2018 Arkansas gubernatorial election explained

Election Name:	2018 Arkansas gubernatorial election
Country:	Arkansas
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2014 Arkansas gubernatorial election
Previous Year:	2014
Next Election:	2022 Arkansas gubernatorial election
Next Year:	2022
Image1:	File:Asa Hutchinson crop (3x4b).jpg
Nominee1:	Asa Hutchinson
Party1:	Republican Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:	582,406
Percentage1:	65.33%
Nominee2:	Jared Henderson
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote2:	283,218
Percentage2:	31.77%
Map:	Hutchinson: Henderson: Tie:
Governor
Before Election:	Asa Hutchinson
Before Party:	Republican Party (United States)
After Election:	Asa Hutchinson
After Party:	Republican Party (United States)

The 2018 Arkansas gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 2018, to elect the Governor of Arkansas, concurrently with elections to the United States Senate in other states, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson won re-election to a second term, winning by more than 33 percentage points and carrying all but seven counties, marking the largest winning margin of any Republican gubernatorial candidate in Arkansas history.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

• Asa Hutchinson, incumbent governor^{[1] [2]}
• Jan Morgan, gun range owner^{[3] [4]}

Declined

• Tim Griffin, lieutenant governor and former U.S. Representative (running for re-election)^{[5] [6]}
• Leslie Rutledge, attorney general (running for re-election)^[1]
• John Thurston, land commissioner (running for Secretary of State)^[1]

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Jared Henderson, former Arkansas executive director of Teach For America^[7]
• Leticia Sanders, hairdresser^[8]

Declined

• Keith Ingram, Minority Leader of the Arkansas Senate^[1]
• Jay Martin, former Majority Leader of the Arkansas House of Representatives^{[9] [10]}
• Kevin Smith, Mayor of Helena-West Helena, Arkansas and former Majority Whip of the Arkansas Senate. Former Democratic candidate in 1996 United States Senate election in Arkansas.

Results

Independents

Candidates

Declined

• Bobby Bones, radio host^{[11] [12]}

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Declared

• Mark West (Libertarian), pastor and nominee for AR-01 in 2016^{[13] [14]}

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[15]		October 26, 2018
The Washington Post^[16]		November 5, 2018
FiveThirtyEight^[17]		November 5, 2018
Rothenberg Political Report^[18]		November 1, 2018
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[19]		November 5, 2018
RealClearPolitics^[20]		November 4, 2018
Daily Kos^[21]		November 5, 2018
Fox News^[22]		November 5, 2018
Politico^[23]		November 5, 2018
Governing^[24]		November 5, 2018

Debates

Dates	Location	Hutchinson	Henderson	West	Link
September 12, 2018	Little Rock, Arkansas	Didn't participate	Participant	Participant	align=left	Full debate - YouTube
October 12, 2018	Conway, Arkansas	Participant	Participant	Participant	align=left	Full debate - C-SPAN

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Asa	Jared Henderson (D)	Mark West (L)	Other	Undecided
University of Arkansas	October 1–28, 2018	618	± 3.9%	align=center	59%	35%	–	6%	–
Hendrix College	October 18–19, 2018	528	± 4.3%	align=center	60%	24%	5%	–	11%
Hendrix College	September 5–7, 2018	1,701	± 2.4%	align=center	60%	25%	6%	–	9%
Mason-Dixon	March 21–24, 2018	625	± 4.0%	align=center	63%	24%	–	–	13%

Results

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Ashley (Largest city: Crossett)
• Bradley (largest city: Warren)
• Clark (largest city: Arkadelphia)
• Dallas (Largest city: Fordyce)
• Desha (largest city: Dumas)
• Drew (Largest city: Monticello)
• Jackson (largest city: Newport)
• Lafayette (Largest city: Stamps)
• Lincoln (largest city: Star City)
• Little River (largest city: Ashdown)
• Mississippi (largest city: Osceola)
• Monroe (largest city: Clarendon)
• Nevada (Largest city: Prescott)
• Ouachita (Largest city: Camden)
• Pike (Largest city: Glenwood)
• Woodruff (largest city: Augusta)

By congressional district

Hutchinson won all 4 congressional districts.^[25]

District	Hutchinson	Henderson	Representative
		69%	27%		Rick Crawford
		59%	39%		French Hill
		66%	31%		Steve Womack
		69%	28%		Bruce Westerman

See also

• 2018 Arkansas elections

External links

• • Candidates at Vote Smart Candidates at Ballotpedia

Official campaign websites

• Jared Henderson (D) for Governor
• Asa Hutchinson (R) for Governor
• Mark West (L) for Governor

Notes and References

1. Web site: Arkansas governor to hold fundraiser for term 2; re-election bid not yet formally announced. Wickline, Michael R.. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. January 3, 2017. January 3, 2017.
2. Web site: Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson to pursue second term. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Wickline. Michael R.. May 17, 2017. May 18, 2017.
3. Web site: Gov. Hutchinson May Have a GOP Challenger. KNWA-TV. Lanning. Curt. October 3, 2017. October 5, 2017.
4. Republican Jan Morgan Announces Run for Arkansas Governor. U.S. News & World Report. January 1, 2018. January 3, 2018.
5. Web site: Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin "opposes Obamacare" (duh), dodges questions on "Arkansas Works". Arkansas Times. Ramsey. David. April 18, 2016. July 13, 2016.
6. Web site: Lt. Gov. Griffin says he's seeking re-election. Log Cabin Democrat. DeMillo. Andrew. July 11, 2016. July 13, 2016.
7. Web site: Jared Henderson to run as Democratic candidate for Governor. Talk Business & Politics. Brock. Roby. December 12, 2017. December 12, 2017.
8. Web site: Meet Jan Morgan, GOP Candidate For Arkansas Governor. KFSM. March 27, 2018. April 8, 2018.
9. Web site: Former State Rep. Jay Martin eyeing run for governor on Democratic ticket. Talk Business & Politics. Brock. Roby. November 28, 2017. November 29, 2017.
10. Web site: Martin says time is not right to run for Arkansas governor's office. Talk Business & Politics. December 1, 2017. December 12, 2017.
11. Web site: Radio host Bobby Bones considering run for Ark. governor. THV11 Digital, KTHV. January 3, 2017. January 3, 2017. January 4, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170104143856/http://www.thv11.com/news/local/radio-host-bobby-bones-considering-run-for-ark-governor/381672756. dead.
12. Web site: Bobby Makes Official Statement On Political Plans. The Bobby Bones Show. Taha. Nada. March 14, 2017. May 18, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170320165846/http://bobbybones.iheart.com/onair/bobby-bones-2072/bobby-makes-official-statement-on-political-15643564/. March 20, 2017. dead.
13. Web site: Libertarian to run for governor's post. Wickline, Michael R.. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. June 28, 2017. June 28, 2017.
14. Web site: Libertarian Party Candidate Announces Run for AR Governor. Lampe, Ellen. ArkansasMatters.com. June 27, 2017. June 28, 2017.
15. Web site: 2018 Governor Race Ratings for October 26, 2018. The Cook Political Report. en. April 10, 2021.
16. News: The Washington Post's gubernatorial race ratings. The Washington Post. October 16, 2018.
17. Web site: 2018 Governor Forecast FiveThirtyEight. FiveThirtyEight. October 17, 2018 . en. October 17, 2018.
18. Web site: 2018 Gubernatorial Ratings Inside Elections. insideelections.com. en. November 15, 2017.
19. Web site: Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball » 2018 Governor. www.centerforpolitics.org. en-US. November 15, 2017.
20. Web site: 2018 Governor Races. RealClearPolitics. October 9, 2018.
21. Web site: 2018 Governor Race Ratings. Daily Kos. June 5, 2018.
22. Web site: 2018 Midterm Power Ranking. Fox News. August 2, 2023 .
23. Web site: Politico Race Ratings. Politico.
24. Web site: 2018 Governor Elections: As November Nears, More Governors' Races Become Tossups . www.governing.com . en . July 18, 2018 . October 21, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181021005343/http://www.governing.com/topics/politics/gov-governors-races-july-ratings.html . dead .
25. Web site: DRA 2020 . 2024-08-19 . Daves Redistricting.