Arkansas held its general election on November 5, 2024, deciding 118 legislative seats and the office of Treasurer, including 1 special election. No chamber changed party control.
Highlights
- Republicans kept their supermajorities intact, but Democrats gained one House seat, 82-18 to 81-19, in Springdale's House District 9, the state's only majority-Latino district, where Diana Gonzales Worthen (D) beat freshman Rep. DeAnna Hodges (R) by about 470 votes in a rematch of the 2022 race Hodges had won by 109. Gonzales Worthen becomes the first Latina to serve in the Legislature.
- Issue 1, letting lottery proceeds fund vocational and technical scholarships, passed with 89.6 percent, the highest share for any Arkansas ballot issue since 1938. Issue 2 passed 56-44 after a campaign in which the two sides spent more than $27 million between them; it repeals the Pope County casino license and requires a countywide vote before any new casino. Pope County itself voted against the repeal, and the license holder, Cherokee Nation Entertainment, sued in federal court within three days of the vote.
- Democrats also held two open seats in the Arkansas Delta by narrow margins, Jessie McGruder (D) winning House District 35 by about 120 votes and Lincoln Barnett (D) winning House District 63 by about 740, and Rep. Carlton Wing (R) survived by about two points in Sherwood's House District 70, the closest call for any Republican incumbent. Separately, the office that runs the 2026 elections will change hands by appointment: Secretary of State John Thurston (R) won a special election for treasurer, 65-30 over John Pagan (D), and Gov. Sarah Sanders appointed her deputy chief legal counsel Cole Jester to succeed him. Across the 118 legislative races, 1 seat changed parties, 1 incumbent was defeated, 2 races finished inside two points, and 58 seats drew a single candidate.
Legislature
- House (100 seats): 18 D, 82 R before the election, 20 D, 80 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
- Senate (35 seats): 6 D, 29 R before the election, 6 D, 28 R, 1 other or vacant after; control stayed with Republicans.
Statewide races
Legislative races
Ballot measures
| Measure | Description | Result |
|---|
| Issue 1 | Allow state lottery proceeds to fund scholarships and grants for vocational-technical schools and technical institutes. This legislatively referred constitutional amendment was placed on the Arkansas 2024 ballot. Voters approved it with 90.0% voting yes. | Passed (90% yes) |
| Issue 2 | Repeal the authorization for a casino license in Pope County and require countywide voter approval for any new casino licenses. This citizen-initiated measure was placed on the Arkansas 2024 ballot. Voters approved it with 56.0% voting yes. | Passed (56% yes) |