Arkansas State Senate elections, 2014
Elections for theArkansas State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 20, 2014; a runoff election took place on June 10, 2014. The general election was held onNovember 4, 2014. Thesignature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 3, 2014.
Following the general election, there was no change to the majority control of theArkansas State Senate. TheRepublican Party strengthened their hold on the chamber, increasing their seats from 21 to 24. TheDemocratic Party lost two seats, going from 13 to 11 seats.
Incumbents retiring
Two incumbents did not run for re-election in 2014. Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Current Office |
|---|---|---|
| Johnny Key[1] |  Republican | Senate District 17 |
| David Wyatt |  Democratic | Senate District 19 |
Majority control
Heading into the November 4 election, the Republican Party held the majority in theArkansas State Senate:
| Arkansas State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 3, 2014 | After November 4, 2014 | |
| Democratic Party | 13 | 11 | |
| Republican Party | 21 | 24 | |
| Vacancy | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 35 | 35 | |
Qualifications
| Candidate ballot access |
|---|
 |
| Find detailed information onballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. |
Article 5, Section 4 of theArkansas Constitution states: No person shall be a Senator or Representative who, at the time of his election, is not a citizen of the United States, nor any one who has not been for two years next preceding his election, a resident of this State, and for one year next preceding his election, a resident of the county or district whence he may be chosen. Senators shall be at least twenty-five years of age, and Representatives at least twenty-one years of age.
Competitiveness
Candidates unopposed by a major party
In 15 of the 18 districts up for election in 2014, there was only one major party candidate running for election. A total of five Democrats and 10 Republicans were guaranteed election barring unforeseen circumstances.
Two major party candidates faced off in the general election in three of the 18 districts up for election.
- District 19: State Rep.James McLean (D) was defeated by former State Rep.Linda Collins-Smith (R) in the general election for the seat previously held byDavid Wyatt (D). Wyatt won with a margin of victory of 2 percent in 2012.
- District 20: IncumbentRobert Thompson (D) was defeated byBlake Johnson (R) in the general election. Thompson defeated Johnson by a margin of victory of 2 percent in 2012.
- District 35: IncumbentJason Rapert (R) defeatedJoel Pearson (D) in the general election. Rapert won by a margin of victory of 9 percent in 2012.
Primary challenges
A total of three incumbents faced primary competition on May 20. Two incumbents did not seek re-election in 2014 and another 13 incumbents advanced past the primary without opposition. The state senators facing primary competition were:
- District 9:Terry Ricedefeated incumbentBruce Holland (R) in the Republican primary.
- District 14: IncumbentBill Sample (R) defeatedJerry Neal in the Republican primary.
- District 18: IncumbentMissy Irvin (R) defeatedPhil Grace in the Republican primary.
Retiring incumbents
Two incumbent senators did not run for re-election, while 16 (88.9%) ran for re-election. A list of those incumbents, one Democrat and one Republican, can be foundabove.
List of candidates
District 3
May 20 Democratic primary:- No candidates filed.
May 20 Republican primary:- Cecile Bledsoe
a - Incumbent Bledsoe was first elected to the chamber in 2008.
- Cecile Bledsoe
November 4 General election candidates:
District 4
- May 20 Democratic primary:
- Uvalde Lindseya - Incumbent Lindsey was first elected to the chamber in 2012.
- Uvalde Lindsey
- May 20 Republican primary:
- No candidates filed.
November 4 General election candidates:
District 5
- May 20 Democratic primary:
- No candidates filed.
- May 20 Republican primary:
- Bryan B. Kinga - Incumbent King was first elected to the chamber in 2012.
- Bryan B. King
November 4 General election candidates:
District 6
- May 20 Democratic primary:
- No candidates filed.
- May 20 Republican primary:
- Gary Stubblefielda - Incumbent Stubblefield was first elected to the chamber in 2012.
- Gary Stubblefield
November 4 General election candidates:
District 8
- May 20 Democratic primary:
- No candidates filed.
- May 20 Republican primary:
- Jake C. Filesa - Incumbent Files was first elected to the chamber in 2010.
- Jake C. Files
November 4 General election candidates:
District 9
- May 20 Democratic primary:
- No candidates filed.
- May 20 Republican primary:
- Bruce Holland: 2,711 - Incumbent Holland was first elected to the chamber in 2010.
- Terry Rice: 3,458a
November 4 General election candidates:
District 10
- May 20 Democratic primary:
- Larry Teaguea - Incumbent Teague was first elected to the chamber in 2008.
- Larry Teague
- May 20 Republican primary:
- No candidates filed.
November 4 General election candidates:
District 14
- May 20 Democratic primary:
- No candidates filed.
- May 20 Republican primary:
- Bill Sample: 5,734a - Incumbent Sample was first elected to the chamber in 2010.
- Jerry Neal: 4,668
- Bill Sample: 5,734
Independent candidates:
November 4 General election candidates:
- Bill Sample: 20,547
- George Pritchett: 8,299
District 15
- May 20 Democratic primary:
- No candidates filed.
- May 20 Republican primary:
- David J. Sandersa - Incumbent Sanders was first elected to the chamber in 2012.
- David J. Sanders
November 4 General election candidates:
District 17
Note: District 17 was vacant heading into the general election due to the resignation ofJohnny Key (R).
- May 20 Democratic primary:
- No candidates filed.
- May 20 Republican primary:
- Scott Flippo: 3,722a
- John Burris: 3,785a
- David L. Osmon: 1,373
- Scott Flippo: 3,722
- June 10 Republican runoff:
- Scott Flippo: 3,920a
- John Burris: 3,716
- Scott Flippo: 3,920
November 4 General election candidates:
District 18
- May 20 Democratic primary:
- No candidates filed.
- May 20 Republican primary:
- Phil Grace: 3,604
- Missy Irvin: 6,450a - Incumbent Irvin was first elected to the chamber in 2010.
November 4 General election candidates:
District 19
Note: IncumbentDavid Wyatt (D) did not run for re-election.
- May 20 Democratic primary:
- May 20 Republican primary:
November 4 General election candidates:
- James McLean: 10,481
- Linda Collins-Smith: 14,647
District 20
- May 20 Democratic primary:
- Robert Thompsona - Incumbent Thompson was first elected to the chamber in 2006.
- Robert Thompson
- May 20 Republican primary:
November 4 General election candidates:
- Robert Thompson: 10,405
- Blake Johnson: 12,096
District 24
- May 20 Democratic primary:
- Keith Ingrama - Incumbent Ingram was first elected to the chamber in 2012.
- Keith Ingram
- May 20 Republican primary:
- No candidates filed.
November 4 General election candidates:
District 30
- May 20 Democratic primary:
- Linda Chesterfielda - Chesterfield was first elected to the chamber in 2010.
- Linda Chesterfield
- May 20 Republican primary:
- No candidates filed.
November 4 General election candidates:
District 31
- May 20 Democratic primary:
- Joyce Elliotta - Incumbent Elliott was first elected to the chamber in 2008.
- Joyce Elliott
- May 20 Republican primary:
- No candidates filed.
November 4 General election candidates:
District 33
- May 20 Democratic primary:
- No candidates filed.
- May 20 Republican primary:
- Jeremy Hutchinsona - Incumbent Hutchinson was first elected to the chamber in 2010.
- Jeremy Hutchinson
November 4 General election candidates:
District 35
- May 20 Democratic primary:
- May 20 Republican primary:
- Jason Raperta - Incumbent Rapert was first elected to the chamber in 2010.
- Jason Rapert
November 4 General election candidates:
- Joel "Tyler" Pearson: 10,276
- Jason Rapert: 13,488
See also
External links
- Arkansas Secretary of State - Official candidate list
- Arkansas Secretary of State - Official primary election results
- Arkansas Secretary of State - Official primary runoff election results
- Arkansas Secretary of State - Official 2014 General and runoff election results
- ↑Key resigned from his seat before the election.
