candidates

Dozens of contested Arkansas school board races set for May 9

BY: - March 22, 2023

Several Arkansans are vying for a seat on their local school board in May, but legislation being considered by the Arkansas General Assembly could change how these elections are conducted in the future.  Senate Bill 206, which was amended and re-referred to the Senate Education Committee in February, would allow school board elections to be […]

headshots of Jennifer Faddis and Gail Pianalto

Lone incumbent holds onto seat on Bentonville School Board

BY: - November 9, 2022

Jennifer Faddis kept her position on the Bentonville School Board by defeating Gail Pianalto in the Zone 2 race with nearly 58% of the vote Tuesday. Faddis joined the board in 2020. Twelve candidates were seeking five positions on the board, which restructured itself last year to create two at-large positions and five geographic zones. […]

headshots of Jennifer Faddis and Gail Pianalto

Bentonville school board election garners attention of national conservative group

BY: - November 3, 2022

In a Bentonville School Board election with a dozen candidates seeking five positions, Jennifer Faddis stands out: she’s the only incumbent running. The seven-member board restructured itself last year, creating two at-large positions and five geographic zones. Previously, all seven members represented specific areas. The at-large members are not up for re-election.  Faddis joined the […]

The only campaign finance reports filed in the Little Rock mayor's race show Steve Landers Sr. (second from left) has raised more than double the amount of incumbent Mayor Frank Scott Jr.(left) and vastly more than (third and fourth from left) Greg Henderson and Gary Schwarz combined. (John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate)

Landers outspends Scott by about $250K in race for Little Rock mayor

BY: - November 2, 2022

Retired auto dealer Steve Landers Sr. has raised almost $1 million in campaign contributions in the race for Little Rock mayor, more than doubling incumbent Mayor Frank Scott Jr. ‘s $403,604 total, according to campaign finance disclosure reports filed Tuesday (Nov. 1). Landers’ campaign contributions include a $400,000 loan to himself. All four candidates in […]

On Oct. 19, 2022, an official with the Miami-Dade County Elections Department conducts a comprehensive examination of the voting equipment that will be used in the Nov. 8th general election. Elections, from campaigning to voting systems, are under great scrutiny this year. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

How to follow your congressional and local elections in 2022

BY: and - October 24, 2022

This is part of a series, User’s Guide to Democracy, being published by Propublica. Election coverage often focuses on competition between rival candidates while downplaying policies and platforms. But knowing how to decipher these “horse race” stories can help you understand what’s at stake for you and can inform your political participation. Think about it […]

Arkansas gubernatorial candidates debate importance of national politics, media access

BY: - October 21, 2022

Three gubernatorial candidates agreed they want to serve Arkansas, but differed on how much attention should be paid to what’s happening in Washington D.C. during a debate hosted by Arkansas PBS Friday. The hyperpartisanship in national politics is one reason Libertarian Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. said he’s running for Arkansas governor. It’s time to tune […]

Three Little Rock mayoral candidates voice support for marijuana amendment

BY: - October 11, 2022

Three candidates for Little Rock mayor, including incumbent Frank Scott Jr., expressed full-throated support Monday night for legalizing recreational use of marijuana in Arkansas. The fourth mayoral hopeful, car dealer Steve Landers, voiced no opposition to the proposed state constitutional amendment while saying: “I will do what the people of the state of Arkansas decide […]

Candidates, mostly Republican, skip debates, bar press during midterm campaigns

BY: - September 5, 2022

WASHINGTON — With two months left of the 2022 campaign season, a majority of Republican candidates are continuing to skirt away from not only talking to local and national media outlets about their policy issues, but their own constituents, leaving voters with little information on their policy positions. “If we are to hold our elected […]

How election-denying GOP governors could tilt the 2024 presidential election

BY: - August 29, 2022

Republican candidates who claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump have been nominated for governor in four critical swing states, raising concerns that if elected they could try to sway election results in 2024 and beyond.  In Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, Republican primary voters elected a candidate who has denied the […]