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Incumbent Rep. French Hill (R) defeated state representative Clarke Tucker (D) and Joe Swafford (L) in the general election on November 6, 2018, to represent the 2nd Congressional District of Arkansas.
All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. The Democratic Party gained a net total of 40 seats, winning control of the chamber. This race was identified as a 2018 battleground that might have affected partisan control of the U.S. House in the 116th Congress. Heading into the election, the Republican Party was in the majority holding 235 seats to Democrats' 193 seats, with seven vacant seats. Democrats needed to win 23 GOP-held seats in 2018 to win control of the House. From 1918 to 2016, the president’s party lost an average of 29 seats in midterm elections.
Hill was first elected in 2014, winning by 8 points. He won re-election in 2016 by 21.5 points. A Democrat had not been elected to represent Arkansas in Congress since 2010.
Arkansas' 2nd District was targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2018. Democrats were "optimistic that the Little Rock mayoral race will help boost Democratic turnout," according to Roll Call. Hill's 2016 Democratic challenger Dianne Curry won Pulaski County, in which Little Rock is located.
Arkansas' 2nd Congressional District election, 2018
| Poll | French Hill (R) | Clarke Tucker (D) | Joe Swafford (L) | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Talk Business & Politics-Hendrix College October 17-18, 2018 | 52% | 40% | 2% | 7% | +/-4 | 590 |
| Talk Business & Politics-Hendrix College September 5-7, 2018 | 50% | 41% | 2% | 8% | +/-4.7 | 428 |
The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| French Hill | Republican Party | $2,934,565 | $3,536,453 | $46,781 | As of December 31, 2018 |
| Clarke Tucker | Democratic Party | $2,366,991 | $2,359,235 | $7,756 | As of December 31, 2018 |
| Joe Swafford | Libertarian Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018.
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Arkansas from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Arkansas Secretary of State.
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Arkansas every year from 2000 to 2016.
Election results (President of the United States), Arkansas 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 |  Donald Trump |
60.6% |  Hillary Clinton |
33.7% | 26.9% |
| 2012 | Mitt Romney |
60.6% | Barack Obama |
36.9% | 23.7% |
| 2008 | John McCain |
58.7% | Barack Obama |
38.9% | 19.8% |
| 2004 | George W. Bush |
54.3% | John Kerry |
44.6% | 9.7% |
| 2000 | George W. Bush |
51.3% | Al Gore |
45.9% | 5.4% |
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Arkansas from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
Election results (U.S. Senator), Arkansas 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | John Boozman |
59.8% | Conner Eldridge |
36.2% | 23.6% |
| 2014 | Tom Cotton |
56.5% | Mark Pryor |
39.4% | 22.9% |
| 2010 | John Boozman |
57.9% | Blanche Lincoln |
37.0% | 1.6% |
| 2008 | Mark Pryor |
79.5% |  |
20.5% | 59.0% |
| 2004 | Blanche Lincoln |
55.9% | Jim Holt |
44.1% | 11.8% |
| 2002 | Mark Pryor |
53.9% | Tim Hutchinson |
46.1% | 7.8% |
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Arkansas.
Election results (Governor), Arkansas 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Asa Hutchinson |
55.4% | Mike Ross |
46.3% | 9.1% |
| 2010 | Mike Beebe |
64.4% | Jim Keet |
33.6% | 30.8% |
| 2006 | Mike Beebe |
55.6% | Asa Hutchinson |
40.7% | 14.9% |
| 2002 | Mike Huckabee |
53.0% | Jimmie Lou Fisher |
46.9% | 6.1% |
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Arkansas in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
Congressional delegation, Arkansas 2000-2016
| Year | Republicans | Republicans (%) | Democrats | Democrats (%) | Balance of power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+4 |
| 2014 | 4 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+4 |
| 2012 | 4 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+4 |
| 2010 | 3 |
75% | 1 |
25% | R+3 |
| 2008 | 1 |
25% | 3 |
75% | D+3 |
| 2006 | 1 |
25% | 3 |
75% | D+3 |
| 2004 | 1 |
25% | 3 |
75% | D+3 |
| 2002 | 1 |
25% | 3 |
75% | D+3 |
| 2000 | 1 |
25% | 3 |
75% | D+3 |
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
Arkansas Party Control: 1992-2019
11 years of Democratic trifectas • Five years of Republican trifectas
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Demographic data for Arkansas
| Arkansas | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|
| Total population: | 2,977,853 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 52,035 | 3,531,905 |
| Gender | ||
| Female: | 50.9% | 50.8% |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 78% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 15.5% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.4% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.1% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 6.9% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 84.8% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 21.1% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $41,371 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 22.9% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Arkansas. | ||
As of July 2016, Arkansas' three largest cities were Little Rock (pop. est. 198,606), Ft. Smith (pop. est. 88,037), and Fayetteville (pop. est. 85,257).
