2026 Arkansas Governor Election
Compare candidates’ positions, polling, and sourced race updates.
About this race
The 2026 Arkansas gubernatorial election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the Governor of Arkansas. Incumbent Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a former White House press secretary seeking a second four-year term, faces Democratic state Sen. Fredrick Love and Libertarian nominee Colt Shelby. Arkansas is a strongly Republican state that Donald Trump carried by roughly 30 points in 2024, and Sanders holds a large fundraising advantage over her two opponents.
Key contrasts include the LEARNS Act school voucher program (which Love has vowed to halt by executive order and Shelby would means-test), the future of Medicaid expansion under ARHOME, and the proposed 3,000-bed Franklin County mega-prison, which Shelby helped lead opposition to and which was reported shelved in August 2026.
Candidates
Tick Compare on two or more cards to see them side by side.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the Republican Governor of Arkansas, in office since January 2023 and previously White House press secretary under President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019. She advanced unopposed in the 2026 Republican primary and is seeking a second four-year term against Democratic state Sen. Fredrick Love and Libertarian Colt Shelby. Her campaign emphasizes continued income-tax reductions, the LEARNS Act education overhaul and its school voucher program, Medicaid work requirements, and public safety.
Fredrick Love is a Democratic state senator representing Arkansas' District 15 since 2023, after serving in the state House from 2011 to 2022, including as House minority leader. He won the March 2026 Democratic primary and is challenging Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, campaigning on halting the LEARNS Act school voucher program, protecting Medicaid expansion, raising wages, and opposing the proposed Franklin County prison. He has served in the Legislature since 2011 and is term-limited in the Senate.
Colt Shelby is a Franklin County farmer and oil-and-gas industry worker from Cecil, Arkansas, and the Libertarian Party's nominee for governor in 2026. He became known locally as a leading opponent of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' proposed Franklin County mega-prison and successfully challenged the timing of a special legislative election in court. His campaign emphasizes government transparency and accountability, fiscal restraint, income-based limits on school vouchers, and protections for utility ratepayers.
Forecast
Sarah Huckabee Sanders favored
Sarah Huckabee Sanders: 93% modeled win probability with a +13.0 pts estimated margin
Polling
1 poll, newest firstAbout this research
Data compiled from public sources and analyzed using AI. Last updated October 7, 2026. Visit candidate websites for the most current information.