There is a lot to cover as we review Tuesday’s primary elections. We’ll start with what happened with Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and three Republican state Senate races.

Sanders’ political action committee, Team SHS PAC, donated $7,000 each to two candidates who challenged Senate incumbents who had voted against her planned 3,000-bed Franklin County prison. 

The incumbents nevertheless won easily. In District 28, Sen. Bryan King, R-Green Forest, defeated Bobby Ballinger with 60% of the vote. Meanwhile in District 10, Sen. Ronald Caldwell, R-Wynne, won with 70% over challenger Trey Bohannan.

Caldwell is seeking to be the next Senate president pro tempore when senators vote in the next couple of months.

Sen. Blake Johnson, R-Corning, the Senate majority leader and a “yes” vote on the prison, also planned to seek the seat. But, despite having Sanders’ support and her PAC’s $7,000, he lost in his District 21 race with Rep. Jeremy Wooldridge, R-Marmaduke. Wooldridge tallied 62% of the vote. 

Meanwhile, a candidate Sanders supported, Republican Brad Simon, won 69% of the vote in his special election race with independent Adam Watson in District 26. Neither Simon’s victory nor Sanders’ support were surprising, given that he is a Republican.

Simon immediately takes office to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Gary Stubblefield. The late senator was a staunch prison opponent, and Simon pledged during his campaign to oppose it as well. 

Bottom line: It was not Sanders’ best night. Republican lawmakers who want to oppose her occasionally, or more than occasionally, now know they can overcome her active opposition in the next campaign. Moreover, the prison moved no closer to being a reality. 

At the same time, she’s still governor. She did not have an opponent in her own primary race and is a lock to win in November. She will face Democrat Fred Love, who won his primary with 81% of the vote, and Libertarian Colt Shelby. Also, her preferred Supreme Court candidate, current Justice Nick Bronni, and her choice for land commissioner, Secretary of State Cole Jester, both won their races, as did other legislative candidates she supported.

In other words, it was hardly the end of her governorship.

Meanwhile, in the state House, Democrats picked up a seat in a District 70 special election, where Democrat Alex Holladay defeated Republican Bo Renshaw. Holladay fills the seat left vacant by former Rep. Carlton Wing’s departure to direct the state’s public television station. Holladay and Renshaw will have a rematch in November for the next term.

For Democrats, Holladay’s 57% was an encouraging victory in one of the state’s closet swing districts. It was also the second straight election where the party picked up a House seat after a sharp decline the past couple of decades. 

Democrats now occupy 20 of the House’s 100 seats. Their short-term goal would be 26. They could then block spending bills, which require 75% support.

Meanwhile, Democratic primary voters also decisively chose their highest-profile federal candidates to advance to November. Hallie Shoffner and Chris Jones easily won their races for U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives.

Waiting for them in November are Sen. Tom Cotton and Rep. French Hill, who also easily won their races. Cotton and Hill will be heavy favorites. Libertarian Jeff Wadlin is also running for the U.S. Senate.

Elsewhere on the ballot, the Republican nominee for secretary of state, the official in charge of elections, will be chosen by a fraction of the state’s voters in a runoff March 31. Bryan Norris and state Sen. Kim Hammer, R-Benton, placed first and second in the close three-way race with Miller County Judge Cathy Hardin Harrison. 

The winner between Norris and Hammer faces Democrat Kelly Grappe and Libertarian Michael Pakko in November.

Voter turnout overall was a little less than 24%, including both the Republican and Democratic primaries. According to the secretary of state’s office, 266,449 Arkansans cast a ballot in the secretary of state Republican primary. 

The relatively low-profile office will be the runoff’s only statewide race. That means the winner will be determined by what few Arkansans show up to vote. 

Hammer’s home Saline County will have a competitive sheriff’s race on the ballot. I’m not saying he’ll win, but that kind of thing can drive turnout and decide a runoff. 

Again, for all of us, it’s March 31. 

© 2026 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

Steve Brawner’s column is syndicated to 21 outlets in Arkansas. Email him at brawnersteve@mac.com.