arkansas
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, nearing the end of his term, reflects on eight years in office
As Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson looks back on his eight years in office, what he’s most proud of might surprise you. Sure, he takes pride in shepherding through the largest income tax cuts in state history, but that’s not the first thing he mentioned in a wide-ranging interview about his administration. “Whenever you look at […]
Former Entergy CEO to be Arkansas secretary of commerce, Huckabee Sanders announces
Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday she will nominate former Entergy Arkansas CEO Hugh McDonald as secretary of the Department of Commerce. McDonald, 64, served as president and CEO of the state’s largest electric utility from 2000 to 2016. Entergy provides power to more than 700,000 customers. He remains active in civic roles on the […]
Fifth Arkansan charged in connection with Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack
A 32-year-old Madison County man was arrested Monday on federal charges connected to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Brennen Machacek of Hindsville is named in a criminal complaint filed under seal last week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The case was unsealed Monday after his arrest […]
Wes Ward to continue as agriculture secretary under Huckabee Sanders
Wes Ward, Arkansas’ current agriculture secretary, will continue in that role in the administration of Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders, according to a Monday press release. “I look forward to continuing to invest in our strong, dynamic agriculture industry as the secretary of agriculture,” Ward said in the release. “Governor-elect Sanders shares my deep appreciation for […]
18-year-old mayor, new school boards and alderman among those elected in Arkansas runoffs
In Tuesday’s runoff elections, Benton County residents elected two Bentonville School Board members in an election that garnered interest from a national conservative group, while east Arkansas voters elected an 18-year-old mayor. Jeremy Farmer defeated Blanca Maldonado in the Zone 3 election while Tatum Aicklen beat Letisha Hinds to become Zone 5’s representative, according to […]
Arkansas county officials prepare for runoff elections
Election season is still underway in Arkansas with more than half of the state’s 75 counties preparing for runoff elections on Dec. 6. Early voting begins Nov. 29. Benton County has eight runoff elections scheduled, the most of any county, followed by Phillips County with six contests. Phillips County has struggled to report its election […]
Gretchen Conger to be Sanders’ chief of staff
Gretchen Conger will be Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ chief of staff in the governor’s office, Sanders announced Tuesday. Sanders also announced that she will transfer more than $2.5 million from her 2022 gubernatorial campaign treasury to her 2026 reelection campaign and named campaign manager Chris Caldwell as senior advisor to the reelection campaign. Conger, who […]
Arkansas’ request for rehearing on gender-law injunction denied
A temporary halt on enforcement of Arkansas’ ban on gender-affirming care for minors remains in effect after a federal appeals court on Wednesday denied the state’s request for a rehearing. In August, a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s injunction that blocked implementation of Act 626 of […]
Arkansas power politics at its most raw and most sublime
As an exercise of raw power, a rule change that limits Democrats to two seats on any of the Arkansas Senate’s standing committees likely won’t shake many rafters. But the move did draw reaction from state Rep. David Ray (R-Maumelle) on Twitter: This is a smart, commonsense move by the Arkansas Senate. Proportional representation on […]
Sarah Huckabee Sanders names transition team members
Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks during an October debate. The Republican governor-elect named her transition team on Thursday. (John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate)
After Issue 4’s failure, what’s next for recreational marijuana in Arkansas?
*This story was updated on Thursday, Nov. 10, at 12 p.m. with additional comments from the chairman of Responsible Growth Arkansas. Arkansans on Tuesday soundly rejected a ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana, but advocates promise an improved proposal in 2024. The state was one of five in the U.S. voting on cannabis legalization, but […]
Arkansas voters reject constitutional amendment to raise ballot initiative approval threshold
A proposed amendment to the Arkansas Constitution that would have made it harder to pass future ballot initiatives failed by a wide margin Tuesday. Issue 2 would have increased the threshold for passing constitutional amendments and initiated acts, referred to voters by both the Arkansas Legislature and through citizen-led petitions, from a simple majority to […]