By Steve Brawner, © 2018 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

There’s not much of a question who the next governor of Arkansas will be after Tuesday’s election: It will be Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Nor is there doubt about the winners of most of the other major races: Anyone with an “R” beside their name.

But many questions do remain. Let’s ask some of them, and then guess what the answers will be.

– Will the Democrats take the Hill, or will their candidate Tucker out? If Democrats are going to win any big races, it’s the 2nd Congressional District, where state Rep. Clarke Tucker, D-Little Rock, had raised almost $2 million as of Oct. 17 in his bid to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark.

The race is potentially competitive because of the district’s composition – Democratic-leaning Little Rock surrounded by Republican-leaning counties – but the numbers favor Republicans.

Tucker has made a race of it, but a poll conducted Oct. 17-18 by Talk Business & Politics and Hendrix College gave Hill a 12-point lead, 51.5 percent to 39.5 percent. That was three points better than his nine-point lead in early September.

My guess: Hill wins, and it won’t be particularly close.

– Who will win the state’s most interesting race – for Little Rock mayor? Even if you live in one of the state’s four corners, Little Rock matters because it’s the capital and largest city. Unfortunately, it has some ongoing challenges, including crime, a state takeover of its schools, and a general lack of positive momentum.

Three excellent candidates are vying to be mayor: lawyer and businessman Baker Kurrus; state Rep. Warwick Sabin, D-Little Rock; and banker and former Highway Commissioner Frank Scott. There are good reasons to vote for all three of them.

My guess? There will be a runoff. That’s the best I’ve got for you.

– Will voters approve Issue 4, the casino amendment? The amendment would authorize four casinos: at Oaklawn and Southland, which already have casino-like operations featuring “electronic games of skill,” and in Jefferson and Pope Counties.

Supporters have raised millions of dollars from Native American gaming operators and Southland, while Oaklawn has not publicly taken a position. In the past, the two entities have opposed other initiatives that would have cut into their business, and those initiatives failed either in the courts or the ballot box. This time, they’ll get a big piece of the pie.

A Talk Business & Politics and Hendrix College poll taken Oct. 18-19 found public opinion running in favor, 49-43. In September, it was trailing, 41-48. Supporters are spending a lot of money in the closing days of the campaign. Opponents never had any.

My guess? Gamblers soon will be playing with real cards at Oaklawn and Southland.

– When will Republicans hold a majority of the state’s elected offices? Republicans dominate Arkansas politics at the congressional and state levels, but Democrats still control almost three-fifths of the elected offices statewide because they dominate at the county level. Those offices are held by long-time occupants who aren’t term-limited, but eventually turnover will occur. As of March, if Republicans gain 143 partisan offices, they would have an overall majority.

My guess? If it doesn’t happen this year, it will in 2020.

– Will Arkansas’ congressional delegation be in the minority when it returns to Washington in January? Traditionally, the president’s party suffers losses in midterm elections, sometimes huge ones, because the other party’s voters are more motivated. But everybody’s riled up this year.

Also the numbers favor the Republicans. In the Senate, Democrats and their allies control 26 of the 35 seats up for grabs, and 10 of those states were won by Trump in 2016. That means they’re playing a lot of defense. In the House, on the other hand, Democrats would need to gain 24 seats.

My guess? Arkansas Sens. Tom Cotton and John Boozman will enjoy a larger Senate Republican majority in January than they do now. Arkansas’ four House members, on the other hand, will be saying hello to Speaker Nancy Pelosi. And with a split Congress, we’ll all be seeing a lot of partisan gridlock these next two years.

All these questions will be answered Tuesday night, or at least by Wednesday morning.

Then a new set of questions will be asked. When the 2018 midterms end, the 2020 presidential election begins.

How will that turn out? Your guess is as good as mine.