Arkansas held an election for attorney general on November 8, 2022. The primary was scheduled for May 24, 2022, and a primary runoff was scheduled for June 21, 2022. The filing deadline was March 1, 2022.

This was one of 30 elections for attorney general taking place in 2022. All 50 states have an attorney general who serves as the state's chief legal officer, responsible for enforcing state law and offering the state government advice on legal matters. In 43 states, the office was, at the time of the 2022 elections, an elected post. At the time of the 2022 elections, there were 27 Republican attorneys general and 23 Democratic attorneys general. Click here for an overview of all 30 attorney general elections that took place in 2022. A state government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party. Heading into the 2022 elections, there were 23 Republican triplexes, 18 Democratic triplexes, and nine divided governments where neither party held triplex control.

In September 2022, Sabato's Crystal Ball released an analysis of state attorney general election competitiveness. Arkansas' attorney general election was rated as not competitive, meaning the seat was expected to stay in Republican hands: "Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin, a former U.S. House member and U.S. Attorney who has received Trump’s endorsement, should have no trouble in his bid to succeed Rutledge. The Democratic nominee — Jesse Gibson, a prominent trial lawyer and Little Rock Parks Commission chair — is a credible candidate but effectively has no shot in a state as strongly Republican as Arkansas." Click here to read the analysis.^[1]

Tim Griffin won election in the general election for Attorney General of Arkansas.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Attorney General of Arkansas

Tim Griffin defeated Jesse Gibson and Gerhard Langguth in the general election for Attorney General of Arkansas on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Tim Griffin (R)	67.6	605,781
	Jesse Gibson (D)	32.4	290,183
	Gerhard Langguth (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 895,964
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Jesse Gibson advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Arkansas.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Jason Davis (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Arkansas

Tim Griffin defeated Leon Jones Jr. in the Republican primary for Attorney General of Arkansas on May 24, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Tim Griffin	85.4	286,211
	Leon Jones Jr.	14.6	49,021

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 335,232
= 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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Voting information

See also: Voting in Arkansas

Election information in Arkansas: Nov. 8, 2022, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

In-person: Oct. 10, 2022
By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 10, 2022
Online: N/A

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

No

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: Nov. 4, 2022
By mail: Received by Nov. 1, 2022
Online: N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: Nov. 4, 2022
By mail: Received by Nov. 8, 2022

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 24, 2022 to Nov. 7, 2022

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

N/A

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. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

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.

Expand all | Collapse all

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?

Jesse Gibson (D)

I am not a creature of Washington. I am from small town Arkansas. I will always protect the people of Arkansas, and will always advocate for public safety. However, we will do so wisely, being both tough on crime and dedicated to improving our recidivism rate.

I will always protect the rights of Arkansans. Especially their right to go to the polls and vote. The right to vote is sacred in our country, and I will always stand up for the rights of citizens to go the polls to express their hopes and dreams.

Strength and integrity mean doing the right thing when no one is looking. I am a husband, dad, attorney, and youth sports coach. An everyday dad. But I vow to always go to sleep at night, assured in the fact that I did everything I could to keep Arkansans safe.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Jesse Gibson (D)

I am a staunch advocate on access to justice issues. Justice should always be applied fairly and in an even handed manner, regardless of status, power, or finance. The courthouse doors should always be open to all. There are often special interests that seek to shut the courthouse doors to the poor or disaffected. I think that is wrong, and I have always fought for the ability of Arkansans to seek justice and redress in the courts.

I am also passionate about public safety, including responsible gun ownership and safety. This issue often shows the dysfunction in our current politics. I am a gun owner, and I support 2nd Amendment rights. However, there are a handful of extremely popular measures that are supported by the vast majority of responsible, gun owning Arkansans. But these measures are summarily quashed by special interests and never held to a vote despite public support. I will always advocate for strong public safety measures.

Past elections

2018

See also: Arkansas Attorney General election, 2018

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

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 889,419
= 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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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

	There were no incumbents in this race. 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.

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

	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.

2014

See also: Arkansas attorney general election, 2014

Attorney General of Arkansas, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Leslie Rutledge	51.6%	430,799
	Democratic	Nate Steel	43.2%	360,680
	Libertarian	Aaron Cash	5.2%	43,245
Total Votes				834,724
Election results via Arkansas Secretary of State

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

Presidential elections

	2026 → ← 2018
Arkansas Attorney General
	Democratic primary; Republican primary; General election;
Election details
	Filing deadline: March 1, 2022
	Primary: May 24, 2022; Primary runoff: June 21, 2022; General: November 8, 2022; Pre-election incumbent(s):; Leslie Rutledge (Republican)
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 2022; Impact of term limits in 2022; State government trifectas; State government triplexes; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
Arkansas; executive elections
	Governor; Lieutenant Governor; Attorney General; Secretary of State; Treasurer; Auditor; Public Lands Commissioner

See also: Presidential voting trends in Arkansas and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Arkansas, 2022
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
Arkansas' 1st	Rick Crawford	Republican	R+22
Arkansas' 2nd	French Hill	Republican	R+9
Arkansas' 3rd	Steve Womack	Republican	R+15
Arkansas' 4th	Bruce Westerman	Republican	R+20

2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Arkansas^[2]
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
Arkansas' 1st	28.1%	69.0%
Arkansas' 2nd	42.1%	55.2%
Arkansas' 3rd	36.8%	60.2%
Arkansas' 4th	31.0%	66.2%

2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

Following the 2020 presidential election, 80.4% of Arkansans lived in one of the state's 66 Solid Republican counties, which voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 19.4% lived in one of eight Solid Democratic counties. Overall, Arkansas was Solid Republican, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in Arkansas following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.

Arkansas county-level statistics, 2020
Solid Republican	66	80.4%
Solid Democratic	8	19.4%
Trending Republican	1	0.2%
Total voted Democratic	8	19.4%
Total voted Republican	67	80.6%

Historical voting trends

Arkansas presidential election results (1900-2020)

20 Democratic wins
10 Republican wins
1 other win

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	AI^[3]	R	D	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R

Statewide elections

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from Arkansas

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Arkansas.

U.S. Senate election results in Arkansas
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	66.5%	33.5%
2016	59.7%	36.3%
2014	56.5%	39.4%
2010	58.0%	36.9%
2008	79.5%	20.5%
Average	64.0	33.3

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Arkansas

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Arkansas.

Gubernatorial election results in Arkansas
Race	Winner	Runner up
2018	65.3%	31.8%
2014	55.4%	41.5%
2010	64.4%	33.6%
2006	55.6%	40.7%
2002	52.0%	47.0%
Average	58.5	38.9

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Arkansas' congressional delegation as of November 2022.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Arkansas, November 2022
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	0	0	0
Republican	2	4	6
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	4	6

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Arkansas' top four state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in Arkansas, November 2022
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Asa Hutchinson
Lieutenant Governor	Tim Griffin
Secretary of State	John Thurston
Attorney General	Leslie Rutledge

State legislature

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Arkansas State Legislature as of November 2022.

Arkansas State Senate

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	7
	Republican Party	27
	Independent	1
	Vacancies	0
Total		35

Arkansas House of Representatives

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	22
	Republican Party	78
	Vacancies	0
Total		100

Trifecta control

As of November 2022, Arkansas was a Republican trifecta, with majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and control of the governorship. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

Arkansas Party Control: 1992-2022
Eleven years of Democratic trifectas • Eight 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
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
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
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

Demographics

The table below details demographic data in Arkansas and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

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Demographic Data for Arkansas
	Arkansas	United States
Population	3,011,524	331,449,281
Land area (sq mi)	51,992	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	75.4%	70.4%
Black/African American	15.2%	12.6%
Asian	1.5%	5.6%
Native American	0.6%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	0.3%	0.2%
Other (single race)	2.9%	5.1%
Multiple	4%	5.2%
Hispanic/Latino	7.6%	18.2%
Education
High school graduation rate	87.2%	88.5%
College graduation rate	23.8%	32.9%
Income
Median household income	$49,475	$64,994
Persons below poverty level	16.1%	12.8%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020).
**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.

External links

Footnotes

[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball, "The Attorneys General: A Dozen Races Dot the Competitive Landscape," September 14, 2022

[2] Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed September 9, 2022

[3] American Independent Party

[1]

[2]

[3]

Arkansas	State Executive Elections	News and Analysis

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	v • e State of Arkansas Little Rock (capital)
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Arkansas Attorney General election, 2022

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Attorney General of Arkansas

Democratic primary election

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Arkansas

Voting information

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Past elections

2018

General election

General election for Attorney General of Arkansas

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Arkansas

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Arkansas

2014

Election analysis

Presidential elections

Cook PVI by congressional district

2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2012-2020

Historical voting trends

Statewide elections

U.S. Senate elections

Gubernatorial elections

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

State executive

State legislature

Arkansas State Senate

Arkansas House of Representatives

Trifecta control

Demographics

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2024 Elections

2024 Election analysis

2025 Elections

Trending

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

Services

Additional analysis

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