Arkansas state executive official elections, 2018

Elections in Arkansas, 2018

• General election: Nov. 6
• Voter registration deadline: Oct. 9
• Early voting: Oct. 22 - Nov. 5
• Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 5

• Online registration: No
• Same-day registration: No
• Voter ID: Photo ID required (preliminary injunction issued on April 26, 2018)
• Poll times: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

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On the ballot: U.S. House • Governor • Lt. Gov • Attorney General • Secretary of State • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Special state legislative • Supreme court • Appellate courts • Local judges • State ballot measures • School boards • Democratic primaries • Republican primaries

2022 → ← 2014
Arkansas state executive official elections
Election details
Filing deadline: March 1, 2018
Primary: May 22, 2018 Primary runoff: June 19, 2018 (if needed) General: November 6, 2018
How to vote
Poll times: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voting in Arkansas
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2018 Impact of term limits in 2018 State government trifectas and triplexes
Other state executive elections
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The following state executive offices were up for election in Arkansas in 2018:

Governor
Lieutenant governor
Attorney general
Secretary of state
Auditor
Treasurer
Public lands commissioner

Candidates and election results

Governor

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

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 891,509
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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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

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 105,919
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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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

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 206,405
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Lieutenant governor

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas

Incumbent Tim Griffin defeated Anthony Bland and Frank Gilbert in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tim Griffin (R)	64.2	570,433
		Anthony Bland (D)	33.0	293,535
		Frank Gilbert (L)	2.8	24,767

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 888,735
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas

Anthony Bland advanced from the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Anthony Bland

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas

Incumbent Tim Griffin advanced from the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Tim Griffin

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
= 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.

Attorney general

General election

General election for Attorney General of Arkansas

Incumbent Leslie Rutledge defeated Mike Lee and Kerry Hicks in the general election for Attorney General of Arkansas on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Leslie Rutledge (R)	61.8	549,668
		Mike Lee (D)	35.4	315,099
		Kerry Hicks (L)	2.8	24,652

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 889,419
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Arkansas

Mike Lee advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Arkansas on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Mike Lee

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Arkansas

Incumbent Leslie Rutledge advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of Arkansas on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Leslie Rutledge

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Secretary of state

General election

General election for Arkansas Secretary of State

John Thurston defeated Susan Inman and Christopher Olson in the general election for Arkansas Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Thurston (R)	60.6	537,581
		Susan Inman (D)	36.5	323,644
		Christopher Olson (L)	2.9	25,320

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 886,545 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arkansas Secretary of State

Susan Inman advanced from the Democratic primary for Arkansas Secretary of State on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Susan Inman

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arkansas Secretary of State

John Thurston defeated Trevor Drown in the Republican primary for Arkansas Secretary of State on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Thurston	52.6	100,794
		Trevor Drown	47.4	90,927

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 191,721
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Auditor

General election

General election for Arkansas Auditor of State

Incumbent Andrea Lea defeated David Dinwiddie in the general election for Arkansas Auditor of State on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Andrea Lea (R)	72.4	621,772
		David Dinwiddie (L)	27.6	237,602

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 859,374
= 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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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arkansas Auditor of State

Incumbent Andrea Lea advanced from the Republican primary for Arkansas Auditor of State on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Andrea Lea

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
= 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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Treasurer

General election

General election for Arkansas Treasurer

Incumbent Dennis Milligan defeated Ashley Ewald in the general election for Arkansas Treasurer on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dennis Milligan (R)	70.9	611,189
		Ashley Ewald (L)	29.1	250,943

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 862,132
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arkansas Treasurer

Incumbent Dennis Milligan advanced from the Republican primary for Arkansas Treasurer on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Dennis Milligan

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Public lands commissioner

General election

General election for Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands

Tommy Land defeated Larry Williams and T.J. Campbell in the general election for Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tommy Land (R)	60.0	530,230
		Larry Williams (D)	36.7	323,682
		T.J. Campbell (L)	3.3	29,123

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 883,035
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands

Larry Williams advanced from the Democratic primary for Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Larry Williams

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands

Tommy Land advanced from the Republican primary for Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Tommy Land

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Context of the 2018 elections

Party control in Arkansas

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Republicans in Arkansas gained a state government trifecta as a result of the 2014 elections, when they recaptured the governor's office and retained control of the state legislature. Democrats had trifectas in the state from 1992 to 1997 and 2007 to 2013.

Arkansas Party Control: 1992-2026
Eleven years of Democratic trifectas  •  Twelve 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	26
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	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	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	R

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Arkansas utilizes an open primary system. Registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Early voting

Arkansas permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Early voting allows citizens to cast their ballots in person at a polling place before an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting. Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire do not offer no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

Arkansas voters are eligible to vote absentee/mail-in in an election if they cannot make it to the polls on Election Day for one of the following reasons:

• The voter will be "unavoidably absent" from his or her polling location on Election Day.
• The voter is physically unable to visit his or her polling location on Election Day due to illness or physical disability.
• The voter is a member of the armed services, merchant marines, or is the spouse or dependent of such an individual and "are away from your polling location due to the member’s active duty status."
• The voter is temporarily living outside the United States.

To vote absentee/mail-in, a request must be received by elections officials either seven days before the election (if submitted by mail or fax), by the Friday before the election (if submitted in person), or by 1:30 p.m. on the day of the election if an authorized agent makes the request for a voter confined in a hospital or nursing home. The deadline to return an absentee/mail-in ballot is by close of business the Friday before the election if returned in person, or 7:30 p.m. on Election Day if submitted by mail or by an authorized agent. Military and overseas voters must complete their ballot by Election Day, and they must be received by their county clerk by 5:00 p.m., 10 days after the election.

Impact of term limits

See also: Impact of term limits on state executive elections in 2018

Seven state executive seats in Arkansas were up for election in 2018. In the 2018 elections, two officials were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state officials were term-limited in 2018:

Republicans (2):

• Secretary of State: Mark Martin
• Commissioner of State Lands: John Thurston

Of the 283 state executives offices on the ballot in 2018, 131 of them were represented by incumbents who were subject to term limits. Of the 36 gubernatorial seats up for election in 2018, 13 governors—two Democrats and 11 Republicans—were term-limited and therefore unable to run for re-election. Of the 31 states with term limits that held state executives elections in 2018, some incumbents in 18 of the states were term-limited.

A total of 49 state executive officials were ineligible to run in the 2018 elections because of term limits. This represented 17 percent of the 283 total seats up for election in 2018. Republicans had more than six times as many state executive officials term-limited in 2018 than Democrats. A total of seven Democrats were term-limited, while 40 Republicans were term-limited. The other two term-limited officials were nonpartisan.

Past elections

2016

There were no state executive elections in Arkansas in 2016.

2014

The following elections took place in 2014.

• Arkansas down ballot state executive elections, 2014
• Arkansas gubernatorial election, 2014
• Arkansas Attorney General election, 2014
• Arkansas lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2014
• Arkansas Secretary of State election, 2014
• Arkansas state executive official elections, 2014

2012

There were no state executive elections in Arkansas in 2012.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Arkansas state executive election 2018. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Arkansas state executive official elections, 2018 - Google News

State profile

Demographic data for Arkansas
	Arkansas	U.S.
Total population:	2,977,853	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	52,035	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	78%	73.6%
Black/African American:	15.5%	12.6%
Asian:	1.4%	5.1%
Native American:	0.6%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0.2%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.1%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	6.9%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	84.8%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	21.1%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$41,371	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	22.9%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Arkansas. **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.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Arkansas

Arkansas voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Arkansas, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Arkansas had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.

More Arkansas coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in Arkansas
• United States congressional delegations from Arkansas
• Public policy in Arkansas
• Endorsers in Arkansas
• Arkansas fact checks
• More...

External links

Suggest a link

• State of Arkansas official website

Footnotes

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