2026 Arkansas gubernatorial election

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2026 Arkansas gubernatorial election
November 3, 2026
 
Candidate Sarah Huckabee Sanders Fredrick Love
Party Republican Democratic
Incumbent Governor

Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Republican


The 2026 Arkansas gubernatorial election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Arkansas. Incumbent Republican governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders is running for re-election to a second term.

Primary elections took place on March 3, 2026.[1] Huckabee Sanders secured her nomination unopposed, while Democratic state senator Fredrick Love secured his nomination with 81% of the vote.[2]

Background

Arkansas has transformed into a deeply red state in the 21st century, with Republicans winning Arkansas in every presidential election since 2000 and occupying all of its statewide offices, including the governorship, since 2015. The party also hold supermajorities in both houses of the Arkansas General Assembly and its entire congressional delegation. The most recent Democratic governor of Arkansas is Mike Beebe, who was comfortably elected in 2006 and 2010. In 2022, Sanders was elected governor of Arkansas by a margin of 27.7%, becoming the first woman to hold the position.[3]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Endorsements

Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Executive branch officials
Organizations

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

  • Supha Xayprasith-Mays, businesswoman and candidate for governor in 2022[8]

Results

Results by county
  Love
  •   60–70%
  •   70–80%
  •   80–90%
  •   90–100%
Democratic primary results[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Fredrick Love 104,719 81.03%
Democratic Supha Xayprasith-Mays 24,520 18.97%
Total votes 129,245 100.0
Results by county[9]
County Love Xayprasith-Mays Margin Total
Arkansas 355 90.10% 398.90% 316 81.20% 394
Ashley 299 69.37% 13230.63% 167 38.74% 431
Baxter 406 75.89% 12924.11% 277 51.78% 535
Benton 7,414 74.24% 2,57325.76% 4,841 48.48% 9,987
Boone 325 69.89% 14030.11% 185 39.78% 465
Bradley 199 73.16% 7326.84% 126 46.32% 272
Calhoun 81 68.07% 3831.93% 43 36.14% 119
Carroll 595 70.33% 25129.67% 344 40.66% 846
Chicot 1,093 76.27% 34023.73% 753 52.54% 1,433
Clark 843 84.64% 15315.36% 690 69.28% 996
Clay 90 84.91% 1615.09% 74 69.82% 106
Cleburne 433 82.48% 9217.52% 341 64.96% 525
Cleveland 57 72.15% 2227.85% 35 44.30% 79
Columbia 546 87.78% 7612.22% 470 76.56% 622
Conway 687 81.11% 16018.89% 527 62.22% 847
Craighead 2,223 77.59% 64222.41% 1,581 55.18% 2,865
Crawford 804 76.50% 24723.50% 557 53.00% 1,051
Crittenden 1,864 83.51% 36816.49% 1,496 67.02% 2,232
Cross 245 80.59% 5919.41% 186 61.18% 304
Dallas 86 73.50% 3126.50% 55 47.00% 117
Desha 1,041 78.51% 28521.49% 756 57.02% 1,326
Drew 462 74.52% 15825.48% 304 49.04% 620
Faulkner 4,286 81.04% 1,00318.96% 3,283 62.08% 5,289
Franklin 292 80.89% 6919.11% 223 61.78% 361
Fulton 119 73.46% 4326.54% 76 46.92% 162
Garland 2,840 76.53% 87123.47% 1,969 53.06% 3,711
Grant 248 83.22% 5016.84% 197 66.38% 298
Greene 547 79.51% 14120.49% 406 59.02% 688
Hempstead 374 89.26% 4510.74% 329 78.52% 419
Hot Spring 670 79.38% 17420.62% 496 58.76% 844
Howard 268 81.46% 6118.54% 207 62.92% 329
Independence 517 79.66% 13220.34% 385 59.32% 649
Izard 185 76.13% 5823.87% 127 52.26% 243
Jackson 234 75.97% 7424.03% 160 51.94% 308
Jefferson 5,594 80.22% 1,37919.78% 4,215 60.44% 6,973
Johnson 293 76.10% 9123.90% 202 52.20% 385
Lafayette 211 81.15% 4918.85% 162 62.30% 260
Lawrence 222 86.38% 3513.62% 187 72.76% 257
Lee 1,572 86.61% 24313.39% 1,329 73.22% 1,815
Lincoln 128 73.14% 4726.86% 81 46.28% 175
Little River 175 71.72% 6928.28% 106 43.44% 244
Logan 239 77.60% 6922.40% 170 55.20% 308
Lonoke 1,273 80.01% 31819.99% 955 60.02% 1,591
Madison 165 79.71% 4220.29% 123 59.42% 207
Marion 281 75.13% 9324.87% 188 50.26% 374
Miller 786 79.64% 20120.36% 585 59.28% 987
Mississippi 515 80.47% 12519.53% 390 60.94% 640
Monroe 313 84.14% 5915.86% 254 68.28% 372
Montgomery 58 67.44% 2832.56% 30 34.88% 86
Nevada 282 81.27% 6518.73% 217 62.54% 347
Newton 119 80.95% 2819.05% 91 61.90% 147
Ouachita 728 79.30% 19020.70% 538 58.60% 918
Perry 225 86.54% 3513.46% 190 73.08% 260
Phillips 1,948 83.50% 38516.50% 1,563 67.00% 2,333
Pike 138 85.71% 2314.29% 115 71.42% 161
Poinsett 211 83.40% 4216.60% 168 66.80% 253
Polk 185 73.12% 6826.88% 117 46.24% 253
Pope 927 75.06% 30824.94% 619 50.12% 1,235
Prairie 51 80.95% 1219.05% 39 61.90% 63
Pulaski 33,841 84.07% 6,41115.93% 27,430 68.14% 40,252
Randolph 229 83.27% 4616.73% 183 66.54% 275
Saline 3,924 82.58% 82817.42% 3,096 65.16% 4,752
Scott 54 73.97% 1926.03% 35 47.94% 73
Searcy 83 81.37% 1918.63% 64 62.74% 102
Sebastian 2,475 73.79% 87926.21% 1,596 47.58% 3,354
Sevier 28 77.78% 822.22% 20 55.56% 36
Sharp 217 73.81% 7726.19% 140 47.62% 294
St. Francis 771 87.22% 11312.78% 658 74.44% 884
Stone 157 75.12% 5224.88% 105 50.24% 209
Union 928 80.14% 23019.86% 698 60.28% 1,158
Van Buren 300 77.92% 8522.08% 215 55.84% 385
Washington 12,879 82.96% 2,64617.04% 10,233 65.92% 15,525
White 1,094 80.26% 26919.74% 825 60.52% 1,363
Woodruff 209 84.96% 3715.04% 172 69.92% 246
Yell 169 76.82% 5123.18% 118 53.64% 220
Totals104,72581.03%24,52018.97%80,20562.06%129,245

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominee

  • Colt Shelby, farmer[10]

General election

Predictions

Source Ranking As of
Inside Elections[11] Solid R August 28, 2025
Race to the WH[12] Safe R June 19, 2026
RealClearPolitics[13] Solid R June 5, 2026
Sabato's Crystal Ball[14] Safe R September 4, 2025
The Cook Political Report[15] Solid R September 11, 2025

See also

References

  1. "2026 State Primary Election Dates". NCSL. May 9, 2025. Archived from the original on May 7, 2025. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  2. "Arkansas Governor Primary Results 2026". NBC News. Archived from the original on April 11, 2026. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  3. Leip, David. "2022 Gubernatorial General Election Results – Arkansas". www.uselectionatlas.org. Archived from the original on July 16, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  4. Barrow, Bill (July 18, 2024). "Project 2028: GOP officials jockey during Republican National Convention for future White House runs". Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 3, 2024. Retrieved August 3, 2024. [Sarah Huckabee Sanders] was focused only on Trump's election and then her own reelection in 2026
  5. Nitzberg, Alex (November 3, 2025). "Trump backs Huckabee Sanders and a bunch of House Republicans for re-election with midterms on the horizon". Fox News. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  6. Biddison, Jennifer (December 3, 2025). "Maggie's List Endorses Eight More Candidates". Maggie's List. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  7. Brock, Roby (June 23, 2025). "Democratic State Sen. Fred Love announces for Arkansas Governor". Talk Business & Politics. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  8. Wickline, Michael R. (October 28, 2025). "Bentonville businesswoman running again for governor". Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
  9. "2026 Special Primary Election". Arkansas Secretary of State. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  10. Brock, Roby (February 22, 2026). "Arkansas Libertarians nominate candidates for 2026". Talk Business & Politics. Archived from the original on February 24, 2026. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  11. "Gubernatorial Ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  12. "Governor Forecast – 2026-2026". Race to the WH. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  13. "2026 Governor Races | RealClearPolitics". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  14. "2026 Governor". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  15. "2026 CPR Governor Race ratings". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
Official campaign websites