Republican Party of Arkansas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Republican Party of Arkansas
Abbreviation	RPA
Chairman	Joseph K. Wood
Governor	Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Lieutenant Governor	Leslie Rutledge
Senate President pro tempore	Bart Hester
House Speaker	Matthew Shepherd
Founded	April 2, 1867 (158 years ago) (1867-04-02)
Headquarters	1201 West 6th Street, Little Rock, Arkansas
Membership (June 2021)	117,277
Ideology	Conservatism
National affiliation	Republican Party
State House	82 / 100
State Senate	29 / 35
Statewide Executive Offices	7 / 7
U.S. House of Representatives	4 / 4
U.S. Senate	2 / 2
Election symbol
Politics of Arkansas

The Republican Party of Arkansas (RPA) is the main branch of the Republican Party in Arkansas. Its main office is in Little Rock. This party is very strong in Arkansas today. It holds all four of Arkansas' seats in the U.S. House. It also holds both U.S. Senate seats. Republicans also lead all major state offices, including the governor. They have a large majority in both parts of the state's law-making body, the legislature.

The Republican Party of Arkansas started on April 2, 1867. It was formed by important leaders who supported the Union during the Civil War. Powell Clayton was a key leader during the time after the Civil War, known as Reconstruction (1864–1874). The current leader of the party is Joseph K. Wood.

The History of the Republican Party in Arkansas

Powell Clayton, the 9th Governor of Arkansas (1868–1871) and the first Republican to hold this job.

The Republican Party is also called the GOP, which stands for "Grand Old Party." It is the second oldest political party in the United States. Its main rival is the Democratic Party. Both parties are active in all fifty states.

For a long time, the Republican Party was not as strong as the Democratic Party in states that were part of the old Confederacy. This included Arkansas.

The Arkansas Republican Party hired its first full-time manager in 1970. This was Neal Sox Johnson, a businessman from Nashville, Arkansas. He worked during the last year of Winthrop Rockefeller's time as governor of Arkansas. Johnson left his job in 1973 to work in Washington, D.C.

Between 2010 and 2014, the Republican Party in Arkansas became much stronger. They won all four U.S. House seats and both U.S. Senate seats. They also won all statewide offices. Republicans gained a large majority in both parts of the General Assembly.

Groups Connected to the Republican Party

The Republican Party of Arkansas works with several groups. These groups help connect with different people across the state.

Some of these groups include:

• Arkansas Diversity Alliances Coalition
• African American Coalition of Arkansas
• Arkansas African American Trailblazers
• Arkansas Federation of College Republicans (for college students)
• Arkansas Federation of Young Republicans (for young adults)
• Arkansas Federation of Republican Women (for women)
• Arkansas Federation of Teenage Republicans (for teenagers)

The Tusk Club is another important group that supports the Arkansas Republican Party.

Republican Governors of Arkansas

As of 2023, eight Republican governors have led Arkansas. Here is a list of them:

#	Governor	Photo	County	Start date	End date	Time in office
9	Clayton, PowellPowell Clayton (1833–1914)		Jefferson	July 2, 1868	March 17, 1871	2 years, 258 days
—	Hadley, Ozra AmanderOzra Amander Hadley (1826–1915)		Pulaski	March 17, 1871	January 6, 1873	1 year, 295 days
10	Baxter, ElishaElisha Baxter (1827–1899)		Independence	January 6, 1873	November 12, 1874	1 year, 310 days
37	Rockefeller, WinthropWinthrop Rockefeller (1912–1973)		Conway	January 10, 1967	January 12, 1971	4 years, 2 days
41	White, Frank D.Frank D. White (1933–2003)		Pulaski	January 19, 1981	January 11, 1983	1 year, 357 days
44	Huckabee, MikeMike Huckabee (born 1955)		Hempstead	July 15, 1996	January 9, 2007	10 years, 359 days
46	Hutchinson, AsaAsa Hutchinson (born 1950)		Benton	January 13, 2015	January 10, 2023	7 years, 362 days
47	Huckabee Sanders, SarahSarah Huckabee Sanders (born 1982)		Hempstead	January 10, 2023	Incumbent	2 years, 195 days

Current Republican Leaders in Arkansas

The Republican Party in Arkansas holds many important elected positions. They control all seven of the state's main executive offices. Republicans also hold both of Arkansas' seats in the U.S. Senate. All four of the state's U.S. House seats are also held by Republicans.

Republicans in the U.S. Congress

U.S. Senators from Arkansas

Republicans have held both of Arkansas' seats in the U.S. Senate since 2015.

• 

  Junior U.S. Senator Cotton, TomTom Cotton

• 

  Senior U.S. Senator Boozman, JohnJohn Boozman

U.S. Representatives from Arkansas

Arkansas has four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. All four of these seats are currently held by Republicans.

District	Member	Photo
1st	Crawford, RickRick Crawford
2nd	Hill, FrenchFrench Hill
3rd	Womack, SteveSteve Womack
4th	Westerman, BruceBruce Westerman

Statewide Elected Officials

Republicans hold all seven of the top elected offices in Arkansas. These are important jobs that help run the state government.

• 

  Lieutenant Governor Rutledge, LeslieLeslie Rutledge

• 

  Attorney General Griffin, TimTim Griffin

• Secretary of State: John Thurston
• State Auditor: Dennis Milligan
• State Treasurer: Larry Walther
• Commissioner of State Lands: Tommy Land

State Legislative Leaders

These are the Republican leaders in Arkansas' state legislature:

• Senate President Pro Tempore: Bart Hester
  • Senate Majority Leader: Blake Johnson
• Speaker of the House: Matthew Shepherd
  • Speaker Pro Tempore: Jon Eubanks
  • House Majority Leader: Marcus Richmond

Leaders of the Republican Party of Arkansas

This is a list of the chairmen, or leaders, of the Republican Party of Arkansas over the years:

See also

• Democratic Party of Arkansas
• Political party strength in Arkansas