2002 United States Senate election in Arkansas
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The 2002 United States Senate election in Arkansas was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Tim Hutchinson ran for a second term, but was defeated by Democratic candidate Mark Pryor, whose father David had held the seat from 1979 to 1997. This was the only Senate seat in the 2002 midterm elections to switch from Republican to Democratic, and Hutchinson was the only incumbent Republican senator to lose reelection during that cycle. As of 2026, this is the last Arkansas U.S. Senate race where the winner received less than 55% of votes.
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November 5, 2002
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 County results Pryor: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Hutchinson: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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Major candidates
Democratic
Republican
- Tim Hutchinson, incumbent U.S. senator
- Jim Bob Duggar, state representative
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tim Hutchinson (incumbent) | 71,576 | 77.7% | |
| Republican | Jim Bob Duggar | 20,546 | 22.3% | |
| Total votes | 92,116 | 100.0% | ||
Hutchinson
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- >90%
General election
Debates
- Complete video of debate, October 14, 2002
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[2] | Lean D (flip) | November 4, 2002 |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mark Pryor | 435,347 | 53.86% | |
| Republican | Tim Hutchinson (incumbent) | 372,909 | 46.14% | |
| Total votes | 808,256 | 100.0% | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Columbia (Largest city: Magnolia)
- Craighead (Largest city: Jonesboro)
- Conway (Largest city: Morrilton)
- Franklin (Largest city: Ozark)
- Garland (Largest city: Hot Springs)
- Independence (Largest city: Batesville)
- Johnson (Largest city: Clarksville)
- Logan (Largest city: Booneville)
- Perry (Largest city: Perryville)
- Sharp (Largest city: Cherokee Village)
- Stone (Largest city: Mountain View)
- Union (Largest city: El Dorado)
- Van Buren (Largest city: Clinton)
- Yell (Largest city: Dardanelle)