Steven O'Donnell (Arkansas)

Steven O'Donnell

Democratic Party

Candidate, U.S. House Arkansas District 4

Elections and appointments

Next election

March 3, 2026

Education

High school

Gillham High School

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Navy

Years of service

1988 - 1992

Personal

Birthplace

De Queen, AR

Religion

Christian: Nondenominational

Profession

Business owner

Steven O'Donnell (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Arkansas' 4th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on March 3, 2026.^[source]

O'Donnell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Steven O'Donnell was born in De Queen, Arkansas. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1988 to 1992. He graduated from Gillham High School. His career experience includes working as a business owner, in quality management, and as a production supervisor and inventory control manager.

Elections

2026

See also: Arkansas' 4th Congressional District election, 2026

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

Democratic primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 4

Steven O'Donnell (D) and James Russell (D) are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 4 on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Steven O'Donnell
		James Russell

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 4

Incumbent Bruce Westerman (R) is running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 4 on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Bruce Westerman

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= 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

Steven O'Donnell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by O'Donnell's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Born and raised in Arkansas, Graduate of Gillham High School class of 1985. I worked part time after school at the Lane Poultry feed mill in Grannis Ar. and other odd jobs my agriculture teacher would line me up with. after graduation, I worked in the construction industry building apartment buildings and custom homes across the country in Texas, Arkansas ,North Carolina and Florida before joining the U.S. Navy and serving four and a half years as a Navy Seabee. Rejoining civilian life, I began my journey of 30 years of business management and ownership. My wife and I have been together for 25 years and also, I inherited and beautiful and intelligent stepdaughter that gave us 3 beautiful grand kids. Life is busy and there's never enough time it seems...

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• The U.S. House of Representatives must reclaim its role as the vigilant watchdog of our national interest, ensuring every dollar is spent with integrity and transparency. Our funding decisions must be scrutinized, with clear receipts of how budgetary allocations come to be and whom they benefit.
• Now is the time for D.C. to return to its true allegiance- not to a handful of billionaires, but to " We The People". Together, we can restore the power to voices like your and mine, Voices that resonate with values , concerns and aspirations of Arkansas fourth district.
• Lets turn the tide and elect someone who shares your fight , who lives our common struggles and who will stand unwavering for the issues that mold our daily lives. Lets be the catalyst for change. Together, lets take back the promise of American democracy and create a future where every citizen, not just a privileged few , is truly heard. Onward, Together, for a government that truly represents us all.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Ensuring that the most vulnerable don't fall through the cracks in our society. Extending the ACA tax credits until a better, more efficient and cost effective plan can replace plans that no longer are affordable to low income families or individuals.
support funding increase for early childhood development in headstart programs and assistance with childcare for single and low income parents. Restore funding for elderly care and in home assistance cut by the Big Beautiful Bill and the DOGE committee.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

being able to put partisan politics to the side and also realize that decisions should not be made on ones personal feeling or beliefs , but as a consensus of those he or she may represent. Sometimes we must all sacrifice our beliefs to reach an outcome that is for the betterment for all.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To ensure fair and equal representation of all citizens regardless of Race, Creed or Religion. To treat every one with the dignity of being a human.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Watching Nixxon get on Marine One after resigning from office. I believe I was 4.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

I believe term limits would end the corruption in general. 12 years as a representative and 12 years as a Senator. If you are reelected to serve 6 terms as a representative you would be eligible to run and serve 2 terms as a Senator. 24 years total if your base will keep electing you. it would be best to tamp down corruption and keep fresh generational ideas coming to the table.

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

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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.

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Steven O'Donnell campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2026*	U.S. House Arkansas District 4	Candidacy Declared primary	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$0	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also

2026 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

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External links

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Footnotes

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Arkansas' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

John Boozman (R)

Tom Cotton (R)

Representatives

District 1

Rick Crawford (R)

District 2

French Hill (R)

District 3

Steve Womack (R)

District 4

Bruce Westerman (R)

Republican Party (6)