Incumbent congressmen Sen. Tom Cotton and Rep. French Hill cruised to easy victories during yesterday’s Arkansas primaries and learned who they’d be facing in the general election come November.
U.S SENATE
Cotton, a Republican, garnered 230,204 votes (81.6 percent) with 99 percent of votes counted. He put down two challengers — Micah Ashby of Bradford (26,085 votes) and Jeb Little of Harrison (25,908 votes) — in his quest for a third term.
Tom Cotton
“To the Arkansans who have trusted me to keep fighting for you — thank you,” Cotton said in a statement. “It’s been an honor to serve Arkansas in the United States Senate and I’m grateful to carry the Republican banner once again.”
First-time candidate Hallie Shoffner landed the Democrat spot on the ballot, outpacing Lewisville Mayor Ethan Dunbar 101,520 votes (78.2 percent) to 28,291 votes.
Hallie Shoffner
“This is humbling,” Shoffner told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “I am so grateful that the people of Arkansas have chosen me — that they’ve put their trust in me — to take it to the mat for them every single day, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
The matchup creates a true David and Goliath story come November. Besides a sizeable war chest of $9.7 million over Shofner’s $504,000, per preprimary reporting to the Federal Election Commission, Cotton enjoys substantial name recognition as the U.S. Senate’s third-highest-ranked Republican, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee and Senate Republican Conference.
He also has recent history on his side: No Democrat has held one of Arkansas’ two U.S. Senate seats in more than a decade. Cotton enters the midterms with the endorsement of both President Donald Trump and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Shofner, however, has enjoyed a groundswell of support on the strength of her background of a sixth-generation farmer whose family closed its ag operation due to rising input costs and low crop prices under which many Arkansas producers are struggling.
Despite having never run for any office on any level, Shoffner last month was endorsed for Senate by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette newspaper.
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. Rep. French Hill
Meanwhile U.S. Rep. French Hill cruised to a primary victory over consultant Chase McDowell of Alexander, as he seeks a seventh term in Washington representing Arkansas’ 2nd Congressional District. Hill advanced to the general election 47,686 votes (76.9 percent) to 14,342 votes with 99 percent of returns in.
Chris Jones
Hill will square off against Democrat Chris Jones in November, who also had an easy time of it in the primary defeating Zack Huffman of Little Rock 46,552 votes (93 percent) to 3,725 votes. Jones, who rose to prominence in the state in 2022 via an unsuccessful bid for governor against Sanders, expressed confidence for the general election.
“This November, we are finally going to vote French off the Hill,” he told supporters at an election night watch party thrown by the Democratic Party of Arkansas.
A former banker, Hill has garnered influential status in the House. He chairs the House Financial Services Committee and has most recently been at the center of legislation on cryptocurrency and housing affordability.
Speaking to KATV, Hill highlighted the economic gains his district has seen and outlined priorities for the months ahead.
“Real wages are up this year. Costs are coming down — gasoline, groceries — families are starting to feel relief,” Hill, a Republican, told KATV following the primary. “We’ve got more work to do to make sure every family can meet the cost of living, provide for their kids, and plan for the future. That’s our focus as we head into the fall.”
The remaining House primaries were contested only among Democrats as Rep. Bruce Westerman (Dist. 4), Rep. Rick Crawford (Dist. 1) and Rep. Steve Womack (Dist. 3) were unopposed Tuesday.
Contesting the six-term Westerman, chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, will be James Russell III of Little Rock who pulled away late with 13,242 votes (53 percent) over Hot Springs’ Steve O’Donnell with 11,738 votes.
Democrats Terri Yarbrough Green of Paragould and Robb Ryerse of Springdale, who were unopposed, will challenge Crawford and Womack, respectively, in November.
GOVERNOR
Fred Love
State Sen. Fred Love of Little Rock, a Democrat, easily won his party’s gubernatorial nomination, beating businesswoman Supha Xayprasith-Mays of Bentonville with 103,933 votes (81 percent) to 24,441 votes. He will square off against Gov. Sanders who was unopposed on the Republican side of the ticket.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders
SECRETARY OF STATE
The most suspenseful race of the 2026 Arkansas primaries was still undecided overnight with three Republican candidates bidding for Arkansas Secretary of State locked in a race too close to call. Wednesday morning found project manager Bryan Norris (34.3 percent) and State Sen. Kim Hammer (33.5 percent) headed for a runoff, just outpacing Miller County Judge Cathy Hardin Harrison (32.1 percent).
State election laws dictate if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the race goes to a runoff between the top two vote-getters. The winner will face Democrat Kelly Grappe who was unopposed in Tuesday’s primary.
Election results source: NBC News Decision 2026
READ ALSO: New Ownership Announced for Sonny Williams’ Steak Room
