Arkansas › Lonoke County › Lonoke County Sheriff
2 candidates are tracked for Lonoke County Sheriff on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Aaron Spencer and Larry Behnke. Candidate information follows official Lonoke County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Republican Aaron Spencer won a three-way primary with 5,430 votes (53.53%) over incumbent John Staley (26.53%) and David Bufford (19.94%), per the Lonoke County Election Commission's official canvass. Democratic nominee Brian Mitchell Sr. withdrew from the race on July 16, 2026, citing health issues and a newborn child, and will not appear on the ballot, per KARK; the November race is Spencer versus independent Larry Behnke.
Republican
Spencer is an Airborne veteran who has lived in Lonoke County for 20 years with his wife and two children, per his campaign site. He won the Republican primary in sheriff.
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-09-09.
Campaign site →Independent
Behnke is a retired North Little Rock-area police officer with nearly three decades of law enforcement service, including patrol, SWAT and training roles, per his campaign site. He also served on a 2002-2003 international police mission to Kosovo and as a U.S. State Department security contractor in Baghdad in 2004-2005.
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-09-09.
Campaign site →