by Antoinette Grajeda, Arkansas Advocate
November 3, 2025
Arkansans seeking elected office in 2026 can begin submitting their candidate paperwork to the secretary of state’s office today.
Filing begins at noon Monday for partisan candidates and 3 p.m. for nonpartisan candidates. Because Nov. 11 is Veterans Day, a federal holiday, the weeklong filing period will end on Nov. 12, according to the secretary of state’s office. The primary election is scheduled for March 3 and the general election is Nov. 3. Runoff elections for the general election, if necessary, will be Dec. 1.
Next year’s election calendar also includes two special elections to fill vacancies in Senate District 26 and House District 70. The Senate District 26 seat became vacant after the death of Branch Republican Sen. Gary Stubblefield on Sept. 2. The House District 70 seat opened up when Rep. Carlton Wing, R-North Little Rock, resigned on Sept. 30 to become the new executive director and CEO of Arkansas PBS.
The schedule for both special elections include a primary election on March 3 and a general election on June 6. However, the timeline for both special elections is being challenged in two separate lawsuits that argue the current dates will leave voters in both districts without representation during April’s fiscal session when state lawmakers will make funding decisions.
Two weeks ago, a judge in the Senate District 26 lawsuit ordered the state to hold the election “as soon as practical.” Both the plaintiff and defendants in the case have appealed the ruling to the Arkansas Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, another judge issued a ruling Friday ordering the House District 70 general election be held on March 3, after hearing arguments in the lawsuit Tuesday. The attorney general’s office said it would appeal.
Democrats hopeful
Republicans hold a supermajority in the Arkansas House and Senate, but Democrats are hopeful they can flip some seats, including House District 70 where Alex Holladay, a health care professional who was defeated by Wing by 286 votes in the 2024 election, is seeking the Democratic nomination. Arkansas Democratic Party Chair retired Col. Marcus Jones called it “the most closely contested” House race in the 2024 general election, in an October press release.
“Given that Democrats have over-performed by 18% in Special Elections since Trump took office, we feel confident that we can deliver another seat for Democrats in our State House,” Jones said.
Holladay is expected to run against Cordelia Smith-Johnson, a U.S. Air Force veteran and plaintiff in the House District 70 lawsuit, in the Democratic primary for that seat. Business owner and physical therapistBo Renshaw has said he intends to seek the Republican nomination in the race.
One state issue that’s likely to affect next year’s elections is the ongoing fight to build a state prison in Franklin County. Since Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced plans to construct a prison near Charleston a year ago, elected officials and local residents have pushed back against the project.
Stubblefield, whose family has land bordering the proposed prison site, was one of the most outspoken opponents of the prison. Four Republicans have declared their intention to fill the late senator’s seat — Stacie Smith, Arkansas Oklahoma Gas’ community affairs coordinator, businessmen Brad Simon and Ted Tritt, and former state Rep. Mark Berry.
Smith, Tritt and Simon have publicly stated they oppose the prison.
“Crime is a serious problem in Arkansas, and we absolutely need to take decisive action to keep our families safe and hold criminals accountable,” Simon said in a September press release. “But dumping a billion-dollar mega-prison in the heart of the River Valley isn’t the solution — it’s government overreach that risks our water, environment, and local economy.”
On his campaign website, Berry said it would be “a daunting task” to find a solution to the problem, which “did not happen overnight.”
“And it won’t get fixed overnight,” he said. “I believe we can fund a prison, find a location more acceptable to the public that can also meet the water capacity needs.”
Funding for the prison likely will be a fiercely debated topic during the fiscal session that begins on April 8. Stubblefield was among a handful of lawmakers who blocked a $750 million appropriation bill in the Senate during this spring’s legislative session. The prison is expected to cost $825 million, according to preliminary estimates.
Another outspoken critic of the prison, Sen. Bryan King, R-Green Forest, is being challenged in the Republican primary election for Senate District 28 by Bobby Ballinger. King defeated his father, former Sen. Bob Ballinger, by about 400 votes in the 2022 Republican primary.
Sanders’ political action committee has contributed $3,500 to Ballinger’s campaign, according to his latest campaign finance report. Sanders also confirmed to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette that she is supporting Trey “BoDirt” Bohannan, who is challenging Sen. Ron Caldwell in the Republican primary for the Senate District 10 seat.
Caldwell, like King, voted against the $750 appropriation bill all five times it was voted down in the Arkansas Senate this spring.
