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 branch of the national Republican Party in Arkansas. Its main office is in Little Rock.

The RPA is currently the most powerful political party in Arkansas. It holds all four of Arkansas' seats in the U.S. House, both U.S. Senate seats, and all top statewide jobs, including the governor. The party also has a large majority in both parts of the state's law-making body, the state legislature.

The Republican Party of Arkansas started on April 2, 1867. It was founded by important leaders who supported the Union during the American Civil War. Under Powell Clayton, the party was very important in Arkansas politics during the Reconstruction period (1864–1874). The current chairman of the party is Joseph K. Wood.

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, also known as the GOP (Grand Old Party), is one of the two oldest major political parties in the United States. The other is the Democratic Party. Both parties have branches in all fifty states.

For a long time, before the late 1900s, the Republican Party was not as strong as the Democratic Party in states that were once part of the Confederacy, like Arkansas.

The Arkansas Republican Party hired its first paid leader in 1970. His name was Neal Sox Johnson. He worked for the party during the last year of Winthrop Rockefeller's time as governor of Arkansas.

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

Groups Connected to the Party

The Republican Party of Arkansas has several groups that work with it. These groups help different people get involved in the party.

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 part of the Arkansas Republican Party.

Republican Governors of Arkansas

As of 2023, eight Republican governors have led Arkansas. A governor is the leader of a state government.

#	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, 217 days

Current Elected Officials

The Arkansas Republican Party holds all seven of the state's top elected offices. Republicans also hold both of Arkansas's seats in the U.S. Senate and all four of the state's U.S. House seats.

Members of Congress

U.S. Senators from Arkansas

Republicans have held both of Arkansas's seats in the U.S. Senate since 2015. U.S. Senators represent their entire state in the national government.

• 

  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 held by Republicans. U.S. Representatives serve specific areas (districts) within the state.

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

Statewide Office Holders

Republicans hold all seven of the elected statewide constitutional offices in Arkansas. These officials manage different parts of the state government.

• 

  Lieutenant Governor Rutledge, LeslieLeslie Rutledge

• 

  Attorney General Griffin, TimTim Griffin

• Secretary of State: Cole Jester
• State Auditor: Dennis Milligan
• State Treasurer: John Thurston
• Commissioner of State Lands: Tommy Land

State Legislative Leaders

These leaders help guide the work in the 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

List of Party Chairmen

This is a list of people who have served as the chairman of the Republican Party of Arkansas:

Gubernatorial Election Results

This table shows how the Republican Party's candidates have done in elections for governor of Arkansas.

Arkansas Republican Party gubernatorial election results

Election	Gubernatorial candidate	Votes	Vote %	Result
1994	Sheffield Nelson	287,904	40.16%	Lost
1998	Mike Huckabee	421,989	59.77%	Won Y
2002	Mike Huckabee	427,082	53.02%	Won Y
2006	Asa Hutchinson	315,040	40.67%	Lost
2010	Jim Keet	262,784	33.63%	Lost
2014	Asa Hutchinson	470,429	55.44%	Won Y
2018	Asa Hutchinson	582,406	65.33%	Won Y
2022	Sarah Huckabee Sanders	571,105	62.96%	Won Y

See also

• Democratic Party of Arkansas
• Political party strength in Arkansas