Arkansas Democrats won at least eight Republican-held seats in the House of Representatives in Tuesday’s general election, ending the Republican Party’s three-fourths supermajority in the chamber for the first time in a decade.
The Associated Press had called the eight races by Wednesday morning. Democrats also held narrow leads in House Districts 10 and 32, although those contests had not been called as of 11 a.m. Wednesday. There were 37 contested House races in the election, and no Democratic incumbent who faced a challenger had lost, according to the AP results.
“Arkansas Democrats have broken the Republican Supermajority in the State House.” — Democratic Party of Arkansas
What changes in the House
The 100-member House currently has 79 Republicans and 20 Democrats, with one vacancy. The Democratic victories give the party at least 28 members for the next term, while the two uncalled races could further change the final breakdown.
That change matters for legislation requiring a three-fourths vote. The threshold applies to most appropriation bills, which authorize the maximum amounts that state agencies and other parts of state government may spend. The Legislature passes those measures each year as part of the state’s budget process.
- Democrats had picked up eight Republican-held House seats by Wednesday morning.
- House Districts 10 and 32 remained uncalled while Democrats held narrow leads.
- The Democratic caucus had at least 28 members, enough to block a three-fourths vote in the 100-member chamber.
In all but one of the eight called races, Democratic challengers defeated Republican incumbents. Democratic incumbents who sought reelection won their races, according to the AP’s results.
House District 8 remains in transition
The House District 8 seat, which had been held by state Rep. Austin McCollum, R-Bentonville, was vacant during the election. Brian Armas, a Pea Ridge Republican, ran unopposed in Tuesday’s regular election to serve the district for the next two years beginning Jan. 11.
A special election was also held Tuesday to fill the District 8 seat for the period ending Jan. 11, when the regular legislative session begins. The district’s vacancy was separate from the eight Republican-held seats Democrats flipped in the general election.
The election results will shape the House when lawmakers return in January. The Arkansas General Assembly’s regular session is scheduled to begin Jan. 11, and the chamber’s final partisan balance will include the results of the two House races that remained uncalled Wednesday morning.
