The filing period for Arkansas candidates is now closed, leaving us with a pretty definitive list of who’s running for what in 2026. Here’s a list of every candidate for federal and state office as of Nov. 14. 

Updated from intrepid reporter Matt Campbell’s candidate round up from a couple of months ago, this new and improved list omits candidates that have withdrawn or did not appear in the Secretary of State’s list of candidate filings.

Federal offices

U.S. Senate

Sen. Tom Cotton is running for a third term, but will first need to survive primary challenges from fellow Republicans Jeb Little of Harrison and Micah Ashby of Bradford.

Several Democrats announced bids to challenge Cotton, but the pool has shrunk to just two: Hallie Shoffner, a farmer from Newport, and Ethan Dunbar, mayor of Lewisville. The Democrats will face off in the March primary. 

U.S. House of Representatives, District 1

Republican Congressman Rick Crawford seeks his ninth term in the House. Terri Yarbrough Green, a retired pathologist from Paragould, filed on Monday to run as a Democrat in this race.

U.S. House of Representatives, District 2

Not sure what it says about Rep. French Hill (R-Little Rock) that his run for a seventh term in the House has drawn the most competition. Hill faces a primary challenge from the right from Chase McDowell, who claims to be from Arkansas but whose statement of candidacy shows a Virginia address and whose campaign committee and campaign bank account are based in Virginia.

Additionally, Hill has drawn two Democratic challengers: 2024 gubernatorial candidate Chris Jones of Little Rock and Zack Huffman, a teacher from Little Rock.

U.S. House of Representatives, District 3

Seeking his ninth term in Congress, Republican Steve Womack of Rogers is being challenged by Democrat Robb Ryerse, a pastor and nonprofit leader in Springdale.

U.S. House of Representatives, District 4

Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Hot Springs), seeking a sixth term representing southwestern Arkansas in Congress, has drawn two Democratic challengers.

James “Rus” Russell III, who owns an outpatient mental health clinic in Little Rock with his wife, had previously announced a bid for Tom Cotton’s Senate seat, but changed gears and announced he was instead running against Westerman. Russell ran in the Democratic primary for Governor of Arkansas in 2022, losing to Chris Jones, who went on to lose to Sarah Huckabee Sanders. 

Navy veteran Steven Layne O’Donnell of Hot Springs also filed to run against Westerman. 

State constitutional offices

Governor

Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced her 2026 reelection campaign in January, and no Republican has proven dumb enough to take on the governor and her massive war chest in the primary. Democrats Fred Love, a term-limited state senator from Mabelvale, and Supha Xayprasith-Mays of Bentonville are running for governor as Democrats.

Secretary of State

Current Sec. of State Cole Jester was appointed to the seat to replace John Thurston, who was elected treasurer, and Arkansas law prohibits Jester from running for election to a position to which he was appointed. Three Republicans have announced their plans to succeed Jester as the state’s top election official: Kim Hammer, a term-limited state senator from Saline County; Miller County Judge Cathy Hardison Harrison; and Bryan Norris, a veteran and Batesville businessman who brags about endorsements from some of the worst people imaginable. Democrat Kelly Grappe from Rose Bud has also announced for this race.

Commissioner of State Lands

Because Cole Jester cannot run for secretary of state and seems uninterested in getting a job outside the public sector, he’s running for commissioner of state lands to replace the term-limited (and perfectly named) Tommy Land. Jester will be challenged by Republican Christian Olson, a real estate investor and former chairman of Nic Horton’s pretend think tank, Opportunity Arkansas.

Arkansas Supreme Court

The governor appointed Associate Justice Cody Hiland to position 3 on the state’s high court and Associate Justice Nicholas Bronni to position 6. Neither man can run for the position to which he is currently appointed, so they are running for each other’s seat in 2026. Cute!

Former Assistant Attorney General for the State of Arkansas John Adams has also announced a bid for position 3. 

State Senate

District 9

Sen. Reginald Murdock (D-Marianna) is term-limited. Two candidates are vying for that southeast Arkansas seat: Rep. Jessie McGruder (D-Marion) and Republican Kenny Phillips, a business owner from Crawfordsville.

District 10

Sen. Ron Caldwell (R-Wynne) is running for reelection in this east Arkansas district. He’s drawn a primary challenger from Stuttgart construction and landscaping company owner Trey “BoDirt” Bohannan. Bohannan has been endorsed by Gov. Sanders, though public records suggest he may not actually have any roots in the district he’s aiming to represent.

District 13

Retiring Sen. Jane English’s North Little Rock seat drew interest from four candidates. Rep. Brandon Achor (R-Maumelle), a pharmacist, and Mischa Martin, an attorney from Sherwood, are seeking the Republican nomination. On the Democratic side are Allison Grigsby Sweatman, a mental health professional from North Little Rock, and Jason Williams, a nurse from Sherwood.

District 15

Sen. Fred Love is term-limited (and running for governor). Three Democrats hope to replace him: his wife, ShaRhonda Love, former executive director of the Arkansas Minority Health Commission; Rep. Tara Shepherd (D-Little Rock); and Charity Smith-Allen, an educator from Little Rock.

District 16

With term-limited Sen. Kim Hammer (R-Benton) running for secretary of state, three candidates are vying for the Saline County seat he’s vacating. Saline County Sheriff Rodney Wright and Randy Sams, an insurance agent from Benton, are seeking the Republican nomination. Security professional Josh Irby of Bryant has announced as a Democrat in the race. 

District 21

This northeast Arkansas district brings a bit of interparty drama, as incumbent Sen. Blake Johnson (R-Corning) has drawn a primary challenge from Rep. Jeremy Wooldridge (R-Marmaduke), who is forgoing a reelection bid in his current seat to take on Johnson.

District 26

We have already written a lot about the election to replace the late Sen. Gary Stubblefield. Five Republicans are hoping to fill Stubblefield’s seat: Rep. Mark Berry (R-Ozark); small business owner Brad Simon of Paris; Ted Tritt, a “semi-retired businessman” also from Paris; Summit Utilities spokesperson Stacie Smith and Wade Dunn, both from Greenwood. Stubblefield’s family has endorsed Dunn.

District 27

Sen. Justin Boyd (R-Fort Smith) is seeking a second term. He’s drawn a Democratic challenger in Eduardo Guzman, an adjunct music professor at the University of the Ozarks, also of Fort Smith.

District 28

Sen. Bryan King (R-Green Forest) defeated then-Sen. Bob Ballinger in 2022 to retake the seat Ballinger wrested from King in 2018. In 2026, Ballinger’s son, Bobby Ballinger, seeks to avenge his father’s defeat by challenging King in the Republican primary. 

District 30

With Sen. Greg Leding term-limited, many expected multiple Democrats to jump into this Fayetteville-centric race. But only Rep. Denise Garner (D-Fayetteville) has announced, and she has no Republican challenger.

State House

District 1

With Rep. Jeremy Wooldridge running for state Senate, two Republicans are vying for the nomination for this northeast Arkansas seat: firefighter and small business owner Brian Carter of Paragould and Mark Nichols, an engineer from Randolph County.

District 3

Incumbent Stetson Painter (R-Mountain Home), seeking a third term in the House, has drawn a Democratic challenger: Carrie Huddleston of Mountain Home.

District 5

Five Republicans hope to replace Rep. Ron McNair (R-Alpena), who is not seeking reelection. The candidates are realtor and former alderman Jeff Pratt of Harrison, disabled Marine veteran Truman Copeland of Harrison, pastor and realtor Mike Bishop of Harrison, Boone County Justice of the Peace Kyle Evatt, and Jon Burnside, director of radiation oncology at North Arkansas Regional Medical Center of Harrison.

District 6

Rep. Harlan Breaux (R-Holiday Island) is not running for reelection. Small business owner Cody Rogers of Omaha, Carroll County Justice of the Peace Hunter Rivett of Berryville, and former IT director for Washington County Steven Baird of Eureka Springs are competing for the Republican nomination.

District 8

Rep. Austin McCollum (R-Bentonville) is leaving the Legislature. Benton County Justice of the Peace Brian Armas of Pea Ridge, also a Republican, filed to replace him.

District 9

Rep. Diana Gonzales Worthen (D-Springdale) made history in 2024 as the first Latina elected to the Arkansas Legislature, in the state’s first majority-Latino district. Now seeking a second term, Gonzales Worthen faces a Republican challenger: former army chaplain Matthew Goff of Springdale.

District 10

Rep. Mindy McAlindon (R-Centerton) is seeking a third term in the House. Bentonville Democrat Jacob Allen, an Army National Guard veteran who works for Walmart’s corporate office, has filed to challenge her. 

District 13

Two-term incumbent Rep. Scott Richardson (R-Bentonville) faces a former Arkansas Razorback on the Democratic ticket: Mitchell Smith of Bentonville.

District 15

Rep. John Carr (R-Rogers) is seeking a fourth term. Carr faces Democratic challenger Dan Holtmeyer of Rogers. Holtmeyer is a photographer and owner of a plant nursery. 

District 16

Three-term incumbent Rep. Kendon Underwood (R-Cave Springs) has drawn a Democratic challenger: Letisha Hinds, a Walmart merchant who previously ran for Bentonville School Board and Benton County Quorum Court. 

District 19

Incumbent Rep. Steve Unger (R-Springdale) is being challenged by Democrat Jamie Atkinson, a business owner and entrepreneur from Fayetteville.

District 20

Rep. Denise Garner is running for Sen. Greg Leding’s seat. Democrat Max Deitchler, an attorney and small business owner from Fayetteville, will run unopposed to replace her.

District 24

Incumbent Rep. Brad Hall (R-Rudy) filed to run but withdrew this week after his estranged wife accused Hall of physical and sexual assault and said he forced her to have sex with other men, including one who raped her. 

Republican Charlene Fite, who represented the district from 2013 to 2023, is running for the seat once again against Democratic candidate Ryan Intchauspe, a Navy veteran and systems designer for Colorado-based federal contractor Tipping Point Solutions. 

District 25

Rep. Chad Puryear (R-Goshen) is running for a third term. Courtney King of Elkins, a nonprofit founder and artist, is running on the Democratic ticket.

District 29

Democratic candidate Deonna Morgan of Malvern is challenging three-term incumbent Rep. Rick McClure (R-Malvern).

District 30

In northeast Arkansas, Rep. Fran Cavenaugh (R-Walnut Ridge) is calling it quits. Craighead County Justice of the Peace Josh Longmire of Jonesboro and bail bondsman Coty Powers of Walnut Ridge, both Republicans, hope to replace her.

District 32

More action in northeast Arkansas. Rep. Jack Ladyman (R-Jonesboro) seeks his seventh term in the House, but has drawn two Democratic challengers in Josh Alfano of Jonesboro, a children’s pastor and employee of the Jonesboro Economical Transit System, and Erika Askeland, who ran for Senate District 20 last year.

District 34

Michael Middlebrook, a Democrat and a pastor, is taking on two-term incumbent Rep. Joey Carr (R-Blytheville).

District 35

After local Republican election commissioners tried to prevent early voting in this district last time, leading to a lawsuit that forced early voting to occur, Rep. Jessie McGruder came out victorious. He’s not seeking reelection, however, running instead for the Senate seat left open by term-limited Sen. Reginald Murdock. 

Republican Robert Thorne Jr. of Marion, who lost to McGruder in 2024, will run for the seat on the Republican ticket while five Democrats duke it out in one of the most contested primaries in the state this election cycle.

Seeking the Democratic nomination are Audrey Willis, cofounder of a Memphis-based coding school and a self-described AI enthusiast; Earle city council member Demetris Johnson Jr.; educator Willie Williams; and Joyce Ann Gray, a West Memphis School Board member. 

District 36

Rep. Johnny Rye (R-Trumann) seeks a sixth term in the House. Craighead County Justice of the Peace Shamal Carter, a Democrat from Jonesboro, will try to unseat the incumbent Rye.

District 39

Pull your terrible hat down tight and cinch up your inexplicable ponytail, Rep. Wayne Long (R-Bradford), because you’ve drawn a primary challenger in 2026: Independence County Republican Party Chairman Cody Smith, who also works as manager of Vision Outdoor Media in Pleasant Plains.

District 42

Rep. Stephen Meeks (R-Greenbrier) is term-limited, so Arkansans will no longer hear him speaking too closely into microphones during the legislative session. To replace him, Republican primary voters will choose between Scout Stubbs, a small business owner and homeschooling mom from Greenbrier, and farmer and real estate developer Jeremy Riddle, also of Greenbrier.

District 46

Four Republicans have thrown hats in the ring to replace term-limited Rep. Jon Eubanks (R-Paris) in the western Arkansas seat that includes the site of a proposed mega prison: Tonya Fletcher, executive director of the Paris Area Chamber of Commerce and a current Paris City Council member; businessman Brian Cooper of Booneville; Curtis Varnell, an educator from Subiaco; and commercial insurance marketing specialist Ronnie Young, of Charleston.

District 50

Rep. Zack Gramlich (R-Fort Smith) is being challenged by Democratic candidate Wendy Peer, a teacher at Fort Smith’s Northside High School. 

District 51

Four-term incumbent Rep. Cindy Crawford (R-Fort Smith), not to be confused with the supermodel and actress, will face a repeat challenge from software engineer Jane-Ellen Udouj-Kutchka, who ran on the Democratic ticket against Crawford in 2024. 

District 52

Rep. Marcus Richmond (R-Harvey) is not seeking reelection, and four Republicans have expressed interest in replacing him. Republican primary voters will choose between Mike Jones, a farmer from Dardanelle; Dardanelle City Councilwoman Crystal Malloy; Yell County Justice of the Peace Brent Montgomery of Ola; and Kristain Thompson, director of NCAA Compliance at Arkansas Tech, who resides in Belleville. 

District 53

Rep. Matt Duffield (R-Russellville), whose Russellville home was linked in public records to the May arrest of a woman who had previously pleaded guilty to prostitution and was allegedly seen leaving Duffield’s home with a wad of cash, is seeking a third term. 

Russellville pastor David Howell, who primaried Duffield in 2022 and lost, is trying his luck again, sliding his filing in at the last minute on Wednesday, the day the filing period closed. Howell has yet to formally announce a campaign. 

Jennifer Lewter, a biology professor at Arkansas Tech University, will face the Republican nominee in the general election on the Democratic ticket. 

District 54

Anti-LGBTQ crusader Rep. Mary Bentley (R-Perryville) will again face Democrat Doug Corbitt, a professor at the University of Central Arkansas, as she seeks a seventh term. Corbitt ran against Bentley in 2024 and lost.

District 55

Rep. Matt Brown (R-Conway) is seeking a third term and will again face Democratic challenger Cynthia Nations, a Conway teacher who ran against him in 2024.

District 56

Republicans have been hoping to knock off Rep. Steve Magie (D-Conway) for years. They’ll try again in 2026 with Mark Brannan, a longtime Republican apparatchik from Conway.

District 57

Rep. Cameron Cooper (R-Romance) has served four terms in the Arkansas House and hopes to earn a fifth. To do that, he’ll have to defeat Republican Andy Pennington, the principal at Frank Mitchell Intermediate School in the Vilonia School District, in the primary.

District 59

Tony Ferguson, a farmer and small business owner in Beebe, announced a primary challenge to Rep. Jim Wooten (R-Beebe). Wooten, 83, has served in the Legislature since 2019.

District 60

Democrat Beverly Coleman-Keown, of Lonoke, is challenging Rep. Roger Lynch (R-Lonoke). Lynch has served in the House since 2017. 

District 62

Democrat Dexter Miller of Helena-West Helena seems to believe the third time’s the charm, taking on incumbent Rep. Mark McElroy (R-Tillar) again after losing to McElroy in 2022 and 2024. 

District 67

Andrew Eberly, who challenged Rep. Karilyn Brown (R-Sherwood) on the Democratic ticket in 2024, is giving it another go, taking on Brown as she seeks a seventh term in the House. 

District 69

Rep. David Ray (R-Maumelle)has drawn a Democratic challenger as he seeks a fourth term: Dean Hunter of Maumelle.

District 70

Before resigning to take a new gig as head of Arkansas PBS, Rep. Carlton Wing (R-North Little Rock) announced he would not seek reelection. Bo Renshaw, a physical therapist from North Little Rock, is the only Republican to announce for this race. On the Democratic side, Cordelia Smith-Johnson, a veteran and civilian military contractor from Sherwood, and Alex Holladay, a healthcare administrator from North Little Rock, will battle for the nomination. Holladay narrowly lost the general election race to Wing in 2024.

District 71

With Rep. Brandon Achor running for Sen. Jane English’s open seat, Stephen Bright, a former Republican legislator from Maumelle, will take on retired educator Cassandra Mayes, a Democrat also from Maumelle. 

District 72

Rep. Tracy Steele (D-North Little Rock) is term-limited. Democrats Angela Person West, a North Little Rock school board member, and Talesha Dokes of North Little Rock have both announced their candidacy to replace him. 

District 75

Hunter Sadler, a veteran and staffer for U.S. Rep. French Hill, announced in August that he would try to unseat incumbent Rep. Ashley Hudson (D-Little Rock) in this West Little Rock race.

District 76

Rep. Joy Springer (D-Little Rock) will face Republican Isaac Ceja of Little Rock as she seeks a fourth term. 

District 77

Veteran and Pulaski County Justice of the Peace Steven Person is the only candidate who filed to replace outgoing, term-limited Rep. Fred Allen (D-Little Rock).

District 79

Michael Mason, a Democrat and former Little Rock School Board member, is the only announced candidate to replace Rep. Tara Shepherd, a Democrat who is running for the open seat left by term-limited Sen. Fred Love.

District 81

Sports talking head and incumbent Rep. RJ Hawk (R-Bryant) has two Democratic challengers in 2026: Gina Thomas-Littlejohn, an Alexander business owner, who Hawk defeated handily in 2024; and Elijah Zane Thompson, who appears to have no online presence and has yet to announce a campaign.

District 82

After two terms in the House, Rep. Tony Furman (R-Benton) has drawn a primary opponent: Steve Brown, a Benton alderman.

District 88

Rep. Dolly Henley (R-Washington), sworn in to her first term in the House in January, will face primary challenger Lonny Goodwin of Saratoga, who had a failed bid for state Senate as a Libertarian in 2024.

District 92

Rep. Julie Mayberry (R-Hensley), one of the more reasonable Republicans in the House in recent years, is not seeking reelection. Three Republican candidates have announced to replace her: Eric Shepherd, a firefighter and realtor from Sheridan; Casey Reed, another Sheridan realtor; and Dawn Creekmore, a former state representative from Hensley. Creekmore was a Democrat when she was in the Legislature from 2005-2011, but she switched to the Republican party after leaving office.

District 94

The people of District 94 will no longer be represented by term-limited Rep. Jeff Wardlaw (R-Hermitage) and his horrendous fashion sense. In his place, they will have to choose between Wardlaw’s wife, Missy Wardlaw, a clinical liaison for Southern Administrative Services; and John Kyle Day, a historian and professor at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, in the Republican primary. No Democrat has announced for this race. 

District 97

Rep. Matthew Shepherd (R-El Dorado) is term-limited. Former Circuit Judge Jim Andrews (R-El Dorado) is running as a Republican to replace him. 

District 99

Rep. Lane Jean (R-Magnolia) has been in the Arkansas Legislature since 2011. He’s now term-limited, and he’s endorsed Republican Beth Anne Rankin Baker, an educational consultant from Magnolia, to replace him. Baker — then simply Beth Anne Rankin — unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Rep. Mike Ross for Congress in Arkansas’s 4th District in 2010.

District 100

Rep. Carol Dalby (R-Texarkana) is seeking a sixth term. Calvin Thomason of Texarkana filed to run against her as a Democrat on the last day of the filing period.

Unchallenged Incumbents in State Legislature

Senate

Sen. Matt Stone (R-Camden), District 2 

Sen. Alan Clark (R-Lonsdale), District 7 

Sen. Ricky Hill (R-Cabot), District 11 

Sen. Clarke Tucker (D-Little Rock), District 14 

Sen. Missy Irvin (R-Mountain View), District 24 

Sen. Clint Penzo (R-Springdale), District 31 

Sen. Joshua Bryant (R-Rogers), District 32 

Sen. Tyler Dees (R-Siloam Springs), District 35

House 

Rep. Trey Steimel (R-Pocahontas), District 2

Rep. Jason Nazarenko (R-Cotter), District 4

Rep. Brit McKenzie (R-Rogers), District 7

Rep. Rebecca Burks (R-Lowell), District 11

Rep. Hope Duke (R-Gravette), District 12

Rep. Nick Burkes (R-Bentonville), District 14

Rep. Randy Torres (R-Siloam Springs), District 17 

Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R-Elm Springs), District 18

Rep. Nicole Clowney (D-Fayetteville), District 21

Rep. David Whitaker (D-Fayetteville), District 22

Rep. Kendra Moore (R-Lincoln), District 23 

Rep. James Eaton (R-Huntsville), District 26

Rep. Steven Walker (R-Horseshoe Bend), District 27

Rep. Bart Schulz (R-Independence), District 28

Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R-Paragould), District 31

Rep. Jon Milligan (R-Lake City), District 33

Rep. Steve Hollowell (R-Forrest City), District 37 

Rep. Dwight Tosh (R-Jonesboro), District 38

Rep. Shad Pearce (R-Batesville), District 40

Rep. Alyssa Brown (R-Heber Springs), District 41

Rep. Rick Beck (R-Center Ridge), District 43

Rep. Stan Berry (R-Dover), District 44

Rep. Aaron Pilkington (R-Knoxville), District 45

Rep. Lee Johnson (R-Greenwood), District 47

Rep. Ryan Rose (R-Van Buren), District 48 

Rep. Jay Richardson (R-Fort Smith), District 49

Rep. Les Eaves (R-Searcy), District 58

Rep. Jeremiah Moore (R-Clarendon), District 61

Rep. Lincoln Barnett (D-Hughes), District 63

Rep. Kenneth Ferguson (D-Pine Bluff), District 64 

Rep. Glenn Barnes (D-Pine Bluff), District 65 

Rep. Mark Perry (D-Jacksonville), District 66

Rep. Brian Evans (R-Cabot), District 68 

Rep. Andrew Collins (D-Little Rock), District 73

Rep. Tippi McCullough (D-Little Rock), District 74

Rep. Keith Brooks (R-Little Rock), District 78 

Rep. Denise Ennett (D-Little Rock), District 80 

Rep. Paul Childress (R-Benton), District 83 

Rep. Les Warren (R-Hot Springs), District 84

Rep. Richard McGrew (R-Hot Springs), District 85 

Rep. John Maddox (R-Mena), District 86 

Rep. DeAnn Vaught (R-Horatio), District 87

Rep. Justin Gonzales (R-Okolona), District 89

Rep. Richard Womack (R-Arkadelphia), District 90 

Rep. Bruce Cozart (R-Hot Springs), District 91 

Rep. Mike Holcomb (R-Pine Bluff), District 93 

Rep. Howard Beaty (R-Crossett), District 95 

Rep. Sonia Barker (R-Smackover), District 96

Rep. Wade Andrews (R-Camden), District 98