Paris businessman Brad Simon survived what has been an unusual election cycle, with voters giving him the nod to be the next District 26 senator. Former Rep. Charlene Fite was on track to easily win the House District 24 GOP primary.
As of 11 p.m., Sen. Bryan King, R-Green Forest, was ahead in a tight race with Bob Ballinger in the GOP primary for Senate District 28.
In the Senate District 26 special election, as of 10 p.m., Simon received 7,492 votes (68.79%), with Independent candidate Adam Watson collecting 3,399 votes (31.21%).
Senate District 26 is a large area that includes parts of Franklin, Johnson, Logan and Sebastian counties. Towns in the large legislative district include Barling, Booneville, Charleston, Clarksville, Greenwood, Lamar, Lavaca, Ozark and Paris.
The special election follows the Sept. 2, 2025, passing of Sen. Gary Stubblefield, R-Branch, who held the District 26 seat. The special election schedule was set when Gov. Sarah Sanders was forced by a court order to hold an election before the start of the Arkansas Legislature’s fiscal session, which begins April 8. Pre-session budget hearings begin March 4.
A proposed state prison was the hot topic in the race. Community and legislative leaders have pushed back against a plan by Sanders and the Arkansas Department of Corrections to build a large state prison north of Charleston in Franklin County. Sanders announced Oct. 31, 2024, that the state had purchased land north of Charleston to build the prison. The cost for the 815 acres was $2.9 million.
The Arkansas Senate failed to advance a funding bill for a new state prison late in the recent regular session. The $750 million funding measure failed five times to get a 75% vote from senators.
KING, FITE RACES
Arkansas Senate District 28, which also is expansive and stretches from the Arkansas-Missouri border down to northern Franklin County, featured a heated primary contest against King and Bob Ballinger, who held the seat until King defeated him in the 2022 GOP primary.
According to the Arkansas Secretary of State, King received 6,376 votes (58.95%), and Ballinger received 4,440 votes (41.05%). With no Democrat or Independent filing for the seat, a primary win would send King back to the Arkansas Senate.
In the GOP primary for House District 24 seat, which includes parts of Crawford and Washington counties, Fite received 2,504 votes, and Melissa Koller received 1,061 votes as of 11 p.m. Fite was a member of the Arkansas House between January 2013 and January 2025. She did not seek reelection in 2024.
Fite in the November general election will face Democrat Ryan Intchauspe, a 24-year Navy veteran who says he is running as a “Blue Collar Democrat.”
In the House District 46 seat, Brian Cooper, Tonya Fletcher, Curtis Varnell, and Ronni Tate Young were in the GOP primary. With no Democrats or Independents filing for the seat, the GOP primary winner will be elected to the House seat. Rep. Jon Eubanks, R-Paris, was term limited.
As of 11 p.m., Fletcher and Varnell appeared to be headed to a runoff, with Fletcher receiving 31.59% of the voter and Varnell having 31.54%.
