Nine Arkansas state legislative incumbents face primary contests this year, the fewest since eight incumbents ran in contested 2014 primaries.
All nine of the contested incumbents are Republicans. Three are state senators and six are state representatives. This is the first year without any Democratic incumbents in contested primaries in the state since Ballotpedia began tracking this data in 2010.
Arkansas has 28 contested state legislative primaries this year, up 17% from 2024.
Of these, there are seven for Democrats and 21 for Republicans. For Democrats, this is down from 10 in 2024, a 30% decrease. Contested Republican primaries are up 50% from 14 in 2024.
Sixteen states, including Arkansas, use term limits for state legislators. Five Arkansas state senators and seven Arkansas state representatives are term-limited this cycle.
In total, 194 major party candidates filed to run. Sixty-four are Democrats and 130 are Republicans. All 100 House seats and 17 of 35 Senate seats are up for election.
Twenty-four seats are open, meaning no incumbents filed. This means newcomers will make up at least 18% of the legislature next year. The average number of open seats each cycle from 2010 to 2024 was 28.
Arkansas has had a Republican trifecta since 2015. Republicans currently have an 80-19 majority in the House, with one vacancy, and a 28-6 majority in the Senate, also with one vacancy.
Arkansas' state legislative primaries are scheduled for March 3.
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