2026 Arkansas gubernatorial election


The 2026 Arkansas gubernatorial election will take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Arkansas. The primary elections will take place on March 3, 2026, and in races where no candidate receives over 50% in a primary, runoff elections will take place on March 31, 2026. Incumbent Republican governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders is seeking re-election to a second term.

Background

Arkansas has transformed into a deeply red state in the 21st century, with Republicans winning Arkansas in every presidential election since 2000 and occupying all of its statewide offices, including the governorship, since 2015. The party also hold supermajorities in both houses of the Arkansas General Assembly and its entire congressional delegation. The most recent Democratic governor of Arkansas is Mike Beebe, who was comfortably elected in 2006 and 2010. In 2022, Sanders was elected governor of Arkansas by a margin of 27.7%, becoming the first woman to hold the position.

Republican primary

Candidates

Presumptive nominee

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared