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Arkansas gubernatorial election, 2026
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← 2022
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| Governor of Arkansas |
|---|
| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: November 12, 2025 |
| Primary: March 3, 2026 Primary runoff: March 31, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. |
| Race ratings |
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican Inside Elections: Solid Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2026 Impact of term limits in 2026 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| Arkansas executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant Governor |
Arkansas is holding an election for governor on November 3, 2026. The primary is March 3, 2026, and a primary runoff is March 31, 2026. The filing deadline was November 12, 2025.
For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- Arkansas gubernatorial election, 2026 (March 3 Democratic primary)
- Arkansas gubernatorial election, 2026 (March 3 Republican primary)
Candidates and election results
General election
The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of Arkansas
Fredrick Love and Supha Xayprasith-Mays are running in the Democratic primary for Governor of Arkansas on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Fredrick Love | ||
| Supha Xayprasith-Mays | ||
= 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 Governor of Arkansas
Incumbent Sarah Huckabee Sanders is running in the Republican primary for Governor of Arkansas on March 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Sarah Huckabee Sanders | ||
= 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. | ||||
Candidate profiles
There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.
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 has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Arkansas
General election 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.[1]
- 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.[2][3][4]
| Race ratings: Arkansas gubernatorial election, 2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 12/2/2025 | 11/25/2025 | 11/18/2025 | 11/11/2025 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | 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 reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. | |||||||||
Past elections
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2014.
2022
- See also: Arkansas gubernatorial election, 2022
General election
General election for Governor of Arkansas
The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of Arkansas on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) | 63.0 | 571,105 | |
Chris Jones (D) ![]() | 35.2 | 319,242 | ||
Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. (L) ![]() | 1.8 | 16,690 | ||
| Jason Tate (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | ||
| Dan Nelson (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | ||
| Michael Woodard (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | ||
| Elvis Presley (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | ||
| Total votes: 907,037 | ||||
= 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 Governor of Arkansas
Chris Jones defeated Anthony Bland, Jay Martin, James Russell, and Supha Xayprasith-Mays in the Democratic primary for Governor of Arkansas on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Chris Jones ![]() | 70.4 | 66,540 | |
| Anthony Bland | 9.6 | 9,055 | ||
| Jay Martin | 8.2 | 7,731 | ||
| James Russell | 6.8 | 6,421 | ||
| Supha Xayprasith-Mays | 5.0 | 4,725 | ||
| Total votes: 94,472 | ||||
= 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 Governor of Arkansas
Sarah Huckabee Sanders defeated Doc Washburn in the Republican primary for Governor of Arkansas on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Sarah Huckabee Sanders | 83.1 | 289,249 | |
| Doc Washburn | 16.9 | 58,638 | ||
| Total votes: 347,887 | ||||
= 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
- Tim Griffin (R)
- Leslie Rutledge (R)
- Leticia Sanders (R)
Libertarian convention
Libertarian convention for Governor of Arkansas
Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. advanced from the Libertarian convention for Governor of Arkansas on February 20, 2022.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. (L) ![]() | |
= 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. | ||||
2018
- See also: Arkansas gubernatorial election, 2018
General election
General election for Governor of Arkansas
Incumbent Asa Hutchinson defeated Jared Henderson and Mark West in the general election for Governor of Arkansas on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Asa Hutchinson (R) | 65.3 | 582,406 | |
Jared Henderson (D) ![]() | 31.8 | 283,218 | ||
Mark West (L) ![]() | 2.9 | 25,885 | ||
| Total votes: 891,509 | ||||
= 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 Governor of Arkansas
Jared Henderson defeated Leticia Sanders in the Democratic primary for Governor of Arkansas on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Jared Henderson ![]() | 63.3 | 67,046 | |
| Leticia Sanders | 36.7 | 38,873 | ||
| Total votes: 105,919 | ||||
= 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 Governor of Arkansas
Incumbent Asa Hutchinson defeated Jan Morgan in the Republican primary for Governor of Arkansas on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Asa Hutchinson | 69.6 | 143,648 | |
| Jan Morgan | 30.4 | 62,757 | ||
| Total votes: 206,405 | ||||
= 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 gubernatorial election, 2014
| Governor of Arkansas, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | 55.4% | 470,429 | ||
| Democratic | Mike Ross | 41.5% | 352,115 | |
| Libertarian | Frank Gilbert | 1.9% | 16,319 | |
| Green | Josh Drake | 1.1% | 9,729 | |
| Total Votes | 848,592 | |||
| Election results via Arkansas Secretary of State | ||||
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.
Cook PVI by congressional district
| District | Incumbent | PVI |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas' 1st | Rick Crawford | R+23 |
| Arkansas' 2nd | French Hill | R+8 |
| Arkansas' 3rd | Steve Womack | R+13 |
| Arkansas' 4th | Bruce Westerman | R+20 |
2024 presidential results by 2026 congressional district lines
| District | Kamala Harris |
Donald Trump |
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas' 1st | 26.0% | 72.0% |
| Arkansas' 2nd | 41.0% | 57.0% |
| Arkansas' 3rd | 36.0% | 61.0% |
| Arkansas' 4th | 29.0% | 69.0% |
| Source: The Downballot | ||
2016-2024
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 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2024 presidential election, 81.2% of Arkansans lived in one of the state's 67 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2016 to 2024, and 18.4% lived in one of 7 Solid Democratic counties. Overall, Arkansas was Solid Republican, having voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016, Donald Trump (R) in 2020, and Donald Trump (R) in 2024. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Arkansas following the 2024 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| Arkansas county-level statistics, 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Republican | 67 | 81.2% | |||||
| Solid Democratic | 7 | 18.4% | |||||
| New Republican | 1 | 0.3% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 7 | 18.4% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 68 | 81.6% | |||||
Historical voting trends
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[5] | R | D | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Arkansas.
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of Arkansas
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Arkansas.
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Arkansas' congressional delegation as of October 2025.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Arkansas | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | |
| Lieutenant Governor | |
| Secretary of State | |
| Attorney General |
State legislature
Template:ArkansasStateLeg26
Trifecta control
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 |
The table below details demographic data in Arkansas and compares it to the broader United States as of 2023.
| Demographic Data for Arkansas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | United States | |
| Population | 3,011,524 | 331,449,281 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 51,991 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 70.9% | 63.4% |
| Black/African American | 14.9% | 12.4% |
| Asian | 1.6% | 5.8% |
| Native American | 0.6% | 0.9% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| Other (single race) | 3% | 6.6% |
| Multiple | 8.7% | 10.7% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 8.8% | 19% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 88.6% | 89.4% |
| College graduation rate | 25.1% | 35% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $58,773 | $78,538 |
| Persons below poverty level | 16% | 12.4% |
| 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 2018-2023). | ||
| **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. | ||
Gubernatorial elections in 2026
There are 36 gubernatorial seats on the ballot in 2026.
See also
| Arkansas | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 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
- ↑ American Independent Party
= candidate completed the