2026 U.S. Senate election in Arkansas
Voters in Arkansas will elect one member to the U.S. Senate in the general election on November 3, 2026. The seat is currently held by Republican Tom Cotton, who first took office in 2015 and is seeking another term. Arkansas is a strongly Republican state, so the race is expected to favor the GOP, but the contest still matters because it will determine who represents the state in the Senate and help shape the chamber’s partisan balance. The general election is likely to feature Cotton against the Democratic nominee, with the outcome reflecting both Cotton’s incumbency and the state’s partisan lean.
Candidates
Tom Cotton
Tom Cotton is the incumbent U.S. senator from Arkansas and has served since 2015. According to his Senate biography, he grew up on a cattle farm in Yell County, graduated from Harvard and Harvard Law School, served nearly five years as an Army infantry officer with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and later served one term in the U.S. House before returning to the Senate.
Hallie Shoffner is a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Arkansas and a sixth-generation farmer from Newport. Her campaign says she previously operated her family farm and has worked in conservation, food systems, and public service, and she is running on an Arkansas-focused message centered on working families, farmers, and rural communities.
Jeff Wadlin is the Libertarian nominee for U.S. Senate in Arkansas and is on the general-election ballot in November 2026. Ballotpedia says he advanced from the Libertarian Party convention on February 22, 2026.
Data Analysis Information
Data compiled from public sources and analyzed using AI. Last updated 4/6/2026. Visit candidate websites for the most current information.