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Bob Ballinger
Bob Ballinger (Republican Party) was a member of the Arkansas State Senate, representing District 5. He assumed office in 2019. He left office on January 9, 2023.
Ballinger (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Arkansas State Senate to represent District 28. He lost in the Republican primary runoff on June 21, 2022.
Ballinger is a former Republican member of the Arkansas House of Representatives, representing District 97 from 2013 to 2019.
Biography
Ballinger earned his B.A. in social studies from Northeastern State University and his J.D. from the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville in 2004. His professional experience includes working as an attorney.[1]
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.
2021-2022
Ballinger was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Children and Youth Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Joint Budget Committee
- Joint Energy Committee, Co-chair
- Legislative Council
2019-2020
Ballinger was assigned to the following committees:
- Joint Budget Committee
- Legislative Council
- Senate Judiciary 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 |
|---|
| • Judiciary |
| • State Agencies and Governmental Affairs, Chair |
| • Joint Energy |
| • Joint Energy |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Ballinger served on the following committees:
| Arkansas committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Judiciary |
| • State Agencies and Governmental Affairs |
| • Legislative Council |
| • Joint Energy, Chair |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Ballinger served on the following committees:
| Arkansas committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Joint Performance Review |
| • Judiciary |
| • Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development |
| • Joint Energy, Alternate |
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.
Elections
2022
See also: Arkansas State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Arkansas State Senate District 28
Bryan King defeated Jim Wallace in the general election for Arkansas State Senate District 28 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Bryan King (R) | 76.0 | 21,768 |
 | Jim Wallace (D)  | 24.0 | 6,888 | |
| Total votes: 28,656 | |||
| = 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 runoff election
Republican primary runoff for Arkansas State Senate District 28
Bryan King defeated incumbent Bob Ballinger in the Republican primary runoff for Arkansas State Senate District 28 on June 21, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bryan King | 53.8 | 3,655 |
 | Bob Ballinger | 46.2 | 3,137 | |
| Total votes: 6,792 | |||
| = 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
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Jim Wallace advanced from the Democratic primary for Arkansas State Senate District 28.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Arkansas State Senate District 28
Bryan King and incumbent Bob Ballinger advanced to a runoff. They defeated Keith Slape, Robert Largent, and Theodore Walker in the Republican primary for Arkansas State Senate District 28 on May 24, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bryan King | 31.8 | 4,863 |
| ✔ | | Bob Ballinger | 29.2 | 4,465 |
 | Keith Slape | 19.2 | 2,936 | |
 | Robert Largent | 10.3 | 1,578 | |
 | Theodore Walker | 9.5 | 1,461 | |
| Total votes: 15,303 | |||
| = 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 State Senate elections, 2018
General election
General election for Arkansas State Senate District 5
Bob Ballinger defeated Jim Wallace and Lee Evans in the general election for Arkansas State Senate District 5 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bob Ballinger (R) | 67.6 | 18,288 |
| Jim Wallace (D) | 29.1 | 7,872 | |
 | Lee Evans (L) | 3.3 | 887 | |
| Total votes: 27,047 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Arkansas State Senate District 5
Jim Wallace advanced from the Democratic primary for Arkansas State Senate District 5 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Jim Wallace |
| ||||
| = 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 State Senate District 5
Bob Ballinger defeated incumbent Bryan King in the Republican primary for Arkansas State Senate District 5 on May 22, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Bob Ballinger | 52.3 | 4,245 |
| Bryan King | 47.7 | 3,871 | |
| Total votes: 8,116 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Ballotpedia's analysis revealed that only 42 of the 100 seats up for election in 2016 involved competition between Democrats and Republicans. This made it numerically impossible for Democrats to take control of either Arkansas legislative chamber in 2016.
The reason for the low competition was that candidates were in safe districts for their parties. Between 1972 and 2014, an upward trend in uncontested state legislative elections occurred.
The Democratic Party of Arkansas focused its 2016 efforts on the state’s House of Representatives. Without the numbers to win the state Senate, H.L. Moody, communications director for the Democratic Party of Arkansas, told Ballotpedia that the party’s goal was to “start building back where we can,” beginning with the House.
Ballotpedia spoke to political analyst Richard Winger, who said that the early primary deadline for the 2016 elections was a possible factor as well, making it difficult for Democrats to recruit candidates early.
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.[2]
Incumbent Bob Ballinger ran unopposed in the Arkansas House of Representatives District 97 general election.[3]
| Arkansas House of Representatives, District 97 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican |  Bob Ballinger Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: Arkansas Secretary of State | ||
Incumbent Bob Ballinger ran unopposed in the Arkansas House of Representatives District 97 Republican Primary.[4][5]
| Arkansas House of Representatives, District 97 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Bob Ballinger Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for the Arkansas House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014; a runoff election took place where necessary on June 10, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 3, 2014. Sonny Carter was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Bob Ballinger was unopposed in the Republican primary. Ballinger defeated Carter in the general election.[6][7]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Ballinger Incumbent |
64.8% | 6,234 | |
| Democratic | Sonny Carter | 35.2% | 3,384 | |
| Total Votes | 9,618 | |||
2012
Ballinger ran in the 2012 election for Arkansas House of Representatives, District 97. Ballinger defeated Jeremy Miller in the May 22 Republican primary and defeated Robert Berry (D) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[8][9][10]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Ballinger |
56.2% | 6,706 | |
| Democratic | Robert "Butch" Berry | 43.8% | 5,226 | |
| Total Votes | 11,932 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Bob Ballinger |
52.4% | 1,362 |
| Jeremy Miller | 47.6% | 1,238 |
| Total Votes | 2,600 | |
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Bob Ballinger did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2014
Ballinger's campaign website highlighted the following campaign themes:[11]
Life
- Excerpt: "Bob is a strong pro-life, pro-family candidate. He has worked with state leaders to ensure that the sanctity of life is respected, protected, and upheld."
Jobs
- Excerpt: "The people of Arkansas are resourceful and hardworking, and possess a creative and entrepreneurial spirit. With the natural advantages of our great state, we have all the resources to lead the nation in job creation."
Education
- Excerpt: "Having taught in public schools, no one knows better than Bob that opportunities for a quality education are crucial if our children and, in return, our state, is to have a successful future, and if our republic will be preserved."
Spending
- Excerpt: "We've watched in disbelief as Washington politicians have driven the Federal debt to historic levels. Compared to Washington politicians, Arkansas has demonstrated some restraint in government spending, but the fact remains we can do more."
Farms
- Excerpt: "Bob understands that the best stewards of the land are farmers and ranchers who depend on it for their livelihood -- in some cases, for generations. These are the people who understand what it means to protect the land's viability and who understand its importance to our Arkansas heritage and our economic stability and strength."
Note: Ballinger's campaign themes did not change from 2012.
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.
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.
2022
In 2022, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from February 14 to March 15.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to small business issues.
2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2021, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from January 11 to October 15.
|
2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2020, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from April 8 to April 24.
|
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2019, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from January 14 through April 24.
|
2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
|---|
|
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.
|
2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
|---|
|
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.
|
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.
|
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
Ballinger was an at-large delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Arkansas. Ballinger was one of 15 delegates from Arkansas bound by state party rules to support Ted Cruz at the convention.[13] Cruz suspended his campaign on May 3, 2016. At the time, he had approximately 546 bound delegates. For more on what happened to his delegates, see this page.
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.[14][15]
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.[14][15]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Ballinger and his wife, Jessica, have six children.[1]
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed April 10, 2014
- ↑ 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, "Candidate Information," accessed March 5, 2014
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed June 26, 2014
- ↑ 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, "Arkansas State Primary Election, May 22, 2012," accessed July 11, 2012
- ↑ bobballinger.com, "On the Issues," accessed April 10, 2014
- ↑ Ballotpedia, "Arkansas's Freedom Scorecard," accessed July 10, 2017
- ↑ KATV.com, "Arkansas GOP Convention Delegates and Alternates Elected," May 14, 2016
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bryan King (R) |
Arkansas State Senate District 5 2019-2023 |
Succeeded by Terry Rice (R) |
| Preceded by - |
Arkansas House of Representatives District 97 2013-2019 |
Succeeded by Harlan Breaux (R) |
