Your monthly support provides voters the knowledge they need to make confident decisions at the polls. Donate today.
Arkansas State Senate elections, 2022
|
2024 →
← 2020
|
|
| 2022 Arkansas Senate Elections | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Primary | May 24, 2022 |
| Primary runoff | June 21, 2022 |
| General | November 8, 2022 |
| Past Election Results |
| 2020・2018・2016・2014 2012・2010・2008 |
| 2022 Elections | |
|---|---|
| Choose a chamber below: | |
Elections for the Arkansas State Senate took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for May 24, 2022, and a primary runoff was scheduled for June 21, 2022. The filing deadline was March 1, 2022.
The Arkansas State Senate was one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2022. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
Party control
| Arkansas State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 8, 2022 | After November 9, 2022 | |
| Democratic Party | 7 | 6 | |
| Republican Party | 27 | 29 | |
| Independent | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 35 | 35 | |
Candidates
General
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection
Primary runoff
Arkansas State Senate primary runoff 2022 |
|||
|
|||
| Office |  Democratic |
 Republican |
Other |
| District 22 |
|
||
| District 28 |
|
||
| District 35 |
|
||
Primary
Arkansas State Senate primary 2022 |
|||
|
|||
| Office | Democratic |
Republican |
Other |
| District 1 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
|
|
| District 2 |
|
||
| District 3 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
|
|
| District 4 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
|
|
| District 5 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
|
|
| District 6 |
|
||
| District 7 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
|
|
| District 8 |
|
The Republican primary was canceled. |
|
| District 9 |
|
||
| District 10 |
|
|
|
| District 11 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
|
|
| District 12 |
The Republican primary was canceled. Did not make the ballot: |
|
|
| District 13 |
|
|
|
| District 14 |
|
|
|
| District 15 |
The Republican primary was canceled. |
|
|
| District 16 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
Did not make the ballot: |
|
| District 17 |
|
||
| District 18 |
|
|
|
| District 19 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
|
|
| District 20 |
|
|
|
| District 21 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
|
|
| District 22 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
Did not make the ballot: |
|
| District 23 |
|
|
|
| District 24 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
|
|
| District 25 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
|
|
| District 26 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
|
|
| District 27 |
|
||
| District 28 |
|
|
|
| District 29 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
|
|
| District 30 |
|
The Republican primary was canceled. |
|
| District 31 |
|
||
| District 32 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
|
|
| District 33 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
|
|
| District 34 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
|
|
| District 35 |
The Democratic primary was canceled. |
|
|
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Click a link below to read survey responses from candidates in that district:
- District 1
- District 2
- District 3
- District 4
- District 5
- District 6
- District 7
- District 8
- District 9
- District 10
- District 11
- District 12
- District 13
- District 14
- District 15
- District 16
- District 17
- District 18
- District 19
- District 20
- District 21
- District 22
- District 23
- District 24
- District 25
- District 26
- District 27
- District 28
- District 29
- District 30
- District 31
- District 32
- District 33
- District 34
- District 35
Incumbents who were not re-elected
Incumbents defeated in general elections
No incumbents lost in general elections.
Incumbents defeated in primary elections
Two incumbents lost in the May 24 primaries and two lost in June 21 primary runoffs.
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Ballinger |  Republican |
Senate District 28 |
| Charles Beckham | Republican |
Senate District 3 |
| Bill Sample | Republican |
Senate District 6 |
| James Sturch | Republican |
Senate District 22 |
Retiring incumbents
Nine incumbents were not on the ballot in 2022.[1] Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Office | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Hendren |  Nonpartisan |
Senate District 2 | Retired |
| Cecile Bledsoe | Republican |
Senate District 3 | Term limited |
| Colby Fulfer | Republican |
Senate District 7 | Retired |
| Mathew Pitsch | Republican |
Senate District 8 | Other office |
| Larry Teague |  Democratic |
Senate District 10 | Term limited |
| Keith Ingram | Democratic |
Senate District 24 | Retired |
| Trent Garner | Republican |
Senate District 27 | Retired |
| Joyce Elliott | Democratic |
Senate District 31 | Term limited |
| Jason Rapert | Republican |
Senate District 35 | Other office |
Primary election competitiveness
This section contains data on state legislative primary election competitiveness in Arkansas. These totals include data from all regularly-scheduled House and Senate elections. For more information about Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Post-filing deadline analysis
The following analysis covers all state legislative districts up for election in Arkansas in 2022. Information below was calculated on April 20, 2022, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
From 2014 to 2020, the number of contested state legislative primaries in Arkansas, those where more than one candidate filed to run, ranged from 21 to 27. In 2022, that figure rose to 62, the largest number since at least 2014, representing 28% of the possible state legislative primaries.
An influx of Republican candidates primarily drove this increase.
Following the 2022 candidate filing deadline, the number of contested Republican primaries more than tripled from 2020, increasing from 16 to 52. The number of contested Democratic primaries doubled compared to 2020, from five to 10. These numbers represent the most contested primaries for each party since at least 2014.
Of those candidates who filed to run in contested primaries, 29 were incumbents, representing 28% of those seeking re-election, the largest such percentage since at least 2014. As a result of redistricting, two incumbents—Reps. Mark McElroy (R) and David Tollett (R)—were drawn into the same district, setting up the legislature’s sole incumbent v. incumbent primary.
Thirty-two districts were left open, meaning no incumbents filed to run, the largest number since at least 2014. That represents about 24% of districts up for election. Open seats are guaranteed to be won by newcomers.
Overall, 263 major party candidates filed to run this year: 74 Democrats and 189 Republicans. That’s 1.9 candidates per district, an increase from the 1.6 candidates per district in 2020 and 1.7 in 2018.
Open seats
The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the Arkansas State Senate from 2010 to 2022.[2]
| Open Seats in Arkansas State Senate elections: 2010 - 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2022 | 35 | 9 (26 percent) | 26 (74 percent) |
| 2020 | 17 | 1 (6 percent) | 16 (94 percent) |
| 2018 | 18 | 4 (22 percent) | 14 (78 percent) |
| 2016 | 17 | 2 (12 percent) | 15 (88 percent) |
| 2014 | 18 | 2 (11 percent) | 16 (89 percent) |
| 2012 | 35 | 11 (31 percent) | 24 (69 percent) |
| 2010 | 17 | 13 (76 percent) | 4 (24 percent) |
Incumbents running in new districts
When an incumbent files to run for re-election in the same chamber but a new district, it leaves his or her original seat open. This may happen for a variety of reasons ranging from redistricting to a change in residences. This may result in instances where multiple incumbents face each other in contested primaries or general elections if the incumbent in the new district also seeks re-election.
Arkansas rearranged its Senate districts during the redistricting process after the 2020 census. As a result, every incumbent seeking re-election at the time of the primary filed to run in new districts different from those they represented before the election. Click [show] on the header below to view a table showing all 35 districts in the leftmost column along with all legislators representing those districts at the time of the 2022 filing deadline. The "Filed in 2022 in ..." column lists the districts, in which incumbents filed to run. The "New district open?" column indicates whether the incumbent running was the only incumbent seeking re-election in that district.
Process to become a candidate
See statutes: Title 7 of the Arkansas Code
A candidate in Arkansas may run for office as a candidate of a recognized political party, as an independent, or as a write-in.
Political party candidates
A political party candidate must seek his or her party's nomination through either a primary election or party convention.[3][4]
A political party candidate must file an affidavit of eligibility, political practices pledge, and party certificate with the Arkansas Secretary of State by March 1 in the year of the election. If March 1 falls on a holiday or weekend, these forms are due on the following business day. The candidate must pay a filing fee if one has been established by his or her party.[3][4]
Independent candidates
An independent candidate must file a political practices pledge, affidavit of eligibility, and notice of candidacy with the Arkansas Secretary of State by March 1 in the year of the election. If March 1 falls on a holiday or weekend, these forms are due on the following business day.[3][4][5]
Independent candidates must also collect petition signatures to gain ballot access. This process may begin 90 days before the petition filing deadline. The signature requirements vary depending on the office being sought. If a candidate is running for state executive office or the United States Senate, 10,000 qualified signatures, or the equivalent of 3 percent of voters in the state, whichever is fewer, are required. If the candidate is running for state legislative office or the United States House of Representatives, signatures equaling 3 percent of voters in the county, township, or district in which the candidate is seeking office are required. If this amount exceeds 2,000, the requirement is capped at 2,000.[3][4][6]
Write-in candidates
State law prohibits write-in candidates from running in elections. Election administrators are prohibited from counting votes for write-in candidates.[7] In 2023, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed SB 254, eliminating write-in candidates in Arkansas elections.[8]
Vacancies
Upon the death, resignation, or removal of a member of the U.S. Senate, the governor must make an appointment to fill the vacancy. If the term of the departing senator would have ended at the next scheduled general election, the gubernatorial appointee will serve out the remainder of the term. No special election will be held. If the term of the departing senator was not set to expire at the next general election (and the vacancy occurred four months or more before the next general election), a special election to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the vacated term will be held concurrently with the next general election. If the vacancy occurred less than four months before the next general election, a special election to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term will be held concurrently with the second general election occurring after the vacancy.[9]
Qualifications
Article 5, Section 4 of the Arkansas Constitution states: No person shall be a Senator or Representative who, at the time of his election, is not a citizen of the United States, nor any one who has not been for two years next preceding his election, a resident of this State, and for one year next preceding his election, a resident of the county or district whence he may be chosen. Senators shall be at least twenty-five years of age, and Representatives at least twenty-one years of age.
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[10] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $44,356/year | For legislators residing within 50 miles of the capitol: $59/day. For legislators residing more than 50 miles from the capitol: $166/day. |
When sworn in
Arkansas legislators assume office on the second Monday of January following their election.[11]
Arkansas political history
Trifectas
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.
Arkansas Party Control: 1992-2025
Eleven years of Democratic trifectas • Eleven 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
Presidential politics in Arkansas
2020 Presidential election results
Presidential election in Arkansas, 2020
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
||
| ✔ |
 
| Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R) |
62.4
|
760,647 | 6 |
 
| Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D) |
34.8
|
423,932 | 0 | |
 
| Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L) |
1.1
|
13,133 | 0 | |
 
| Ye/Michelle Tidball (Independent) |
0.3
|
4,099 | 0 | |
 
| Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (G) |
0.2
|
2,980 | 0 | |
 
| Phil Collins/Billy Joe Parker (Independent) |
0.2
|
2,812 | 0 | |
 
| Brock Pierce/Karla Ballard (Independent) |
0.2
|
2,141 | 0 | |
 
| Don Blankenship/William Mohr (Constitution Party) |
0.2
|
2,108 | 0 | |
 
| Brian T. Carroll/Amar Patel (American Solidarity Party) |
0.1
|
1,713 | 0 | |
| Connie Gammon/Phil Collins (Independent) |
0.1
|
1,475 | 0 | |
| J.R. Myers/Tiara Lusk (Life and Liberty) |
0.1
|
1,372 | 0 | |
 
| Gloria La Riva/Sunil Freeman (Party for Socialism and Liberation) |
0.1
|
1,336 | 0 | |
 
| Roque De La Fuente/Darcy Richardson (Independent) |
0.1
|
1,321 | 0 | |
 |
Total votes: 1,219,069 |
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Arkansas
Redistricting following the 2020 census
On December 29, 2021, new state House and Senate district maps went into effect.[12] The Arkansas Board of Apportionment—made up of the governor, secretary of state, and attorney general—initially displayed these maps on Oct. 29, 2021, beginning a month-long public comment period.[13] The board met on Nov. 29 to incorporate feedback and then voted 3-0 in favor of the final maps. These maps took effect for Arkansas' 2022 legislative elections.
Below is the state Senate map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle.
Arkansas State Senate Districts
until January 8, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Arkansas State Senate Districts
starting January 9, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
See also
| Arkansas | State Legislative Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 |
|
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners, "Running for Public Office: A 'Plain English' Handbook for Candidates," 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Arkansas Code of 1987, "Title 7, Elections," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑ Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners, "Running for Public Office: A 'Plain English' Handbook for Candidates," 2016
- ↑ On December 15, 2017, a federal judge ruled that Arkansas' March 1 deadline for independent candidates was unconstitutional.
- ↑ Arkansas Code of 1987 (2023), "Section 7-5-205," accessed February 21, 2025
- ↑ WKY 3, "Arkansas governor signs several bills that change elections in the Natural State," March 18, 2023
- ↑ Arkansas Code, "Section 7-8-102," accessed February 20, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Justia, "Arkansas Constitution Article 5 - Legislative Department Section 5 - Time of meeting," accessed October 26, 2021
- ↑ Democracy Docket, "Arkansas State Conference NAACP v. The Arkansas Board of Apportionment complaint," Dec. 29, 2021
- ↑ Arkansas Online, "Arkansas board accepts redrawn legislative district maps," Oct. 30, 2021
