newsfromthestates.com · September 8, 2026
Democrats see rare signs of hope in solidly red Arkansas’ midterms | News From The States [ Skip to main content ](#main-content) [   Part of States Newsroom ](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/) search Sort by Latest Relevant Search Search  Stories From The States Colorado ranchers join fight against fossil fuel companies 28:57 https://play.prx.org/e?ge=prx\_14251\_3c1657e2-db5d-478b-98db-eb90ca023a81&uf=https%3A%2F%2Fpublicfeeds.net%2Ff%2F14251%2Fstoriesfromthestates.xml [   Part of States Newsroom ](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/) News ###### Democrats see rare signs of hope in solidly red Arkansas’ midterms ## Share [Bluesky](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/#bluesky)[X](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/#x)[Facebook](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/#facebook)[Email](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/#email)[Copy Link](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/#copy_link)  [Arkansas](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/state/arkansas) [News](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/news) # Democrats see rare signs of hope in solidly red Arkansas’ midterms [Gov & Politics](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/category/gov-politics) Sep 08, 2026 | 6:00 am ET By Tess Vrbin Share [Bluesky](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/#bluesky)[X](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/#x)[Facebook](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/#facebook)[Email](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/#email)[Copy Link](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/#copy_link)  Description Signs promote Democratic candidates on the November ballot outside a cabin at Mount Nebo State Park during the park's annual chicken fry on Aug. 29, 2026. (Photo by Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate) DARDANELLE — The annual Mount Nebo Chicken Fry, a mainstay of Arkansas politics for generations, saw a break from tradition this year. In election years, the Democratic and Republican parties usually rent two cabins as their headquarters for the day while they make their case to potential voters lured to the campground by carriage rides, live music and chicken dinners. This year, the Libertarian party rented the Republican cabin. The problem wasn’t a lack of Republican presence or interest but due to party members having previous commitments, said former Yell County GOP chairman Clay Hooten, who manned a tent the party used instead during the Aug. 29 event. *Election day is Nov. 3, and early voting begins Oct. 19. More information about voting locations and registration is available on the Arkansas secretary of state’s *[*website*](https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/elections/for-voters)*. * Even so, the two cabins were surrounded by signs promoting Democratic and Libertarian candidates on the November ballot. Democrat and Libertarian candidates, T-shirts and buttons outnumbered those of Republicans throughout the chicken fry, an unusual sight in the heart of a county where President Donald Trump won nearly 80% of the vote two years ago. The scene was a small but hopeful sign for Democrats, whose efforts to break Republicans’ lock on Arkansas politics have fallen short for more than a decade. But Trump’s growing unpopularity, a recent poll and national attention surrounding races for the U.S. House and Senate are fueling Democrats’ [belief that there’s an opening](https://arkansasadvocate.com/2026/03/09/special-election-offers-arkansas-democrats-hope-after-years-of-struggles-and-setbacks/) even in the reddest of states in November. “I’m tired of people going to the polls to vote against something,” said Kelly Grappe, the Democratic nominee for secretary of state. “I want to give people something to vote for, and I have a vision for this state where the people truly do have a voice.” The party still faces long odds in Arkansas, where top Republican candidates far outpace their Democratic rivals in fundraising. And at a time when national Democrats and political observers see Senate races in Republican-led states like [Texas](https://www.texastribune.org/2026/07/28/texas-senate-poll-james-talarico-ken-paxton-july-2026/) and [Kansas](https://kansasreflector.com/2026/08/10/u-s-senate-race-in-kansas-between-marshall-hamilton-likely-to-consume-more-than-50-million/) as competitive, Arkansas isn’t viewed the same way. [The Cook Political Report](https://www.cookpolitical.com) classifies the state’s races for governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House as “solid Republican.” But, with less than two months before Election Day, Democrats are trying to capitalize on what could be the most favorable political environment they’ve seen in years. > > We get people that call in that are Republicans that say, ‘I can’t vote for him. Tell me why I should vote for her.' **– Cindy Henry, a volunteer for Democrat Hallie Shoffner's U.S. Senate campaign**  U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton addresses supporters at Republican Party headquarters in downtown Little Rock on March 3, 2026 after being declared the winner of his party’s primary. (Photo by John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate) ## US Senate race heats up The biggest prize for Democrats would be the Senate seat held by Republican Tom Cotton, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee who easily won his second term in 2020 with no Democratic opponent. He’s seeking a third term against Democrat Hallie Shoffner, a sixth-generation farmer who closed her family’s Jackson County soybean farm last year due to financial strain she attributes to the Trump administration’s tariffs. [An August poll](https://talkbusiness.net/2026/08/poll-tight-race-for-us-senate-between-cotton-shoffner/) from Talk Business & Politics and Hendrix College showed Shoffner with a slim lead over Cotton, within the margin of error of plus or minus 4.7 percentage points. Shoffner has also made [national](https://www.ms.now/the-weekend/watch/you-don-t-have-to-change-your-party-to-change-your-senator-dems-gain-momentum-in-ar-senate-race-2511916611691) [headlines](https://www.reuters.com/investigations/us-agriculture-wilts-under-financial-pressure-former-arkansas-farmer-cultivates-2026-08-31/) for her campaign’s focus on her rural background, the increasing cost of living and portraying Cotton’s policy priorities as against Arkansans’ best interests. Republicans have [pushed back](https://x.com/ARGOP/status/2089903990335041984?s=20) on the poll. [Another poll](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/663253f0bc87b7070102f41f/t/6a84d7e7aba1c8502eae54d2/1787090919855/AR+Toplines.pdf) from Washington D.C.-based J.L. Partners showed Cotton with a sizable lead over Shoffner, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. ![Democrats see rare signs of hope in solidly red Arkansas’ midterms](https://cdn.newsfromthestates.com/styles/d08/s3/inline-images/feeds-state-47649/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/cindy-henry-scaled-state-47649-1788861746.jpg?VersionId=zSTBwu3I5XsIhNPUVzEXoo6GtdRdmOSf&itok=kdZNQkb2 "Democrats see rare signs of