Bart Hester
2023 - Present
2029
2
Bart Hester (Republican Party) is a member of the Arkansas State Senate, representing District 33. He assumed office on January 9, 2023. His current term ends on January 8, 2029.
The Arkansas State Senate elected Hester to serve as the president pro tempore in 2022, effective January 2023.[1] The president pro tempore presides over the Senate body in the absence of the Senate president, which in the case of Arkansas is the lieutenant governor.
Hester was born in Green Forest, Arkansas. He received a bachelor's degree in business management from the University of Arkansas in 2001. Hester worked in real estate and construction.[2][3]
Hester was elected to the state Senate in 2012. Before becoming president pro tempore, Hester was the majority whip in 2017 and the majority leader in 2019. Hester's official biography said of his political philosophy: "Senator Hester believes in holding down the size of government and reducing government debt. He has been a consistent sponsor of legislation to lower taxes and reduce regulatory burdens on business. Also, his legislative priorities include bills to improve foster care and adoption services."[3]
In an interview with Talk Business & Politics, Hester said his priorities upon being elected president pro tempore were public education, specifically improving children's reading, and public safety, including adding 3,000 new prison beds.[4]
Hester was re-elected president pro tempore heading into the 2025 legislative session. That January, the Arkansas Advocate's Tess Vrbin and Mary Hennigan wrote that Hester reflected on past legislative successes: "Hester noted Arkansas’ $3 billion budget surplus, recent efforts to lower income taxes, the state’s strong support of the Second Amendment and commitment to education and election integrity."[5] They added that "Hester said his statewide priorities include finding consistent funding for water and sewer infrastructure projects and working on establishing incentives for affordable housing."[5] During the session, Hester was the lead sponsor of a bill to prohibit the use of ranked-choice voting.[6]
Biography
Bart Hester was born in Green Forest, Arkansas, and lives in Cave Springs, Arkansas. Hester earned a bachelor's degree in business management from the University of Arkansas in 2001. His career experience includes working in real estate and construction.[3]
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Hester was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Children and Youth Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Senate Efficiency Committee
- Joint Budget Committee
2021-2022
Hester was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Children and Youth Committee
- Senate Efficiency Committee, Chair
- Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee
- Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Joint Budget Committee
- Legislative Council
2019-2020
Hester was assigned to the following committees:
- Joint Budget Committee
- Legislative Joint Auditing Committee
- Legislative Facilities Committee
- Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee
- Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Arkansas committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Education |
| • State Agencies and Governmental Affairs |
| • Joint Budget |
| • Joint Budget |
| • Public Retirement and Social Security Programs, Chair |
| • Public Retirement and Social Security Programs, Chair |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Hester served on the following committees:
| Arkansas committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Children and Youth, Vice chair |
| • City, County and Local Affairs |
| • Revenue and Taxation |
| • Rules, Resolutions and Memorials |
| • Joint Budget |
| • Legislative Council |
| • Legislative Joint Auditing |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Hester served on the following committees:
| Arkansas committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Children and Youth, Vice Chair |
| • Legislative Council |
| • Joint Budget |
| • Revenue and Taxation |
| • City, County and Local Affairs |
| • Game and Fish Commission Oversight |
| • Rules, Resolutions and Memorials |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Noteworthy legislation
- AR HB1706 (2025): Hester was the lead sponsor of a bill to prohibit the use of ranked-choice voting.[6] To read about ranked-choice voting policies in other states, click here.
Elections
2024
See also: Arkansas State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for Arkansas State Senate District 33
Incumbent Bart Hester won election in the general election for Arkansas State Senate District 33 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Bart Hester (R) | 100.0 | 30,576 |
| Total votes: 30,576 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Bart Hester advanced from the Republican primary for Arkansas State Senate District 33.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Hester in this election.
2022
See also: Arkansas State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Arkansas State Senate District 33
Incumbent Bart Hester won election in the general election for Arkansas State Senate District 33 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bart Hester (R) | 100.0 | 21,122 |
| Total votes: 21,122 | |||
| = 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 Bart Hester advanced from the Republican primary for Arkansas State Senate District 33.
2020
See also: Arkansas State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for Arkansas State Senate District 1
Incumbent Bart Hester defeated Ronetta Francis in the general election for Arkansas State Senate District 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bart Hester (R) | 64.9 | 36,778 |
 | Ronetta Francis (D) | 35.1 | 19,855 | |
| Total votes: 56,633 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Ronetta Francis advanced from the Democratic primary for Arkansas State Senate District 1.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Bart Hester advanced from the Republican primary for Arkansas State Senate District 1.
2016
- See also: Arkansas State Senate elections, 2016
Elections for the Arkansas State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 1, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing period began at noon local time on November 2, 2015, and ended at noon local time on November 9, 2015.[7]
Incumbent Bart Hester ran unopposed in the Arkansas State Senate District 1 general election.[8]
| Arkansas State Senate, District 1 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican |  Bart Hester Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: Arkansas Secretary of State | ||
Incumbent Bart Hester ran unopposed in the Arkansas State Senate District 1 Republican Primary.[9][10]
| Arkansas State Senate, District 1 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Bart Hester Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2012
Hester ran in the 2012 election for Arkansas Senate, District 1. Hester defeated state representative Tim Summers in the May 22 Republican primary and ran unopposed in the general election on November 6, 2012.[11][12][13][14]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Bart Hester |
53.8% | 4,506 |
| Tim Summers | 46.2% | 3,869 |
| Total Votes | 8,375 | |
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Bart Hester did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
Bart Hester did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
Bart Hester did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2012
Heser's campaign website listed the following issues:[15]
- Jobs and the Economy
- Excerpt: "As a small business owner, Bart understands what it's like to build a business and create jobs. He will work to encourage job creation, entrepreneurship and investment in Arkansas by supporting lower taxes and a reduced regulatory burden."
- Taxes and Government Spending
- Excerpt: "As your State Senator, he will focus on freeing families and businesses from excessive taxation, government spending, and regulation, so that we can continue to make Arkansas a great place to live, work, and build a business. Bart has signed the No Tax Pledge and will not raise your taxes."
- Education
- Excerpt: "Bart believes that decisions should be made by parents and teachers at the local level and not by bureaucrats in Little Rock."
- Healthcare
- Excerpt: "Bart opposes the federal takeover of healthcare and will fight against the implementation of 'Obamacare' in Arkansas."
- Protecting the Unborn
- Excerpt: "Bart believes that life begins at conception and is strongly pro-life."
- 2nd Amendment
- Excerpt: "As a gun owner and hunter, Bart is a strong supporter of the 2nd amendment. He is a member of the National Rifle Association."
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Notable endorsements
This section displays endorsements this individual made in elections within Ballotpedia's coverage scope.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Arkansas scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from April 10 to May 9.
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2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from January 9 to May 1.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from February 14 to March 15.
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2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from January 11 to October 15.
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2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from April 8 to April 24.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from January 14 through April 24.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from February 12 through March 12. The legislature held a special session from March 13 to March 15.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the 91st Arkansas State Legislature was in session from January 9 through May 1. The Legislature held a special session from May 1 to May 3.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the 90th Arkansas State Legislature was in session from April 13 through May 9. The Legislature held a three-day special session from April 6 to April 8 over healthcare. The Legislature held a second special session from May 19 to May 23 over transportation.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the 90th Arkansas State Legislature was in session from January 12 through April 2.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Arkansas General Assembly was in session from February 10 to March 20. Ballotpedia staff did not find any state legislative scorecards published for this state in 2014. If you are aware of one, please contact editor@ballotpedia.org to let us know. |
2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the 89th Arkansas State Legislature was in session from January 14 through May 17.
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2016 Republican National Convention
- See also: Republican National Convention, 2016
Hester was an at-large delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Arkansas. Hester was one of nine delegates from Arkansas bound by state party rules to support Marco Rubio at the convention.[17] Rubio suspended his campaign on March 15, 2016.
Delegate rules
Congressional district delegates from Arkansas to the Republican National Convention were elected at district conventions in April 2016, while at-large delegates were elected by the Arkansas Republican State Committee at a state convention in May 2016. Arkansas GOP rules in 2016 required delegates to the convention to vote for the candidate whom they designated on their delegate-filing form through the first round of voting. The rules allowed delegates to vote for a different candidate on the first ballot only if their designated candidate released them prior to the first round of voting or if their designated candidate "withdrew" from the race.
Arkansas primary results
- See also: Presidential election in Arkansas, 2016
| Arkansas Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
|
Donald Trump |
32.8% | 133,144 | 16 | |
| Ted Cruz | 30.5% | 123,873 | 15 | |
| Marco Rubio | 24.9% | 101,235 | 9 | |
| Ben Carson | 5.7% | 23,173 | 0 | |
| John Kasich | 3.7% | 15,098 | 0 | |
| Mike Huckabee | 1.2% | 4,703 | 0 | |
| Jeb Bush | 0.6% | 2,406 | 0 | |
| Rand Paul | 0.3% | 1,127 | 0 | |
| Chris Christie | 0.2% | 651 | 0 | |
| Carly Fiorina | 0.1% | 409 | 0 | |
| Rick Santorum | 0.1% | 286 | 0 | |
| Lindsey Graham | 0.1% | 250 | 0 | |
| Bobby Jindal | 0% | 167 | 0 | |
| Totals | 406,522 | 40 | ||
| Source: The New York Times | ||||
Delegate allocation
Arkansas had 40 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 12 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's four congressional districts). District-level delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; the highest vote-getter in a district received two of that district's delegates, and the second highest vote-getter received the remaining delegate. If a candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote in a district, he or she received all three of that district's delegates.[18][19]
Of the remaining 28 delegates, 25 served at large. At-large delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; a candidate had to win at least 15 percent of the statewide vote in order to receive any at-large delegates. Each candidate who met the 15 percent threshold received one delegate. If a candidate won more than 50 percent of the statewide vote, he or she was allocated the remaining at-large delegates. If no candidate won a majority of the statewide vote, the unallocated at-large delegates were divided proportionally among those candidates who met the 15 percent threshold. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.[18][19]
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Arkansas State Senate District 33 |
Officeholder Arkansas State Senate District 33 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Talk Business & Politics, "State Senate picks Hester as leader, draws committee assignments," November 10, 2022
- ↑ Arkansas State Legislature, "Senator Bart Hester (R)," accessed April 23, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Arkansas State Legislature, "Biography of The Honorable Bart Hester," accessed April 23, 2025 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "bio" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Talk Business & Politics, "Senate President Bart Hester says session will focus on education, public safety reforms," November 13, 2022
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Arkansas Advocate, "New House Speaker, new and reelected lawmakers ring in Arkansas’ 2025 legislative session," January 13, 2025
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Legiscan, "Arkansas House Bill 1706," accessed September 4, 2025
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "2016 Election Dates," accessed November 17, 2015
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "2016 General Election and Nonpartisan Runoff Election," accessed November 23, 2016
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Candidate Information," accessed July 25, 2016
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Election Results," accessed April 19, 2016
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Election Results 2012," accessed November 7, 2012
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "2012 Election candidates," March 8, 2012
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Official 2012 Primary Results," accessed December 20, 2013
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Arkansas State Primary Election, May 22, 2012," accessed July 11, 2012
- ↑ Bart Hester campaign website, "Issues," accessed May 12, 2014
- ↑ Ballotpedia, "Arkansas's Freedom Scorecard," accessed July 10, 2017
- ↑ KATV.com, "Arkansas GOP Convention Delegates and Alternates Elected," May 14, 2016
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Kim Hammer (R) |
Arkansas State Senate District 33 2023-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Arkansas State Senate District 1 2013-2023 |
Succeeded by Ben Gilmore (R) |
