Arkansas Primary Election (verify date at your state's Secretary of State website)
Monday, June 1, 2026 · Election has passed
U.S. House, Governor, statewide offices
What’s being decided
A primary election determines which candidates advance to the November general election. Voters in each party select their nominee, and the winners face each other in the fall.
Arkansas holds an open primary — any registered voter may participate, regardless of party affiliation.
Candidates
U.S. Senate
Republican · Incumbent since 2015
Tom Cotton has represented Arkansas in the U.S. Senate since 2015. An Army infantry officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, he graduated from Harvard Law School before his military service. He sits on the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services Committees and is known for a hawkish foreign policy and a hard line on immigration.
Governor
Republican · Incumbent since 2023
Sarah Huckabee Sanders has served as Governor of Arkansas since January 2023, making her the first woman elected governor of the state. The daughter of former Arkansas Governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, she served as White House Press Secretary under President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019. She won the 2022 governor's race by a wide margin and is running for re-election in 2026.
Democratic
Fredrick Love is the 2026 Democratic nominee for Governor of Arkansas, having won the March primary. He serves as a state senator from Little Rock, representing a district in Pulaski County. He is a businessman and community advocate who has focused his legislative work on economic opportunity, education, and criminal justice reform. He faces significant headwinds in a state that voted for Republicans by large margins in recent statewide elections.
Voter information
Registration deadline
October 4, 2026 (30 days before the November 3 general)
Source: Arkansas Secretary of State