Arkansas House of Representatives elections, 2016

Arkansas 2016 elections

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2016 Arkansas
Senate Elections

Primary| March 1, 2016
General| November 8, 2016
2016 Election Results

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2016 Elections

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All 100 seats in the Arkansas House of Representatives were up for election in 2016. Republicans picked up nine seats in the November 2016 general election.

HIGHLIGHTS

* Since Republicans ran unopposed in so many districts, Democrats could not regain control of the chamber.

* Arkansas had some of the nation's least competitive legislative elections.

## Contents

* 1 Introduction
* 1.1 Majority control
* 2 Retired incumbents
* 3 2016 election competitiveness
* 4 List of candidates
* 5 General election
* 6 Primary election
* 6.1 Margins of victory
* 6.2 Important dates and deadlines
* 6.3 Competitiveness
* 6.3.1 Candidates unopposed by a major party
* 6.3.2 Primary challenges
* 6.3.3 Retired incumbents
* 6.3.3.1 Impact of term limits
* 6.3.4 Results from 2014
* 6.3.5 Historical context
* 6.4 Campaign contributions
* 6.4.1 State comparison
* 6.5 Qualifications
* 6.6 See also
* 6.7 External links
* 6.8 Footnotes

## Introduction[edit]

Ballotpedia's analysis revealed that only 42 of the 100 seats up for election in 2016 involved competition between Democrats and Republicans. This made it numerically impossible for Democrats to take control of either Arkansas legislative chamber in 2016.

The reason for the low competition was that candidates were in safe districts for their parties. Between 1972 and 2014, an upward trend in uncontested state legislative elections occurred.

The Democratic Party of Arkansas focused its 2016 efforts on the state’s House of Representatives. Without the numbers to win the state Senate, H.L. Moody, communications director for the Democratic Party of Arkansas, told Ballotpedia that the party’s goal was to “start building back where we can,” beginning with the House.

Ballotpedia spoke to political analyst Richard Winger, who said that the early primary deadline for the 2016 elections was a possible factor as well, making it difficult for Democrats to recruit candidates early.

The primary election was held on March 1, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing period began at noon local time on November 2, 2015, and ended at noon local time on November 9, 2015.[1]

### Majority control[edit]

See also: Partisan composition of state houses

Heading into the election, the Republican Party held the majority in the Arkansas House of Representatives:

Arkansas House of Representatives

Party  |  As of November 7, 2016  |  After November 8, 2016
|  Democratic Party |  34  |  27
|  Republican Party |  64 |  73
|  Independent  |  1  |  0
|  Vacancy  |  1  |  0
Total |  100 |  100

## Retired incumbents[edit]

Thirteen incumbent representatives did not run for re-election in 2016. Those incumbents were:

Name  |  Party  |  Current Office

|
|

Mary P. Hickerson |  Republican | House District 1
John Baine |  Democratic | House District 7
Nate Bell |  Nonpartisan | House District 20
John T. Vines |  Democratic | House District 25
Julie Mayberry |  Republican | House District 27
Donnie Copeland |  Republican | House District 38
Dave Wallace |  Republican | House District 54
Mary Broadaway |  Democratic | House District 57
Betty Overbey |  Democratic | House District 69
Justin T. Harris |  Republican | House District 81
Lance Eads |  Republican | House District 88
Micah Neal |  Republican | House District 89
Kelley Linck |  Republican | House District 99

Note: Incumbent Sheilla Lampkin (D) died on July 23, 2016.

## 2016 election competitiveness[edit]

Arkansas continues below average performance in electoral competitiveness.

Ballotpedia conducts a yearly study of electoral competitiveness in state legislative elections. Details on how well Arkansas performed in the study are provided in the image below. Click here for the full 2016 Competitiveness Analysis »

* In the Arkansas State Senate elections, 2016, there were 13 Democratic incumbents and 24 Republican incumbents. No incumbents faced primary challengers in the Democratic Party. Two primary challenges took place in the Republican primary.

* In the House, there were 36 Democratic incumbents, 63 Republican incumbents, and one independent incumbent. Two state representatives faced primary opposition in the Democratic Party. There were six primary challenges that took place in the Republican primary.

* Overall, 18.6 percent of Democratic incumbents and 21.4 percent of GOP incumbents faced primary opposition in all of the state legislatures with elections in 2016.

* The cumulative figure for how many state legislative candidates faced no major party opposition in November in these states was 41.8 percent. This compares to 32.7 percent in 2010, 38.3 percent in 2012, and 43.0 percent in 2014.

* More details on electoral competitiveness in Arkansas can be found below.

## List of candidates[edit]

# General election[edit]

2016 Arkansas House general election candidates

District |  Democrat |  Republican | Other
1  |  No candidate |  Carol Dalby a |
2  |  No candidate |  Lane Jean (I) a |
3  |  Brent Talley: 3,872 (I) |  Danny Watson: 5,311 a |  Cecil Anderson: 157 (L)
4  |  Fonda Hawthorne: 2,485  |  DeAnn Vaught: 6,805 (I) a |
5  |  David Fielding (I) a |  No candidate |
6  |  No candidate |  Matthew Shepherd (I) a |
7  |  Floyd Thomas, Jr.: 3,827  |  Sonia Eubanks Barker: 5,606 a |  Glenn Glover: 796 (Ind.)
8  |  Jeff Wardlaw (I) a |  No candidate |
9  |  LeAnne Burch: 6,519 a |  No candidate |
10  |  Dorothy Hall: 4,024  |  Mike Holcomb: 7,043 (I) a |
11  |  Mark McElroy (I) a |  No candidate |
12  |  Chris Richey (I) a |  No candidate |
13  |  David Hillman (I) a |  No candidate |
14  |  Camille Bennett: 5,391 (I) |  Roger Lynch: 5,867 a |
15  |  No candidate |  Ken Bragg: 9,816 (I) a |  Wayne Willems: 2,002 (L)
16  |  Ken Ferguson (I) a |  No candidate |
17  |  Vivian Flowers (I) a |  No candidate |
18  |  Richard Bright: 5,088  |  Richard Womack: 6,499 (I) a |
19  |  No candidate |  Justin Gonzales (I) a |
20  |  No candidate |  John Maddox: 8,936 a |  Henry Nielson: 1,688 (Ind.)
21  |  No candidate |  Marcus Richmond (I) a |
22  |  No candidate |  Mickey Gates (I) a |
23  |  No candidate |  Lanny Fite (I) a |
24  |  No candidate |  Bruce Cozart (I) a |
25  |  Jerry Rephan: 4,208  |  Les Warren: 5,973 a |
26  |  No candidate |  Laurie Rushing (I) a |
27  |  Melissa Fults: 3,748  |  Andy Mayberry: 8,711 a |
28  |  No candidate |  Kim Hammer (I) a |
29  |  Fredrick Love: 6,844 (I) a |  No candidate |  Glen Schwarz: 1,078 (L)
30  |  Fred Allen a |  No candidate |
31  |  No candidate |  Andy Davis (I) a |
32  |  Susan Inman: 6,559  |  Jim Sorvillo: 8,435 (I) a |
33  |  Warwick Sabin: 9,472 (I) a |  No candidate |  Michael Williams: 2,683 (L)
34  |  John W. Walker (I) a |  No candidate |
35  |  Clarke Tucker (I) a |  No candidate |
36  |  Charles Blake (I) a |  No candidate |
37  |  Eddie Armstrong, III (I) a |  No candidate |
38  |  Victoria Leigh: 6,466  |  Carlton Wing: 7,019 a |
39  |  Bill Rahn: 6,223  |  Mark Lowery: 7,318 (I) a |
40  |  No candidate |  Douglas House (I) a |
41  |  No candidate |  Karilyn Brown (I) a |
42  |  J.P. Bob Johnson: 5,100 (I) a |  Patrick Thomas: 3,622  |
43  |  No candidate |  Tim Lemons (I) a |
44  |  No candidate |  Joe Farrer: 9,243 (I) a |  Garry Baker: 2,070 (L)
45  |  No candidate |  Jeremy Gillam (I) a |
46  |  No candidate |  Les Eaves (I) a |
47  |  Michael John Gray (I) a |  No candidate |
48  |  Reginald Murdock (I) a |  No candidate |
49  |  Marshall Wright: 4,411 (I) |  Steve Hollowell: 5,539 a |
50  |  Milton Nicks, Jr. (I) a |  No candidate |
51  |  Deborah Ferguson (I) a |  No candidate |
52  |  No candidate |  Dwight Tosh (I) a |
53  |  No candidate |  Dan Sullivan (I) a |
54  |  Hunter Williams: 2,259  |  Johnny Rye: 6,490 a |
55  |  Monte Hodges (I) a |  No candidate |
56  |  Joe Jett (I) a |  No candidate |
57  |  Frankie Gilliam: 3,351  |  Jimmy Gazaway: 6,496 a |
58  |  Nate Looney: 5,153  |  Brandt Smith: 6,448 (I) a |
59  |  No candidate |  Jack Ladyman (I) a |
60  |  James Ratliff: 4,948 (I) |  Frances Cavenaugh: 5,112 a |
61  |  Scott Baltz: 5,559 (I) a |  Marsh Davis: 4,996  |  Chris Olson: 467 (L)
62  |  No candidate |  Michelle Gray (I) a |
63  |  No candidate |  James Sturch (I) a |
64  |  No candidate |  John Payton (I) a |
65  |  No candidate |  Rick Beck (I) a |
66  |  No candidate |  Josh Miller (I) a |
67  |  No candidate |  Stephen Meeks (I) a |
68  |  No candidate |  Trevor Drown (I) a |
69  |  George Overbey, Jr.: 4,344  |  Aaron Pilkington: 6,088 a |
70  |  No candidate |  David Meeks (I) a |
71  |  No candidate |  Kenneth Henderson (I) a |
72  |  Steve Magie: 6,315 (I) a |  Shannon Taylor: 4,239  |
73  |  Lesa Wolfe Crowell: 2,094  |  Mary Bentley: 6,536 (I) a |
74  |  No candidate |  Jon S. Eubanks (I) a |
75  |  No candidate |  Charlotte Vining Douglas (I) a |
76  |  No candidate |  Mathew Pitsch (I) a |
77  |  No candidate |  Justin Boyd: 7,133 (I) a |  Stephen Edwards: 3,051 (L)
78  |  George McGill (I) a |  No candidate |
79  |  No candidate |  Gary Deffenbaugh (I) a |
80  |  No candidate |  Charlene Fite (I) a |
81  |  Susan McGaughey: 3,187  |  Bruce Coleman: 8,259 a |
82  |  No candidate |  Sarah Capp a |
83  |  No candidate |  David Branscum (I) a |
84  |  No candidate |  Charlie Collins (I) a |
85  |  David Whitaker: 7,453 (I) a |  Dwight Gonzales: 6,624  |
86  |  Greg Leding (I) a |  No candidate |
87  |  No candidate |  Robin Lundstrum (I) a |
88  |  No candidate |  Clint Penzo a |
89  |  Irvin Camacho: 2,210  |  Jeff Williams: 2,823 a |
90  |  No candidate |  Jana Della Rosa (I) a |
91  |  No candidate |  Dan Douglas (I) a |
92  |  No candidate |  Kim Hendren (I) a |
93  |  No candidate |  Jim Dotson (I) a |
94  |  Grimsley Graham: 4,136  |  Rebecca Petty: 4,926 (I) a |
95  |  No candidate |  Austin McCollum: 10,012 a |  Grant Brand: 3,188 (L)
96  |  No candidate |  Grant Hodges: 7,299 (I) a |  Michael Kalagias: 2,919 (L)
97  |  No candidate |  Bob Ballinger (I) a |
98  |  No candidate |  Ron McNair (I) a |
99  |  No candidate |  Jack Fortner a |
100  |  No candidate |  Nelda Speaks (I) a |
|  |  |
Notes:

* An (I) denotes an incumbent.
* Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. Ballotpedia staff update this list monthly. To suggest changes, click here to email our State Legislature Project.

# Primary election[edit]

2016 Arkansas House primary candidates

District |  Democrat |  Republican | Other
1 | No candidate | Rusty Latham: 1,394
Carol Dalby: 2,026 a |
2 | No candidate | Lane Jean (I) a |
3 | Brent Talley (I) a | Danny Watson a | Cecil Anderson (L) a
4 | Fonda Hawthorne a | DeAnn Vaught (I) a |
5 | David Fielding (I) a | No candidate |
6 | No candidate | Matthew Shepherd (I) a |
7 | Floyd Thomas, Jr.: 2,042 a
Garry Smith: 1,305 | Sonia Eubanks Barker a | Glenn Glover (Ind.) a
8 | Jeff Wardlaw (I) a | No candidate |
9 | Sheilla Lampkin (I) a | Jim Hall a |
10 | Dorothy Hall a | Mike Holcomb (I) a |
11 | Bob Ware: 2,054
Mark McElroy (I): 2,493 a | No candidate |
12 | Chris Richey (I) a | No candidate |
13 | David Hillman (I) a | No candidate |
14 | Camille Bennett (I) a | Roger Lynch a |
15 | No candidate | Ken Bragg (I) a | Wayne Willems (L) a
16 | Ken Ferguson (I) a | No candidate |
17 | Vivian Flowers (I) a | No candidate |
18 | Richard Bright a | Richard Womack (I) a |
19 | No candidate | Justin Gonzales (I) a |
20 | No candidate | John Maddox a | Henry Nielson (Ind.) a
21 | No candidate | Marcus Richmond (I) a |
22 | No candidate | Mickey Gates (I) a |
23 | No candidate | Lanny Fite (I) a |
24 | No candidate | Bruce Cozart (I) a |
25 | Jerry Rephan a | Richard Midkiff: 1,075
Les Warren: 2,487 a |
26 | No candidate | Laurie Rushing (I) a |
27 | Melissa Fults a | Andy Mayberry: 3,128 a
Mike Creekmore: 1,850 |
28 | No candidate | Kim Hammer (I) a |
29 | Fredrick Love (I) a | No candidate | Glen Schwarz (L) a
30 | Charles Armstrong (I): 1,531
Fred Allen: 2,909 a | No candidate |
31 | No candidate | Andy Davis (I) a |
32 | Susan Inman a | Jim Sorvillo (I) a |
33 | Warwick Sabin (I) a | No candidate | Michael Williams (L) a
34 | John W. Walker (I) a | No candidate |
35 | Clarke Tucker (I) a | No candidate |
36 | Charles Blake (I) a | No candidate |
37 | Eddie Armstrong, III (I) a | No candidate |
38 | Kent Walker: 1,538
Victoria Leigh: 1,638 a | Carlton Wing a |
39 | Bill Rahn a | Mark Lowery (I) a |
40 | No candidate | Douglas House (I) a |
41 | No candidate | Karilyn Brown (I) a |
42 | J.P. Bob Johnson (I) a | Patrick Thomas a |
43 | No candidate | Tim Lemons (I) a |
44 | No candidate | Joe Farrer (I) a | Garry Baker (L) a
45 | No candidate | Jeremy Gillam (I) a |
46 | No candidate | Les Eaves (I) a |
47 | Michael John Gray (I) a | No candidate |
48 | Reginald Murdock (I) a | No candidate |
49 | Marshall Wright (I) a | Steve Hollowell a |
50 | Milton Nicks, Jr. (I) a | No candidate |
51 | Deborah Ferguson (I) a | No candidate |
52 | No candidate | Dwight Tosh (I) a |
53 | No candidate | Dan Sullivan (I) a |
54 | Hunter Williams a | Wes Wagner: 1,592
Johnny Rye: 1,685 a |
55 | Monte Hodges (I) a | No candidate |
56 | Joe Jett (I) a | No candidate |
57 | Frankie Gilliam a | Ronnie Spence: 629
Jimmy Gazaway: 2,580 a
Shawn Strouss: 779 |
58 | Nate Looney a | Brandt Smith (I) a |
59 | No candidate | Jack Ladyman (I) a |
60 | James Ratliff (I) a | Frances Cavenaugh a |
61 | Scott Baltz (I) a | Marsh Davis a | Christopher Olson (L) a
62 | No candidate | Michelle Gray (I) a |
63 | No candidate | James Sturch (I): 3,439 a
Phillip Finch: 1,463 |
64 | No candidate | John Payton (I) a |
65 | No candidate | Rick Beck (I) a |
66 | No candidate | Chris Steplock: 1,604
Josh Miller (I): 4,779 a |
67 | No candidate | Stephen Meeks (I) a |
68 | No candidate | Trevor Drown (I) a |
69 | George Overbey, Jr. a | Aaron Pilkington a |
70 | No candidate | David Meeks (I) a |
71 | No candidate | Kenneth Henderson (I) a |
72 | Steve Magie (I) a | Shannon Taylor a |
73 | Lesa Wolfe Crowell a | Mary Bentley (I) a |
74 | No candidate | Jon S. Eubanks (I) a |
75 | No candidate | Charlotte Vining Douglas (I) a |
76 | No candidate | Mathew Pitsch (I) a |
77 | No candidate | Justin Boyd (I) a | Stephen Edwards (L) a
78 | George McGill (I) a | No candidate |
79 | No candidate | Gary Deffenbaugh (I) a |
80 | No candidate | Charlene Fite (I) a |
81 | Susan McGaughey a | Bruce Coleman: 2,599 a
Derek Goodlin: 2,487 |
82 | No candidate | Bill Gossage (I) a |
83 | No candidate | David Branscum (I) a | Kyle Adams (L) a
84 | No candidate | Charlie Collins (I) a |
85 | David Whitaker (I) a | Dwight Gonzales a |
86 | Greg Leding (I) a | No candidate |
87 | No candidate | Robin Lundstrum (I) a |
88 | No candidate | Clint Penzo: 1,528  \- Won runoff[2]
Philip Humbard: 984
Isaac Foley: 1,489  |
89 | Irvin Camacho a | Charles Gaines: 492
Jeff Williams: 1,090 a |
90 | No candidate | Jana Della Rosa (I): 3,566 a
Randy Alexander: 1,501
Jana Starr: 465 |
91 | No candidate | Dan Douglas (I) a |
92 | No candidate | Kim Hendren (I) a |
93 | No candidate | Jim Dotson (I) a |
94 | Grimsley Graham a | Debra Hobbs: 1,457
Rebecca Petty (I): 1,988 a |
95 | No candidate | Austin McCollum: 3,328 a
Sue Scott (I): 2,610 | Grant Brand (L) a
96 | No candidate | Grant Hodges (I) a | Michael Kalagias (L) a
97 | No candidate | Bob Ballinger (I) a |
98 | No candidate | John Arthur Hammerschmidt: 2,031
Ron McNair (I): 2,568 a |
99 | No candidate | Jack Fortner: 3,204 a
Bruce Emerson: 2,099 |
100 | No candidate | Nelda Speaks (I) a |
|  |  |
Notes |  • An (I) denotes an incumbent. a denotes an outright primary winner.  denotes a candidate who moved on to a runoff election.
|  • Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. Ballotpedia staff update this list monthly. To suggest changes, click here to email our State Legislature Project.

## Margins of victory[edit]

The average margin of victory for contested races in the Arkansas House of Representatives in 2016 was lower than the national average. Out of 100 races in the Arkansas House of Representatives in 2016, 33 were contested, meaning at least two candidates competed for that seat in the general election. The average margin of victory across these races was 28.8 percent. Across contested single-winner state legislative elections in 2016, the average margin of victory was 29.01 percent.[3]

Democratic candidates in the Arkansas House of Representatives saw larger margins of victory than Republican candidates in 2016. Democrats won 27 races in 2016. In the six races where a winning Democrat faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 29.4 percent. Republicans won 73 races. In the 27 races where a winning Republican faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 28.7 percent.

More Republican candidates than Democratic candidates saw margins of victory that were less than 10 percentage points. Seven of the 33 contested races in 2016—21.2 percent—saw margins of victory that were 10 percent or less. Three races saw a margin of victory that was 5 percent or less. Republicans won five of the seven races with a margin of victory of 10 percent or less and all three of the races with a margin of victory of 5 percent or less.

Arkansas House of Representatives: 2016 Margins of Victory Less than 10 Percent

District | Winning Party | Margin of Victory
District 14 | R | 4.2 percent
District 38 | R | 4.1 percent
District 39 | R | 8.1 percent
District 60 | R | 1.6 percent
District 61 | D | 5.1 percent
District 85 | D | 5.9 percent
District 94 | R | 8.7 percent
The average margin of victory for incumbents in the Arkansas House who ran for re-election and won in 2016 was lower than the national average. The average margin of victory for the 18 winning Arkansas House incumbents who faced a challenger in 2016 was 31.5 percent. The average margin of victory for all winning incumbents in contested single-winner state legislative elections in 2016 was 31.8 percent.

Republican incumbents in the Arkansas House saw larger margins of victory than Democratic incumbents. 54 Republican incumbents won reelection. In the 12 races where a winning Republican incumbent faced a challenger, the average margin of victory was 32.5 percent. 25 Democratic incumbents won reelection. In the six races where winning Democratic incumbents faced challengers, the average margin of victory was 29.4 percent.

Arkansas House of Representatives: 2016 Margin of Victory Analysis

Party | Elections won | Average margin of victory[4] | Races with incumbent victories | Average margin of victory for incumbents[4] | Unopposed incumbents | Unopposed races | Percent unopposed
Democratic | 27 | 29.4 percent | 25 | 29.4 percent | 19 | 21 | 77.8 percent
Republican | 73 | 28.7 percent | 54 | 32.5 percent | 42 | 46 | 63.0 percent
Total | 100 | 28.8 percent | 79 | 31.5 percent | 61 | 67 | 67.0 percent

Click [show] on the tables below to see the margin of victory in Arkansas House districts in 2016.

Arkansas House of Representatives: 2016 Margin of Victory by District

District | Winning Party | Margin of Victory
District 1 | R | Unopposed
District 2 | R | Unopposed
District 3 | R | 15.4 percent
District 4 | R | 46.5 percent
District 5 | D | Unopposed
District 6 | R | Unopposed
District 7 | R | 17.4 percent
District 8 | D | Unopposed
District 9 | D | Unopposed
District 10 | R | 27.3 percent
District 11 | D | Unopposed
District 12 | D | Unopposed
District 13 | D | Unopposed
District 14 | R | 4.2 percent
District 15 | R | 66.1 percent
District 16 | D | Unopposed
District 17 | D | Unopposed
District 18 | R | 12.2 percent
District 19 | R | Unopposed
District 20 | R | 68.2 percent
District 21 | R | Unopposed
District 22 | R | Unopposed
District 23 | R | Unopposed
District 24 | R | Unopposed
District 25 | R | 17.3 percent
District 26 | R | Unopposed
District 27 | R | 39.8 percent
District 28 | R | Unopposed
District 29 | D | 72.8 percent
District 30 | D | Unopposed
District 31 | R | Unopposed
District 32 | R | 12.5 percent
District 33 | D | 55.9 percent
District 34 | D | Unopposed
District 35 | D | Unopposed
District 36 | D | Unopposed
District 37 | D | Unopposed
District 38 | R | 4.1 percent
District 39 | R | 8.1 percent
District 40 | R | Unopposed
District 41 | R | Unopposed
District 42 | D | 17.0 percent
District 43 | R | Unopposed
District 44 | R | 63.4 percent
District 45 | R | Unopposed
District 46 | R | Unopposed
District 47 | D | Unopposed
District 48 | D | Unopposed
District 49 | R | 11.3 percent
District 50 | D | Unopposed
District 51 | D | Unopposed
District 52 | R | Unopposed
District 53 | R | Unopposed
District 54 | R | 48.4 percent
District 55 | D | Unopposed
District 56 | D | Unopposed
District 57 | R | 31.9 percent
District 58 | R | 11.2 percent
District 59 | R | Unopposed
District 60 | R | 1.6 percent
District 61 | D | 5.1 percent
District 62 | R | Unopposed
District 63 | R | Unopposed
District 64 | R | Unopposed
District 65 | R | Unopposed
District 66 | R | Unopposed
District 67 | R | Unopposed
District 68 | R | Unopposed
District 69 | R | 16.7 percent
District 70 | R | Unopposed
District 71 | R | Unopposed
District 72 | D | 19.7 percent
District 73 | R | 51.5 percent
District 74 | R | Unopposed
District 75 | R | Unopposed
District 76 | R | Unopposed
District 77 | R | 40.1 percent
District 78 | D | Unopposed
District 79 | R | Unopposed
District 80 | R | Unopposed
District 81 | R | 44.3 percent
District 82 | R | Unopposed
District 83 | R | Unopposed
District 84 | R | Unopposed
District 85 | D | 5.9 percent
District 86 | D | Unopposed
District 87 | R | Unopposed
District 88 | R | Unopposed
District 89 | R | 12.2 percent
District 90 | R | Unopposed
District 91 | R | Unopposed
District 92 | R | Unopposed
District 93 | R | Unopposed
District 94 | R | 8.7 percent
District 95 | R | 51.7 percent
District 96 | R | 42.9 percent
District 97 | R | Unopposed
District 98 | R | Unopposed
District 99 | R | Unopposed
District 100 | R | Unopposed

## Important dates and deadlines[edit]

See also: Arkansas elections, 2016

The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Arkansas in 2016.

Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016

Deadline  |  Event type  |  Event description
September 3, 2015 | Ballot access  |  Deadline for new political parties to file qualifying paperwork
October 15, 2015  | Campaign finance  |  Quarterly report due for third quarter of 2015
November 2, 2015 | Ballot access  |  Filing period for party candidates opens at 12:00 p.m.; filing period for nonpartisan candidates opens at 3:00 p.m.; filing period opens for independent and write-in candidates
November 16, 2015 | Campaign finance  |  Statement of financial interest for 2014 due for non-incumbent candidates
November 16, 2015 | Campaign finance  |  October monthly report due
November 9, 2015 | Ballot access  |  Filing period for party candidates closes at 12:00 p.m.; filing period for nonpartisan candidates closes at 3:00 p.m.; filing period closes for independent and write-in candidates
December 15, 2015 | Campaign finance  |  November monthly report due
January 15, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  December monthly report due
February 1, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  Statement of financial interest for 2015 due for all candidates
February 16, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  January monthly report due
February 23, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  If opposed in primary, preelection report due for primary election
March 1, 2016 | Election date  |  Preferential primary election; nonpartisan general election
March 15, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  If unopposed in primary or did not participate in primary, February monthly report due
March 15, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  Preelection report due for primary election runoff
March 22, 2016 | Election date  |  General primary runoff election
April 15, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  If candidate did not participate in primary, March monthly report due
May 2, 2016  | Campaign finance  |  Final report due for primary election and primary runoff
May 16, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  April monthly report due
June 15, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  May monthly report due
July 15, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  June monthly report due
August 9, 2016 | Election date  |  Municipal party primary election
August 15, 2016  | Campaign finance  |  July monthly report due
September 15, 2016  | Campaign finance  |  August monthly report due
September 20, 2016 | Election date  |  Annual school board election
October 11, 2016 | Election date  |  Annual school board runoff election
October 17, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  September monthly report due
November 1, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  Preelection report due
November 8, 2016 | Election date  |  General election; nonpartisan runoff election
November 15, 2016  | Campaign finance  |  October monthly report due if unopposed
November 22, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  Preelection report due for special runoff election
November 29, 2016 | Election date  |  General runoff election (county and municipal)
December 30, 2016 | Campaign finance  |  Final report due general and runoff election
Sources: Arkansas Secretary of State, "2016 Election Dates," accessed August 7, 2015
Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners, "Running for Public Office: 2016 Edition," accessed September 21, 2015

## Competitiveness[edit]

### Candidates unopposed by a major party[edit]

In 75 of the 100 districts up for election in 2016, there was only one major party candidate running for election. A total of 23 Democrats and 52 Republicans were guaranteed election barring unforeseen circumstances.

Two major party candidates faced off in the general election in 25 of the 100 districts up for election.

### Primary challenges[edit]

Eight incumbents faced primary competition on March 1. Thirteen incumbents did not seek re-election and another 79 advanced past the primary without opposition. Two incumbents lost in the primary:

* District 30: Incumbent Charles Armstrong was defeated by Fred Allen in the Democratic primary.
* District 95: Incumbent Sue Scott was defeated by challenger Austin McCollum in the Republican primary.

### Retired incumbents[edit]

Thirteen incumbent representatives did not run for re-election, while 87 ran for re-election. A list of those incumbents, eight Republicans, four Democrats and one Nonpartisan, can be found above.

#### Impact of term limits[edit]

See also: State legislatures with term limits

The Arkansas House of Representatives has been a term-limited state house since Arkansas voters approved the Arkansas Term Limits Initiative in 1992 as an initiated constitutional amendment. In 2014, Arkansas voters passed the Arkansas Elected Officials Ethics, Transparency and Financial Reform Amendment which permits legislators to serve a total of 16 years in the House or Senate during his or her lifetime.

There are 100 members of the Arkansas House of Representatives. No representatives were term-limited in 2016.

### Results from 2014[edit]

See also: 2014 state legislative elections analyzed using a Competitiveness Index

There were 6,057 seats in 87 chambers with elections in 2014. All three aspects of Ballotpedia's Competitiveness Index—the number of open seats, incumbents facing primary opposition, and general elections between partisan candidates—showed poor results compared to the prior election cycle. States with elections in 2014 held fewer general elections between partisan candidates. Additionally, fewer incumbents faced primary opposition and more incumbents ran for re-election than in recent years.

Since 2010, when the Competitiveness Index was established, there had not been an even-year election cycle to do statistically worse in any of the three categories. See the following chart for a breakdown of those scores between each year.

Overall Comparison between years

|  2010  |  2012  |  2014
Competitiveness Index  | 36.2  | 35.8  | 31.4
% Open Seats  | 18.6%  | 21.2%  | 17.0%
% Inc that did face primary  | 22.7%  | 24.6%  | 20.1%
% Candidates that did face major party opp  | 67.3%  | 61.7%  | 57.0%

The following table details Arkansas' rates for open seats, incumbents that faced primary challenges, and major party competition in the 2014 general election.

Arkansas General Assembly 2014 Competitiveness

% Open Seats  |  % Inc that did face primary  |  % Candidates that did face major party opp  |  Competitiveness Index  |  Overall rank
26.3%  |  9.2%  |  31.4%  |  22.9  |  40

### Historical context[edit]

See also: Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections: 1972-2014

Uncontested elections: In 2014, 32.8 percent of Americans lived in states with an uncontested state senate election. Similarly, 40.4 percent of Americans lived in states with uncontested house elections. Primary elections were uncontested even more frequently, with 61 percent of people living in states with no contested primaries. Uncontested elections often occur in locations that are so politically one-sided that the result of an election would be a foregone conclusion regardless of whether it was contested or not.

Open seats: In most cases, an incumbent will run for re-election, which decreases the number of open seats available. In 2014, 83 percent of the 6,057 seats up for election saw the incumbent running for re-election. The states that impose term limits on their legislatures typically see a higher percentage of open seats in a given year because a portion of incumbents in each election are forced to leave office. Overall, the number of open seats decreased from 2012 to 2014, dropping from 21.2 percent in 2012 to 17.0 percent in 2014.

Incumbent win rates: Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of elections between 1972 and 2014 documented the high propensity for incumbents to win re-election in state legislative elections. In fact, since 1972, the win rate for incumbents had not dropped below 90 percent—with the exception of 1974, when 88 percent of incumbents were re-elected to their seats. Perhaps most importantly, the win rate for incumbents generally increased over time. In 2014, 96.5 percent of incumbents were able to retain their seats. Common convention holds that incumbents are able to leverage their office to maintain their seat. However, the high incumbent win rate may actually be a result of incumbents being more likely to hold seats in districts that are considered safe for their party.

Marginal primaries: Often, competitiveness is measured by examining the rate of elections that have been won by amounts that are considered marginal (5 percent or less). During the 2014 election, 90.1 percent of primary and general election races were won by margins higher than 5 percent. Interestingly, it is usually the case that only one of the two races—primary or general—will be competitive at a time. This means that if a district's general election is competitive, typically one or more of the district's primaries were won by more than 5 percent. The reverse is also true: If a district sees a competitive primary, it is unlikely that the general election for that district will be won by less than 5 percent. Primaries often see very low voter turnout in comparison to general elections. In 2014, there were only 27 million voters for state legislative primaries, but approximately 107 million voters for the state legislative general elections.

## Campaign contributions[edit]

The following chart shows how many candidates ran for State House in Arkansas in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in State House races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests.[5]

Arkansas House of Representatives Donations

Year  | Candidates  | Amount
2014  |  167  |  $6,308,731
2012  |  187  |  $6,502,845
2010  |  192  |  $5,568,131
2008  |  166  |  $5,066,879
2006  |  174  |  $4,657,977

### State comparison[edit]

The map below shows the average contributions to 2014 candidates for state houses. The average contributions raised by state house candidates in 2014 was $59,983. Arkansas, at $37,777 per candidate, is ranked 25 of 45 for state house chambers with the highest average contributions. Hover your mouse over a state to see the average campaign contributions for that state’s house candidates in 2014.[5][6]

## Qualifications[edit]

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."

## See also[edit]

* Arkansas House of Representatives
* Arkansas State Legislature
* State legislative elections, 2016

## External links[edit]

|  Suggest a link

|

* Arkansas Secretary of State

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "2016 Election Dates," accessed November 17, 2015
2. ↑ Penzo won the primary runoff on March 22
3. ↑ This calculation excludes chambers that had elections where two or more members were elected in a race. These chambers are the Arizona House, the New Hampshire House, the North Dakota House, the South Dakota House, the Vermont House, the Vermont Senate, and the West Virginia House.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Excludes unopposed elections
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 followthemoney.org, "Contributions to candidates and committees in elections in Arkansas," accessed July 28, 2015
6. ↑ This map relies on data collected in July 2015.

[show]

Current members of the Arkansas House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Matthew Shepherd

Majority Leader:Austin McCollum

Minority Leader:Tippi McCullough

Representatives

District 1

Carol Dalby (R)

District 2

Lane Jean (R)

District 3

Danny Watson (R)

District 4

DeAnn Vaught (R)

District 5

David Fielding (D)

District 6

Matthew Shepherd (R)

District 7

Sonia Barker (R)

District 8

Jeff Wardlaw (R)

District 9

Howard Beaty (R)

District 10

Mike Holcomb (R)

District 11

Mark McElroy (R)

District 12

David Tollett (R)

District 13

David Hillman (R)

District 14

Roger Lynch (R)

District 15

Ken Bragg (R)

District 16

Ken Ferguson (D)

District 17

Vivian Flowers (D)

District 18

Richard Womack (R)

District 19

Justin Gonzales (R)

District 20

John Maddox (R)

District 21

Marcus Richmond (R)

District 22

Richard McGrew (R)

District 23

Lanny Fite (R)

District 24

Bruce Cozart (R)

District 25

Les Warren (R)

District 26

Rick McClure (R)

District 27

Julie Mayberry (R)

District 28

Tony Furman (R)

District 29

Fredrick Love (D)

District 30

Fred Allen (D)

District 31

Keith Brooks (R)

District 32

Ashley Hudson (D)

District 33

Tippi McCullough (D)

District 34

Joy Springer (D)

District 35

Andrew Collins (D)

District 36

Denise Ennett (D)

District 37

Jamie Scott (D)

District 38

Carlton Wing (R)

District 39

Mark Lowery (R)

District 40

David Ray (R)

District 41

Karilyn Brown (R)

District 42

Mark Perry (D)

District 43

Brian Evans (R)

District 44

Cameron Cooper (R)

District 45

Jim Wooten (R)

District 46

Les Eaves (R)

District 47

Craig Christiansen (R)

District 48

Reginald Murdock (D)

District 49

Steve Hollowell (R)

District 50

Milton Nicks (D)

District 51

Deborah Ferguson (D)

District 52

Dwight Tosh (R)

District 53

Jon Milligan (R)

District 54

Johnny Rye (R)

District 55

Monte Hodges (D)

District 56

Joe Jett (R)

District 57

Jimmy Gazaway (R)

District 58

Brandt Smith (R)

District 59

Jack Ladyman (R)

District 60

Frances Cavenaugh (R)

District 61

Marsh Davis (R)

District 62

Michelle Gray (R)

District 63

Stu Smith (R)

District 64

John Payton (R)

District 65

Rick Beck (R)

District 66

Josh Miller (R)

District 67

Stephen Meeks (R)

District 68

Stan Berry (R)

District 69

Aaron Pilkington (R)

District 70

Spencer Hawks (R)

District 71

Joe Cloud (R)

District 72

Steve Magie (D)

District 73

Mary Bentley (R)

District 74

Jon Eubanks (R)

District 75

Lee Johnson (R)

District 76

Cindy Crawford (R)

District 77

Justin Boyd (R)

District 78

Jay Richardson (D)

District 79

Gary Deffenbaugh (R)

District 80

Charlene Fite (R)

District 81

Bruce Coleman (R)

District 82

Mark Berry (R)

District 83

Keith Slape (R)

District 84

Denise Garner (D)

District 85

David Whitaker (D)

District 86

Nicole Clowney (D)

District 87

Robin Lundstrum (R)

District 88

Clint Penzo (R)

District 89

Megan Godfrey (D)

District 90

Kendon Underwood (R)

District 91

Delia Haak (R)

District 92

Gayla McKenzie (R)

District 93

Jim Dotson (R)

District 94

John Carr (R)

District 95

Austin McCollum (R)

District 96

Joshua Bryant (R)

District 97

Harlan Breaux (R)

District 98

Ron McNair (R)

District 99

Jack Fortner (R)

District 100

Nelda Speaks (R)

Republican Party (78)

Democratic Party (22)

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