A special general election was held for Arkansas State Senate District 7 on Feb. 8. Colby Fulfer (R) won the special election with 2,032 votes and defeated Lisa Parks (D), who received 1,998 votes. The Republican primary runoff was held on Jan. 11. The filing deadline passed on Nov. 22.
The special election was called after Lance Eads (R) left office to accept a position with Capitol Consulting Firm on Oct. 28. Eads served from 2017 to 2021.
As of February, 36 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2022 in 17 states. Between 2011 and 2021, an average of 74 special elections took place each year. Arkansas held 15 special elections from 2010 to 2021.
Entering the special election, the Arkansas State Senate had seven Democrats, 26 Republicans, one independent, and one vacancy. A majority in the chamber requires 18 seats. Arkansas has a Republican trifecta. A state government trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and both state legislative chambers.
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