LIVE FEED: Super Tuesday 2024 in Arkansas
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Two voters check in with poll workers Tuesday afternoon, March 5, 2024, at the Dunbar Community Center voting location. (Sonny Albarado/Arkansas Advocate)
Election returns were still pouring in from across Arkansas late Tuesday night in judicial, congressional and state legislative races.
The race for chief justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court appeared headed for a runoff, but the three top finishers were too close to determine which candidates will face each other in November.
Another Supreme Court race ended with sitting Justice Courtney Hudson winning her contest to hold the court’s Position 2 seat, creating a vacancy for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to fill.
In other results from Tuesday’s partisan primaries, Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican former President Donald Trump handily won their respective nominating contests in the state.
U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, a Republican from Rogers, fended off a challenge from state Sen. Clint Penzo of Springdale.
For more about other Arkansas legislative races, continue reading this blog.
Key Events
1 day ago
Ladyman appears to defeat former lawmaker Smith in Northeast Arkansas House GOP primary
2 days ago
Walker wins rematch in North Central Arkansas House GOP primary
2 days ago
3 Little Rock House Democrats on track to keep their seats
2 days ago
Incumbents hold on in Arkansas’ only 2 contested Senate primaries
2 days ago
Benton School Board president wins GOP primary for open House seat
2 days ago
Crawford defeats Burks in Arkansas House District 51 primary
2 days ago
Justice Courtney Hudson wins Arkansas Supreme Court associate justice race
2 days ago
First-time candidate wins GOP nomination for North Central Arkansas House seat
2 days ago
Some voters seek “new blood” on the Arkansas Supreme Court
2 days ago
AP calls Arkansas presidential primaries for Biden, Trump
2 days ago
Arkansas voter ‘grits teeth’ in Benton County
2 days ago
Talking to Arkansas voters
2 days ago
Who’s running for president in Arkansas
1 day ago
Ladyman appears to defeat former lawmaker Smith in Northeast Arkansas House GOP primary
Rep. Jack Ladyman, R-Jonesboro
Arkansas Rep. Jack Ladyman, R-Jonesboro, is expected to secure his party’s nomination to defend his House District 32 seat, seeking a sixth term.
Tuesday’s voting data shows Ladyman outlasted a primary challenge from Brandt Smith, also a Jonesboro Republican. Smith served four House terms before unsuccessfully challenging U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford in the 2022 GOP primary.
According to both The Associated Press, which had not called the race as of Wednesday afternoon, and the Secretary of State’s office, Ladyman received 947 votes to Smith’s 801, or 54.2% to 45.8%.
Ladyman will face Democrat David McAvoy in November’s general election.
If reelected, Ladyman will be one of several Republican lawmakers seeking the House Speaker position. Current Speaker Matthew Shepherd, R-El Dorado, is running for reelection but is stepping down from the speakership.
Last updated: 3:25 pm
2 days ago
Walker wins rematch in North Central Arkansas House GOP primary
Rep. Steven Walker, R-Horseshoe Bend
Arkansas state Rep. Steven Walker, R-Horseshoe Bend, will keep his seat after defeating Timmy Reid of Marshall in the House District 27 Republican primary.
Walker is a first-term lawmaker representing Izard, Newton and Searcy counties and portions of Stone and Baxter counties. He previously beat Reid by 324 votes in the 2022 GOP primary runoff election.
The Associated Press called the race at 2:44 a.m.
With 98% of the votes counted, unofficial results were:
Walker — 3,037 (60.4%)
Reid — 1,988 (39.6%)
Reid sought a seat in the House for the fourth time since 2018. His opposition to the use of public money for private schools via the LEARNS Act’s voucher program was a central issue of his campaign.
Walker is running unopposed in November’s general election.
Last updated: 10:26 am
2 days ago
3 Little Rock House Democrats on track to keep their seats
Two Democratic state representatives from Little Rock overcame primary challengers on Tuesday, while a third appeared to narrowly avoid a runoff based on unofficial returns early Wednesday.
Democrat Rep. Fred Allen has represented District 77 in west Little Rock since 2017 and defeated Grant Smith, securing a fifth term with no Republican challenger. The Associated Press called the race at 8:58 p.m.
With 99% of the votes counted, the unofficial results were:
Fred Allen — 2,782 (86.3%)
Grant Smith — 442 (13.7%)
Ben Sims, who lives in the John Barrow neighborhood of Allen’s district, said Allen won his support by reaching out to voters in person.
“He’s a strong leader and he’s working for the people,” Sims said. “…He took his time to come and knock on doors and just meet people, even at the church I go to.”
Three-term state Rep. Denise Jones Ennett of District 80, which includes the south and east sides of Little Rock, defeated R. Roosevelte Williams III.
With 99% of the votes counted, the unofficial results were:
Ennett — 1,940 (65.1%)
Williams — 1,041 (34.9%)
Katherene Dickey of Little Rock voted for Democratic Rep. Joy Springer. (Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate)
Meanwhile, Rep. Joy Springer’s race had not been called as of midnight Tuesday. Voting data from the Secretary of State showed Springer receiving 992 votes compared to Ryan Davis’ 825 and Kia Sprinkle Wilson’s 129. If the results are finalized, Springer will win with 51% of the vote and avoid a runoff.
Springer was first elected in a special election in March 2020 and has since won two more House terms. Her district includes West Markham, Geyer Springs and the Central High Historic District.
Katherene Dickey of the West Markham neighborhood said she voted for Springer because of her legislative experience and because she supports diversity in elected positions.
No Republicans are running in any of the three House districts.
2 days ago
Incumbents hold on in Arkansas’ only 2 contested Senate primaries
Arkansas Sens. Steve Crowell, R-Magnolia, and David Wallace, R-Leachville, are expected to retain their seats after defeating their primary challengers Tuesday.
Sen. Steve Crowell, R-Magnolia
The first-term senator defeated Mark Silvey of Rosston, and the Associated Press called the race at 10:21 p.m.
With 94% of the votes counted, the unofficial results were:
Crowell — 7,564 (71.8%)
Silvey — 2,974 (28.2%)
Crowell’s Southwest Arkansas district includes Clark, Nevada, Lafayette and Columbia counties and parts of Hot Spring, Pike and Hempstead counties.
Sen. David Wallace, R-Leachville
Wallace has represented a portion of Northeast Arkansas for three terms. The Associated Press had not called Wallace’s race against Tommy Wayne Wagner of Manila by midnight Tuesday, but data from the Secretary of State’s office showed that Wallace appeared to win with 5,090 votes to Wagner’s 1,821.
Wallace and Crowell are both running unopposed in November’s general election.
2 days ago
Benton School Board president wins GOP primary for open House seat
Benton School Board President Paul Childress defeated political consultant Ken Yang to win the Republican nomination for Arkansas House District 83 in Saline County.
Paul Childress, left, defeated Ken Yang in the Arkansas House District 83 Republican primary on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Arkansas Secretary of State office)
The Associated Press called the race at 9:10 p.m. Childress and Yang are both from Benton; Rep. Lanny Fite, also a Benton Republican, did not run for reelection.
With 99% of the votes counted, the unofficial results were:
Childress — 5,650 (71.5%)
Yang — 2,252 (28.5%)
Some District 83 voters said Tuesday that familiarity with the candidates determined their votes. Jeff Schwen said he believed “the issues are pretty much the same that they both stand for,” but he voted for Yang because he knows his family.
Similarly, Deborah Neu said she was more familiar with Childress and that influenced her vote. She brought her 18-year-old daughter, Lilly, to the polling place in downtown Benton, where Lilly voted for the first time.
John Willis said the choice was simple for him: he believed Childress was “the one who sounded like an American.”
Childress will face Democrat Teresa Dannaway in November’s general election.
John Willis of Benton voted for Paul Childress in the Arkansas House District 83 Republican primary. (Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate)
2 days ago
Crawford defeats Burks in Arkansas House District 51 primary
State Rep. Cindy Crawford, left, overcame challenger Jeff Burks, both of Fort Smith, in the Republican primary for the House District 51 seat. (Photos courtesy of the Secretary of State)
Three-term Rep. Cindy Crawford, R-Fort Smith, defeated software programmer and computer scientist Jeff Burks, also of Fort Smith, in the House District 51 Republican primary.
The Associated Press called the race at 9:01 p.m.
With 90% of the votes counted, the unofficial results were:
Crawford — 3,783 (77.4%)
Burks — 1,104 (22.6%)
District 51 is entirely in Sebastian County and includes a section of Fort Smith and the surrounding areas in Barling and Fort Chaffee.
A Democrat, Jane-Ellen Udouj-Kutchka, is running for the seat in the November general election.
Last updated: 10:45 pm
2 days ago
Justice Courtney Hudson wins Arkansas Supreme Court associate justice race
Justice Courtney Hudson (left) and Circuit Judge Carlton Jones. (Arkansas Secretary of State)
Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Courtney Hudson on Tuesday night won a different position on the state’s highest court.
The Associated Press called the Position 2 race for Hudson, 51, of Fayetteville a little more than an hour after the polls closed at 7:30 p.m. She defeated Circuit Judge Carlton Jones of Texarkana.
Hudson, who was first elected to the court in 2010, will serve the remaining six years left in the late Justice Robin Wynne’s term.
She said that she ran for Wynne’s seat because its term length falls in a way that will allow her to serve more years on the court before reaching the mandatory judicial retirement age of 70.
She emphasized her experience during the campaign, saying she’d continue to take a “common sense, balanced approach to the law.”
Hudson’s victory means that her Position 3 on the court will be vacant. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will appoint a replacement who will serve until a special election can be held to fill the seat until it is up for re-election again in 2026.
Last updated: 9:52 pm
2 days ago
First-time candidate wins GOP nomination for North Central Arkansas House seat
Republican candidates for Arkansas House District 41 Jerry Holmes (left) and Alyssa Brown. (Arkansas Secretary of State)
In Tuesday’s primaries, 26-year-old Alyssa Brown secured the Republican nomination in Arkansas House District 41, defeating 67-year-old Cleburne County Judge Jerry Holmes.
The Associated Press called the primary contest at 8:20 p.m. Both Brown and Holmes are from Heber Springs; Rep. Josh Miller, also a Republican from Heber Springs, did not run for reelection.
With 80% of the vote counted, the unofficial results were:
Brown – 2,873 (63.3%)
Holmes – 1,668 (36.7%)
Brown is a first-time candidate for elected office and has worked as a researcher at the conservative Family Council. She will face Democrat Tom Nowlin, a Baptist minister from Clinton, in November’s general election.
District 41 includes portions of Cleburne and Stone counties.
Last updated: 9:10 pm
2 days ago
Some voters seek “new blood” on the Arkansas Supreme Court
Some Central Arkansas voters said the state Supreme Court needs new faces, regardless of which partisan candidates they supported in Tuesday’s primary.
Little Rock resident Brandon Hill, who voted on a Republican ballot, said he voted for Jay Martin in the four-way race for Chief Justice and Carlton Jones for the other open seat on the court. Martin is a former state representative from Little Rock who sought the Democratic nomination for governor in 2022; Jones is a circuit judge from Texarkana.
“I saw that [Martin] wasn’t on the court yet, and I wanted to see a new person because I think that will help make change,” Hill said.
Associate Justices Rhonda Wood, Karen Baker and Barbara Webb are all running for the chief justice position along with Martin. Associate Justice Courtney Hudson is competing with Jones for the seat left open by Robin Wynne’s death last year.
Ben Rogers, a Republican voter from the south side of Little Rock, also said he voted for Martin in order to “get rid of some of the old guard and shake things up.”
Myra Durham of Benton said she voted on a Democratic ballot and considered the options of both “new blood” on the Supreme Court and the sitting justices’ experience.
“Sometimes we need something new and need to get some of these old spirits out of here,” she said.
2 days ago
AP calls Arkansas presidential primaries for Biden, Trump
Arkansas voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly chose President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump as the Democratic and Republican nominees, respectively, for president in 2024.
Arkansas and 14 other states held presidential primary elections on what is called Super Tuesday because the outcome determines which nominee will get as much as a third of the party delegates committed prior to this summer’s party conventions. The conventions ultimately choose the nominee based on the number of delegates won by candidates in the primaries.
There were 31 Democratic delegates up for grabs and 40 Republican delegates up for grabs in Arkansas.
As of 8:00 p.m., The Associated Press had called the Democratic race for Biden, who had received 91.5% of those votes, or 20,827.
The AP also called the Republican race for Trump shortly afterward. Trump had received 40,122 votes, or 72% of the total cast.
2 days ago
Arkansas voter ‘grits teeth’ in Benton County
In Bentonville, James Cameron said he “gritted his teeth” while voting for Joe Biden. Cameron’s a Democrat and doesn’t dislike Biden, but said he’s too old.
James Cameron, who identified as a Democrat, after voting in Bentonville on March 5, 2024. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
2 days ago
Talking to Arkansas voters
Advocate Senior Reporter Antoinette Grajeda began her election day visiting polling sites between Fayetteville and Little Rock. She tweeted about folks she met along the way. Here’s one:
“I also met Monique Draper who said she was at the Bentonville poll center enjoying her civic duty.
People can’t complain about the way things are if they don’t do their due diligence by researching candidates & finding someone who supports their beliefs, she said.”
Monique Draper
Last updated: 5:26 pm
2 days ago
Who’s running for president in Arkansas
You might be confused when you vote in Arkansas’ primary election today to find more than Donald Trump and Joe Biden listed as presidential candidates on their respective party’s ballot.
Most news stories, of course, focus on the two candidates who lead national polling: President Joe Biden on the Democrat side and former President Donald Trump on the Republican said.
You’ll likely recognize more names on the Republican ballot because almost all of them were considered contenders earlier this year: former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
Of those, only Haley is still actively campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination. The others remain on the ballot because of the deadlines imposed by state rules for getting on the ballot.
Other names on the Republican ballot: entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Air Force Reserve major and businessman David Stuckenberg, pastor and businessman Ryan L. Binkley.
If you vote the Democrat ballot, you’ll see, in addition to Biden: business owner Armando “Mando” Perez-Serrato, U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, entrepreneur Frankie Lozada, author and speaker Marianne Williamson and business owner Stephen P. Lyons.
Last updated: 2:43 pm
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