Arkansas State Senate elections, 2024
| 2024 Arkansas Senate Elections | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Primary | March 5, 2024 |
| Primary runoff | April 2, 2024 |
| General | November 5, 2024 |
| Past Election Results |
| 2022・2020・2018・2016・2014 2012・2010・2008 |
| 2024 Elections | |
|---|---|
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Elections for the Arkansas State Senate took place in 2024. The general election was on November 5, 2024. The primary was March 5, 2024, and the primary runoff was April 2, 2024. The filing deadline was November 14, 2023.
Following the election, Republicans maintained a 29-6 veto-proof majority.
The Arkansas State Senate was one of 85 state legislative chambers with elections in 2024. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
Party control
| Arkansas State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2024 | After November 6, 2024 | |
| Democratic Party | 6 | 6 | |
| Republican Party | 29 | 29 | |
| Total | 35 | 35 | |
Candidates
General election
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Arkansas State Senate general election 2024
- Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office Democratic
Republican
Other District 1
Ben Gilmore (i)
R. Asher Williams (Libertarian Party)
District 3
Did not make the ballot:
David Lutmer (Libertarian Party)
District 4
Lonny Goodwin (Libertarian Party)
District 5
District 6
District 8 District 12 District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 22
District 23
District 25
District 26 District 29
District 33
District 34
Primary
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Arkansas State Senate primary 2024
- Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
Office Other District 1 The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 3 The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 4 The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 5 The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 6 The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 8 The Republican primary was canceled.
District 12 The Republican primary was canceled.
District 17
District 18 The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 19 The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 20
District 22
District 23 The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 25
District 26 The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 29 The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 33 The Democratic primary was canceled.
District 34
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Arkansas
General election race ratings
The table below displays race ratings for each race in this chamber from CNalysis.
Incumbents who were not re-elected
Incumbents defeated in general elections
No incumbents lost in general elections. This was less than the average of 1.0 incumbent defeats per cycle from 2010 to 2022.
Incumbents defeated in primaries
No incumbents lost in primaries. The last time this occurred was in 2016.
Retiring incumbents
One incumbent did not file for re-election in 2024.[1] This number was tied with 2020 as the smallest number of retirements since Ballotpedia began gathering data in 2010. Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Linda Chesterfield |  Democratic |
Senate District 12 |
Incumbents who did not advance to the general election
Incumbents defeated in primaries
No incumbents lost in primaries. The last time this occurred was in 2016.
Retiring incumbents
One incumbent did not file for re-election in 2024.[2] This number was tied with 2020 as the smallest number of retirements since Ballotpedia began gathering data in 2010. Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Linda Chesterfield | Democratic |
Senate District 12 |
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 2024. Information below was calculated on Feb. 28, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
Arkansas had 24 contested state legislative primaries in 2024, a 61% decrease from 2022.
Of the 24 contested primaries, there were 10 for Democrats and 14 for Republicans. For Democrats, this was the same as in 2022, and a decade high. For Republicans, the number was down 73% from 52 in 2022.
Ten incumbents faced primary challenges, representing 10% of all incumbents running for re-election. This was lower than in 2022 and 2018 but roughly the same as in 2020 and 2016.
Of the 10 incumbents in contested primaries, four were Democrats and six were Republicans.
Overall, 203 major party candidates — 86 Democrats and 117 Republicans — filed to run. All 100 House and 18 of 35 Senate seats were up for election.
Thirteen of those seats were open, meaning no incumbents filed. This guaranteed that at least 11% of seats up for election would be represented by newcomers in 2025.
Open seats
The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the Arkansas State Senate from 2010 to 2024.[3]
| Open Seats in Arkansas State Senate elections: 2010 - 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2024 | 18 | 1 (6 percent) | 17 (94 percent) |
| 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) |
Legislative referrals
- See also: Legislative referral
A legislative referral, or legislatively referred ballot measure, is a ballot measure that appears on the ballot due to a vote of the state legislature. A legislative referral can be a constitutional amendment, state statute, or bond issue.
As of the 2024 election, a majority vote was required during one legislative session for the Arkansas General Assembly to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounted to a minimum of 51 votes in the Arkansas House of Representatives and 18 votes in the Arkansas State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments did not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.
At the time of the 2024 election, Republicans held a 29-6 majority in the Senate and a 82-18 majority in the House. Republicans had the minimum votes necessary to put a legislative referral on the ballot without Democratic votes. Republicans needed to lose 12 Senate seats and 32 House seats to not be able to pass legislative referrals without Democratic votes. Democrats needed to win 12 Senate seats and 33 House seats to have the ability to pass legislative referrals without Republican votes.
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.[4][5]
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.[4][5]
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.[4][5][6]
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.[4][5][7]
Write-in candidates
State law prohibits write-in candidates from running in elections. Election administrators are prohibited from counting votes for write-in candidates.[8] In 2023, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed SB 254, eliminating write-in candidates in Arkansas elections.[9]
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.[10]
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[11] | |
|---|---|
| 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.[12]
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
- See also: Presidential election, 2020
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 |
2016
- See also: Presidential election, 2016
| U.S. presidential election, Arkansas, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine | 33.7% | 380,494 | 0 | |
| Republican | Donald Trump/Mike Pence |
60.6% | 684,872 | 6 | |
| Constitution | Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley | 0.4% | 4,613 | 0 | |
| Independent | Jim Hedges/Bill Bayes | 0.4% | 4,709 | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 2.6% | 29,829 | 0 | |
| Independent | Lynn S. Kahn/Kathleen Monahan | 0.3% | 3,390 | 0 | |
| Better for America | Evan McMullin/Nathan Johnson | 1.2% | 13,255 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 0.8% | 9,473 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 1,130,635 | 6 | |||
| Election results via: Arkansas Secretary of State | |||||
Arkansas presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 20 Democratic wins
- 11 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 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | AI[13] | R | D | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
See also
| Arkansas | State Legislative Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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 |
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|
|
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 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.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners, "Running for Public Office: A 'Plain English' Handbook for Candidates," 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 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
- ↑ American Independent Party
