Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District

Incumbent

Steve Womack

Assumed office: January 3, 2011

Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District in theUnited States House of Representatives is represented bySteve Womack (R).

As of the 2020 Census, Arkansas representatives represented an average of 753,439 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 731,557 residents.

Elections

• 2030
• 2028
• 2026
• 2024
• 2022
• 2020
• 2018

See also: Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District election, 2030

There are noofficial candidates yet for this election.

See also: Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District election, 2028

There are noofficial candidates yet for this election.

See also: Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District election, 2026

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

General election for U.S. House Arkansas District 3

IncumbentSteve Womack (R),Robb Ryerse (D), andChristopher Hocevar (Independent) are running in the general election for U.S. House Arkansas District 3 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Steve Womack (R)
		Robb Ryerse (D)
		Christopher Hocevar (Independent)

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	Incumbents arebolded and underlined.
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for March 3, 2026, was canceled.Robb Ryerse (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 3 without appearing on the ballot.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Diana Lawrence (D)

Republican primary

The Republican primary scheduled for March 3, 2026, was canceled. IncumbentSteve Womack (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 3 without appearing on the ballot.

See also: Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District election, 2024

General election

General election for U.S. House Arkansas District 3

IncumbentSteve Womack (R) defeatedCaitlin Draper Mattelin (D) andBobby Wilson (L) in the general election for U.S. House Arkansas District 3 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Womack (R)	63.8	192,101
		Caitlin Draper Mattelin (D)	31.8	95,652
		Bobby Wilson (L)	4.4	13,331

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 301,084
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for March 5, 2024, was canceled.Caitlin Draper Mattelin (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 3 without appearing on the ballot.

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 3

IncumbentSteve Womack (R) defeatedClint Penzo (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 3 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Womack	53.9	35,768
		Clint Penzo	46.1	30,545

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 66,313
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian Party convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Arkansas District 3

Bobby Wilson (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party convention for U.S. House Arkansas District 3 on February 25, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bobby Wilson	92.7	38
		Other/Write-in votes	7.3%	3

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 41
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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See also: Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Arkansas District 3

IncumbentSteve Womack (R) defeatedLauren Mallett-Hays (D) andMichael Kalagias (L) in the general election for U.S. House Arkansas District 3 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Womack (R)	63.7	142,401
		Lauren Mallett-Hays (D)	32.9	73,541
		Michael Kalagias (L)	3.4	7,646

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 223,588
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for May 24, 2022, was canceled.Lauren Mallett-Hays (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 3 without appearing on the ballot.

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 3

IncumbentSteve Womack (R) defeatedNeil Kumar (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 3 on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Womack	78.7	60,814
		Neil Kumar	21.3	16,414

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 77,228
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian Party convention

Libertarian convention for U.S. House Arkansas District 3

Michael Kalagias (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party convention for U.S. House Arkansas District 3 on February 20, 2022.

		Candidate
✔		Michael Kalagias

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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See also: Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Arkansas District 3

IncumbentSteve Womack (R) defeatedCeleste Williams (D) andMichael Kalagias (L) in the general election for U.S. House Arkansas District 3 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Womack (R)	64.3	214,960
		Celeste Williams (D)	31.8	106,325
		Michael Kalagias (L)	3.9	12,977

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 334,262
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for March 3, 2020, was canceled.Celeste Williams (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 3 without appearing on the ballot.

Republican primary

The Republican primary scheduled for March 3, 2020, was canceled. IncumbentSteve Womack (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 3 without appearing on the ballot.

See also: United States House of Representatives elections in Arkansas, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Arkansas District 3

IncumbentSteve Womack (R) defeatedJoshua Mahony (D) andMichael Kalagias (L) in the general election for U.S. House Arkansas District 3 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Womack (R)	64.7	148,717
		Joshua Mahony (D)	32.6	74,952
		Michael Kalagias (L)	2.6	5,899
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1%	140

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 229,708 (100% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Josh Moody (Independent)

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 3

Joshua Mahony (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 3 on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Joshua Mahony

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Republican primary

Republican primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 3

IncumbentSteve Womack (R) defeatedRobb Ryerse (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Arkansas District 3 on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Womack	84.2	47,757
		Robb Ryerse	15.8	8,988

---

	Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 56,745
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Previous election results

2016

See also:Arkansas' 1st Congressional District election, 2016

Heading into the election, Ballotpediarated this race as safely Republican. IncumbentSteve Womack (R) ran unopposed in theRepublican primary on March 1, 2016. Womack defeatedLibertarian party candidateSteve Isaacson in the general election on November 8, 2016. No Democratic candidates filed to run for the seat.^[1][2]

U.S. House, Arkansas District 3 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Steve WomackIncumbent	77.3%	217,192
	Libertarian	Steve Isaacson	22.7%	63,715
Total Votes				280,907
Source:Arkansas Secretary of State

2014

See also:Arkansas's 3rd Congressional District elections, 2014

The 3rd Congressional District of Arkansas held an election for theU.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. IncumbentSteve Womack (R) defeatedGrant Brand (L) in the general election.

U.S. House, Arkansas District 3 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Steve WomackIncumbent	79.4%	151,630
	Libertarian	Grant Brand	20.6%	39,305
Total Votes				190,935
Source:Arkansas Secretary of State

2012

See also:Arkansas's 3rd Congressional District elections, 2012

The 3rd Congressional District of Arkansas held an election for theU.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012.Steve Womack won re-election in the district.

U.S. House, Arkansas District 3 General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Steve WomackIncumbent	75.9%	186,467
	Green	Rebekah Kennedy	16%	39,318
	Libertarian	David Pangrac	8.1%	19,875
Total Votes				245,660
Source:Arkansas Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

2010
On November 2, 2010, Steve Womack won election to theUnited States House. He defeated David Whitaker (D) in the general election.^[3]

U.S. House, Arkansas District 3 General Election, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Steve Womack	72.4%	148,581
	Democratic	David Whitaker	27.6%	56,542
Total Votes				205,123

2008
On November 4, 2008, John Boozman won re-election to theUnited States House. He defeated Abel Noah Tomlinson (G) in the general election.^[4]

U.S. House, Arkansas District 3 General Election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	John Boozmanincumbent	78.5%	215,196
	Green	Abel Noah Tomlinson	21.5%	58,850
Total Votes				274,046

2006
On November 7, 2006, John Boozman won re-election to theUnited States House. He defeated Woodrow Anderson (D) in the general election.^[5]

U.S. House, Arkansas District 3 General Election, 2006
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	John Boozmanincumbent	62.2%	125,039
	Democratic	Woodrow Anderson	37.8%	75,885
Total Votes				200,924

2004
On November 2, 2004, John Boozman won re-election to theUnited States House. He defeated Jan Judy (D) and Dale Morfey (I) in the general election.^[6]

U.S. House, Arkansas District 3 General Election, 2004
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	John Boozmanincumbent	59.3%	160,629
	Democratic	Jan Judy	38.1%	103,158
	Independent	Dale Morfey	2.6%	7,016
Total Votes				270,803

2002
On November 5, 2002, John Boozman won re-election to theUnited States House. He defeated George Lyne (Write-in) in the general election.^[7]

U.S. House, Arkansas District 3 General Election, 2002
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	John Boozmanincumbent	98.9%	141,478
	Write-in	George Lyne	1.1%	1,577
Total Votes				143,055

2001 special
On November 20, 2001, John Boozman won election to theUnited States House. He defeated three candidates in the special general election.

U.S. House, Arkansas District 3 Special election, 2001
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	John Boozman	58.6%	52,749
	Democratic	Mike Hathorn	39%	35,110
	Green	Sarah Marsh	2%	1,772
	Freedom	Ralph Forbes	0.4%	383
Total Votes				90,014
Source:Results via Arkansas State of Secretary

2000
On November 7, 2000, Asa Hutchinson won re-election to theUnited States House. He ran unopposed in the general election.^[8]

1998
On November 3, 1998, Asa Hutchinson won re-election to theUnited States House. He defeated Ralph Forbes (Reform) in the general election.^[9]

U.S. House, Arkansas District 3 General Election, 1998
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Asa Hutchinsonincumbent	80.7%	154,780
	Reform	Ralph Forbes	19.3%	36,917
Total Votes				191,697

1996
On November 5, 1996, Asa Hutchinson won election to theUnited States House. He defeated Ann Henry (D), Tony Joe Huffman (Reform) and Dan Ivy (Write-in) in the general election.^[10]

U.S. House, Arkansas District 3 General Election, 1996
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Asa Hutchinson	55.7%	137,093
	Democratic	Ann Henry	41.8%	102,994
	Reform	Tony Joe Huffman	2.4%	5,974
	Write-in	Dan Ivy	0%	71
Total Votes				246,132

1994
On November 8, 1994, Tim Hutchinson won re-election to theUnited States House. He defeated Berta Seitz (D) in the general election.^[11]

U.S. House, Arkansas District 3 General Election, 1994
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Tim Hutchinsonincumbent	67.7%	129,800
	Democratic	Berta Seitz	32.3%	61,883
Total Votes				191,683

1992
On November 3, 1992, Tim Hutchinson won election to theUnited States House. He defeated John VanWinkle (D) and Ralph Forbes (I) in the general election.^[12]

U.S. House, Arkansas District 3 General Election, 1992
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Tim Hutchinson	50.2%	125,295
	Democratic	John VanWinkle	47.2%	117,775
	Independent	Ralph Forbes	2.5%	6,329
	N/A	Write-in	0%	95
Total Votes				249,494

1990
On November 6, 1990, John Paul Hammerschmidt won re-election to theUnited States House. He defeated Dan Ivy (D) in the general election.^[13]

U.S. House, Arkansas District 3 General Election, 1990
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	John Paul Hammerschmidtincumbent	70.5%	129,876
	Democratic	Dan Ivy	29.5%	54,332
Total Votes				184,208

District map

Redistricting

2020-2021

See also:Redistricting in Arkansas after the 2020 census

On January 14, 2022, Arkansas' congressional map went into effect.^[14] TheArkansas General Assembly approved the congressional map plan on Oct. 6, 2021.^[15] On October 13, 2021, Gov.Asa Hutchinson announced he would not sign the plans into law, and, instead, let them go into effect without his signature.^[16] On November 4, 2021, Attorney GeneralLeslie Rutledge (R) released a legal opinion establishing January 14, 2022 as the map's effective date.^[17] This map took effect for Arkansas' 2022 congressional elections. On May 23, 2023, the Christian Ministerial Alliance and a group of voters filed a lawsuit alleging thatArkansas' 2nd Congressional District was a racial gerrymander and in violation of the 14th and 15th Amendments. A trial was scheduled for March 24, 2025.^[18]

Lawmakers approved two separate bills, both of which contained identical proposed lines: House Bill 1982 (HB 1982) and Senate Bill 743 (SB 743). The House voted59-30 in favor of HB 1982 and53-35 in favor of SB 743. The Senate voted21-12 in favor of HB 1982 and22-10 in favor of SB 743.

How does redistricting in Arkansas work? TheArkansas General Assembly is responsible for drawing congressional district lines. Both chambers of the state legislature must approve a single redistricting plan. Thegovernor may veto the lines drawn by the state legislature.^[19]

Arkansas' state legislative district lines are drawn by a politician commission, the Arkansas Board of Apportionment. The commission comprises the governor, thesecretary of state, and theattorney general.^[19]

TheArkansas Constitution requires thatArkansas State Senate district lines be "contiguous, and that they follow county lines except where necessary to comply with other legal requirements." There are no such requirements in place for congressional districts.^[19]

2020

2024

2010-2011

This is the 3rd Congressional District of Arkansas after the 2001 redistricting process.

See also:Redistricting in Arkansas after the 2010 census

In 2011, the Arkansas State Legislature re-drew the congressional districts based on updated population information from the 2010 census.

While Democrats controlled both chambers, the Senate committee in charge of redistricting was evenly split which provided the GOP with some leverage in the process. Ultimately, the Senate and House traded several map proposals back and forth before finally coming to an agreement on April 13, 2011.

The 3rd District was part of a contentious negotiation between Democrats and Republicans in April 2011. One proposed map (supported by mostly Democrats) would have moved Fayetteville to the 4th District. This map was called "Fayetteville to the 4th" or the "Fayetteville Finger." Ultimately, Fayetteville remained in the 3rd District.

District analysis

See also:The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

See also:FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores

2026

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, theCook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+13. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 13 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Arkansas' 3rd the 95th most Republican district nationally.^[20]

2024

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, theCook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+15. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 15 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Arkansas' 3rd the 83rd most Republican district nationally.^[21]

Daily Kos calculated what the results of the2020 presidential election in this district would have been followingredistricting.Donald Trump (R) would have defeatedJoe Biden (D) 60.2%-36.8%.^[22]

2022

Heading into the 2022 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, theCook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+15. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 15 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Arkansas' 3rd the 87th most Republican district nationally.^[23]

Daily Kos calculated what the results of the2020 presidential election in this district would have been followingredistricting.Joe Biden (D) would have received 36.8% of the vote in this district andDonald Trump (R) would have received 60.2%.^[24]

2018

Heading into the 2018 elections, based on results from the 2016 and 2012 presidential elections, theCook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+19. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 19 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District the 46th most Republican nationally.^[25]

FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.00. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.00 points toward that party.^[26]

See also

• Redistricting in Arkansas
• Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District election, 2026
• Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District election, 2024
• Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District election, 2022
• Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District election, 2020
• Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District election, 2018

External links

• GovTrack District 3

Footnotes