Jacksonville, Arkansas sample ballot 2026

Wendell Griffen is a retired circuit court judge and pastor, age 73, per the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. His campaign site describes a background in law, theology, and activism. He has proposed a 12-month moratorium on new data center approvals and stricter permitting requirements for large data centers, per the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and KATV.

Michael Rushin is a real estate broker, age 53, who owns his own firm offering property management services, per the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. No campaign website was found as of September 9, 2026.

Eric Higgins is a 35-year veteran of law enforcement who previously served as Assistant Chief of Police with the Little Rock Police Department before being elected Pulaski County Sheriff in 2018, per Arkansas Times. He holds degrees from Liberty University in government/business and executive leadership/counseling, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of September 9, 2026.

Tom Cotton is Arkansas's incumbent U.S. senator and the Republican nominee for re-election in 2026. He is a sixth-generation Arkansan and an Army combat veteran who has served in the U.S. Senate since 2015, per the campaign site.

Hallie Shoffner is a sixth-generation farmer and small-business owner running for U.S. Senate in Arkansas, per the campaign site. She grew up on a soybean and rice farm outside Newport, earned a full-ride scholarship to Vanderbilt University and operated the family farm for nine years, per the campaign site.

Jeff Wadlin is the Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate in Arkansas on the November 3, 2026 ballot, per the Arkansas Secretary of State's 2026 candidate list. He studied aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Virginia, earned an MBA from Northwestern, worked at Caterpillar and Capital One, co-founded an online auto-parts salvage company, ran membership nationwide at Sam's Club and now runs a consulting business from Bentonville, per the campaign site.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is Arkansas's incumbent governor and Republican nominee for re-election in 2026. Her record and campaign emphasize income-tax cuts, education changes, workforce development, public safety, and conservative executive leadership.

Fredrick Love is Arkansas's Democratic nominee for governor and a state senator from Little Rock. His campaign emphasizes inclusive economic development, small-business support, infrastructure, education-to-workforce alignment, and investment across Arkansas communities.

Colt Shelby is the Libertarian nominee for Arkansas governor and a farmer. His campaign offers a limited-government alternative focused on individual liberty, local control, and reducing state interference.

Leslie Rutledge is Arkansas's incumbent lieutenant governor and a candidate for re-election on the November 3 ballot. She previously served two terms as Arkansas attorney general.

Kalagias lives outside Rogers, has been a Benton County resident for 23 years and served in the U.S. Navy from 1992 to 1997, per the campaign site. Kalagias holds a bachelor's degree from Wayland Baptist University, worked as a public school teacher, substitute teacher and school security from 1998 to 2018, and has served as a volunteer firefighter, per the campaign site.

Kim Hammer is a candidate for Arkansas secretary of state on the November 3 ballot, a Republican state senator from Benton.

Kelly Grappe is running for Arkansas Secretary of State. She spent nearly 25 years with Alltel and Verizon in operations and team leadership roles, per her campaign site. She currently leads Learning & Development for a Little Rock-based dental organization and has owned a small business and farm in rural Arkansas with her husband, per her campaign site.

Michael Pakko is an economist who has served on the Governor's Council of Economic Advisors and is a frequent commentator on the Arkansas economy, according to his campaign site. He has served as State Chair of the Libertarian Party of Arkansas for the past decade. Pakko is the Libertarian nominee for Arkansas Secretary of State, chosen at the party's February 2026 convention, in the November 3, 2026 general election.

Dennis Milligan is currently serving as Auditor of State of Arkansas, first elected in 2022, per his campaign site. He previously served as Saline County Circuit Clerk from 2011 to 2015 and two terms as Treasurer of State, per the campaign site. Before entering public service, he owned and operated a small business for 38 years, expanding it into 17 states, per the campaign site.

John Thurston is Arkansas's incumbent treasurer, the only candidate on the November 3 ballot. He previously served as secretary of state and commissioner of state lands. No campaign website was found as of September 12, 2026.