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Ethan Dunbar
Ethan Dunbar (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Arkansas. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.[source]
Dunbar completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Ethan Dunbar was born in Chicago, Illinois. Dunbar's career experience includes serving as the mayor of Lewisville, Arkansas. He served in the U.S. Army from 1981 to 2015. Dunbar earned a bachelor's degree from University of Maryland, University College in 2006, a graduate degree from University of Maryland, University College in 2011, and a Ph.D. from the University of Central Arkansas in 2023.[1]
Dunbar has been affiliated with the following organizations:[1]
- Arkansas Black Mayor's Association
- The Masonic Order
- Lions Club International
- The Rotary Club
- Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Elections
2026
See also: United States Senate election in Arkansas, 2026
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for U.S. Senate Arkansas
The following candidates are running in the general election for U.S. Senate Arkansas on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Tom Cotton (R) | |
 | Ethan Dunbar (D)  | |
 | James Russell (D) | |
| Hallie Shoffner (D) | ||
 | Dan Whitfield (D) | |
| Micah Ashby (R) | ||
| ||||
| = 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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Endorsements
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Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Ethan Dunbar completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Dunbar's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I believe that we need to transform the core of our political process. Leaders should lead with respect—respect for everyone’s humanity, respect for opinions different from ours, respect for each person’s dignity and self-worth, and respect for individual freedoms. In this spirit, we can build stronger relationships that enhance our quality of life and address specific needs in Arkansas. Blaming a party, group, or individual only widens the divide. We must rise above this tendency and focus on the character of the leaders we elect.
I am a 33-year retired Army Veteran. I reached the highest enlisted rank of Command Sergeant Major. I learned to follow first and then to lead early in my career. I led leaders and taught them how to lead. I served as a leader in combat for 42 months. Currently, I serve as the mayor of my small town, I serve as the Chairman of the Arkansas Black Mayors’ Association since October 2022. I am an active member of the Arkansas Lions Club, former District Governor of District 7L, past president of the Stamps Rotary Club. I am also a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and the Masonic Order.- 1. Restore civility and integrity to political dialogue. Through this campaign, I hope to inspire hope in humanity. As our national and state demographics evolve, so must our perspective on how to best coexist within our governing principles— the U.S. Constitution and our respective State Constitutions. Our democracy depends on how our elected leaders represent our shared experiences, respect our differences, and focus on the common interests of all constituents. We must restore civility to our political conversations.
- 2. Hold elected leaders accountable. The combined efforts of our people create the standard of living we enjoy in the United States. We, the citizens, must serve as guardians of this system and our democracy, and the leaders we select should show genuine respect for every individual. Hard work, along with courageous, strong, and ethical leadership, combined with fundamental dignity and respect for all, has largely helped our nation become the leader of the free world. Any erosion of these principles and standards by elected officials weakens the collective efforts of citizens and must be addressed.
- 3. Fight for the dignity of hardworking, play-by-the-rules Arkansans. Here in Arkansas, we work with our hands. 97% of the roughly 50,000 farms are family-owned, so we must protect our agricultural well-being. The economic impact of Arkansas farmers on the state is about 8.5% of its GDP and provides numerous jobs. During these times of high inflation and wage instability, Arkansans also need to be concerned about rising healthcare costs and the threat of losing access to safety net healthcare for our most vulnerable citizens. We must stop allowing personal outrage in politics to blindly influence our actions toward the vulnerable and hardworking citizens. We are much better than this.
I am passionate about finding or creating ways to discover common ground that previously did not exist, to bring people together. I am dedicated to challenging the illusions of our current political leaders and focusing on reshaping the political process toward shared decency and good values.
To achieve this, we must elect leaders who genuinely respect the opinions and perspectives of those they serve. We need to select selfless leaders who understand that their roles are not about personal gain or ambitions but about protecting the unalienable rights of every citizen. This requires each voter to first reflect on themselves and then carefully consider the candidates they support. I believe that our democracy heavily depends on who we choose to elect.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
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.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
