. Click here to access those reports.

Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[7][8][9]

If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
  • Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
  • State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
  • Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

Presidential elections

See also: Presidential voting trends in Arkansas and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Arkansas, 2022
District Incumbent Party PVI
Arkansas' 1st Rick Crawford Ends.png Republican R+22
Arkansas' 2nd French Hill Ends.png Republican R+9
Arkansas' 3rd Steve Womack Ends.png Republican R+15
Arkansas' 4th Bruce Westerman Ends.png Republican R+20


2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Arkansas[11]
District Joe Biden Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
Arkansas' 1st 28.1% 69.0%
Arkansas' 2nd 42.1% 55.2%
Arkansas' 3rd 36.8% 60.2%
Arkansas' 4th 31.0% 66.2%


2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:


Following the 2020 presidential election, 80.4% of Arkansans lived in one of the state's 66 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 19.4% lived in one of eight Solid Democratic counties. Overall, Arkansas was Solid Republican, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Arkansas following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Historical voting trends

Arkansas presidential election results (1900-2020)

  • 20 Democratic wins
  • 10 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
Winning Party D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D AI[12] R D R R R D D R R R R R R

Statewide elections

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from Arkansas

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Arkansas.

U.S. Senate election results in Arkansas
Race Winner Runner up
2020 66.5%Republican Party 33.5%Libertarian Party
2016 59.7%Republican Party 36.3%Democratic Party
2014 56.5%Republican Party 39.4%Democratic Party
2010 58.0%Republican Party 36.9%Democratic Party
2008 79.5%Democratic Party 20.5%Green Party
Average 64.0 33.3

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Arkansas

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Arkansas.

Gubernatorial election results in Arkansas
Race Winner Runner up
2018 65.3%Republican Party 31.8%Democratic Party
2014 55.4%Republican Party 41.5%Democratic Party
2010 64.4%Democratic Party 33.6%Republican Party
2006 55.6%Democratic Party 40.7%Republican Party
2002 52.0%Republican Party 47.0%Democratic Party
Average 58.5 38.9

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Arkansas' congressional delegation as of November 2022.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Arkansas, November 2022
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 0 0 0
Republican 2 4 6
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 4 6

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Arkansas' top four state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in Arkansas, November 2022
Office Officeholder
Governor Republican Party Asa Hutchinson
Lieutenant Governor Republican Party Tim Griffin
Secretary of State Republican Party John Thurston
Attorney General Republican Party Leslie Rutledge

State legislature

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Arkansas State Legislature as of November 2022.

Arkansas State Senate

Party As of November 2022
     Democratic Party 7
     Republican Party 27
     Independent 1
     Vacancies 0
Total 35

Arkansas House of Representatives

Party As of November 2022
     Democratic Party 22
     Republican Party 78
     Vacancies 0
Total 100

Trifecta control

As of November 2022, Arkansas was a Republican trifecta, with majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control of the governorship. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

Arkansas Party Control: 1992-2022
Eleven years of Democratic trifectas  •  Eight 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
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
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
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

Demographics

The table below details demographic data in Arkansas and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

Demographic Data for Arkansas
Arkansas United States
Population 3,011,524 331,449,281
Land area (sq mi) 51,992 3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White 75.4% 70.4%
Black/African American 15.2% 12.6%
Asian 1.5% 5.6%
Native American 0.6% 0.8%
Pacific Islander 0.3% 0.2%
Other (single race) 2.9% 5.1%
Multiple 4% 5.2%
Hispanic/Latino 7.6% 18.2%
Education
High school graduation rate 87.2% 88.5%
College graduation rate 23.8% 32.9%
Income
Median household income $49,475 $64,994
Persons below poverty level 16.1% 12.8%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


Election context

Primary election competitiveness

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2022

This section contains data on state executive primary election competitiveness in Arkansas. These totals include data from all regularly-scheduled elections.

Arkansas secretary of state election history

2018

See also: Arkansas Secretary of State election, 2018

General election

General election for Arkansas Secretary of State

John Thurston defeated Susan Inman and Christopher Olson in the general election for Arkansas Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of John Thurston
John Thurston (R)
 
60.6
 
537,581
Image of Susan Inman
Susan Inman (D)
 
36.5
 
323,644
Image of Christopher Olson
Christopher Olson (L) Candidate Connection
 
2.9
 
25,320

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 886,545
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = 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 Arkansas Secretary of State

Susan Inman advanced from the Democratic primary for Arkansas Secretary of State on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
✔
Image of Susan Inman
Susan Inman

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Candidate Connection = 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

Republican primary for Arkansas Secretary of State

John Thurston defeated Trevor Drown in the Republican primary for Arkansas Secretary of State on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of John Thurston
John Thurston
 
52.6
 
100,794
Image of Trevor Drown
Trevor Drown
 
47.4
 
90,927

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 191,721
Candidate Connection = 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.

2014

See also: Arkansas secretary of state election, 2014
Secretary of State of Arkansas, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngMark Martin Incumbent 60.6% 506,384
     Democratic Susan Inman 35.1% 292,878
     Libertarian Jacob Holloway 4.3% 36,159
Total Votes 835,421
Election results via Arkansas Secretary of State

2022 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This election was a battleground race. Other 2022 battleground elections included:

See also

Arkansas State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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Arkansas State Executive Offices
Arkansas State Legislature
Arkansas Courts
2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016
Arkansas elections: 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016
Party control of state government
State government trifectas
State of the state addresses
Partisan composition of governors

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, "Secretary of State John Thurston, Republican candidate for secretary of state," April 28, 2022
  2. ↑ Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, "Arkansas secretary of state candidates spar over voting rights, target incumbent’s record in debate," April 22, 2022
  3. ↑ Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, "Ahead of GOP primary, Arkansas secretary of state challenger attacks first term of incumbent, who calls charges misleading," April 24, 2022
  4. ↑ Commissioner of State Lands, "John Thurston, Commissioner of State Lands," archived Sept. 23, 2015
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, "Eddie Joe Williams, Republican candidate for secretary of state in Arkansas," April 28, 2022
  6. ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Duties of the Office," accessed May 6, 2022
  7. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
  8. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
  9. ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," December 12, 2021
  10. ↑ Note: This shows all satellite spending recorded with the Arkansas Secretary of State during the 2022 election cycle. This spending might not be related to the secretary of state race, in particular.
  11. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed September 9, 2022
  12. ↑ American Independent Party
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