2022 United States Senate election in Arkansas
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The 2022 United States Senate election in Arkansas was held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member to the United States Senate to represent the state of Arkansas. Incumbent Republican Senator John Boozman ran for a third term.[1] He won the May 24, 2022 Republican primary with 58.03% of the vote and the general election with 65.73% of the vote.[2]
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November 8, 2022
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| Turnout | 50.81%  | ||||||||||||||||
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  Boozman: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% James: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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This was the best performance for a Republican senator in the state's history, and was the first time for either U.S. Senate seat in Arkansas that Republicans won three consecutive elections.
Republican primary
Incumbent senator John Boozman ran with the endorsement of former President Donald Trump. However, he attracted multiple opponents from the right who questioned his loyalty to Trump, attacking him for refusing to object to the results of the 2020 United States presidential election.[3] Despite it being his first time running for office, former NFL football player Jake Bequette and his supporting groups raised over $2.6 million.[4] Boozman ultimately won with 58% of the vote, easily avoiding a runoff.
Candidates
Nominee
- John Boozman, incumbent U.S. senator[1]
Eliminated in primary
- Jake Bequette, former NFL player and U.S. Army veteran[5]
- Heath Loftis, pastor[6]
- Jan Morgan, gun range owner and candidate for governor of Arkansas in 2018[7]
Withdrew
- Michael Deel, corporate analyst[8]
Endorsements
John Boozman
- Executive branch officials
- Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former White House press secretary (2017–2019)[9]
- Donald Trump, former president of the United States (2017–2021)[10]
- U.S. senators
- Tom Cotton, Arkansas (2015–present)[9]
- Mitch McConnell, Senate minority leader (2021–2025) from Kentucky (1985–present)[11]
Organizations
Jake Bequette
U.S. representatives
- Madison Cawthorn, NC-11 (2021–2023)[15]
- Burgess Owens, UT-04 (2021–present)[15]
Fundraising
| Campaign finance reports as of May 4, 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
| John Boozman (R) | $5,515,449 | $4,930,354 | $1,580,776 |
| Jake Bequette (R) | $1,262,746 | $875,103 | $375,720 |
| Source: Federal Election Commission[16] | |||
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Jake Bequette |
John Boozman |
Heath Loftis |
Jan Morgan |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hendrix College[17] | May 2, 2022 | 802 (LV) | ± 4.3% | 19% | 45% | 2% | 17% | 18% |
Results
Boozman
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Boozman (incumbent) | 201,677 | 58.03% | |
| Republican | Jake Bequette | 71,809 | 20.66% | |
| Republican | Jan Morgan | 65,958 | 18.98% | |
| Republican | Heath Loftis | 8,112 | 2.33% | |
| Total votes | 347,556 | 100.0% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Natalie James, realtor[19]
Eliminated in primary
- Jack Foster, former Pine Bluff city alderman[20]
- Dan Whitfield, activist and Independent candidate that failed to make the ballot for the U.S. Senate in 2020[21]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Jack Foster |
Natalie James |
Dan Whitfield |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hendrix College[17] | May 2, 2022 | 597 (LV) | ± 5.0% | 5% | 17% | 15% | 63% |
Results
James
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
James/Whitfield tie
- 40–50%
Whitfield
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
Foster
- 30–40%
- 50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Natalie James | 49,722 | 54.09% | |
| Democratic | Dan Whitfield | 28,319 | 30.80% | |
| Democratic | Jack Foster | 13,891 | 15.11% | |
| Total votes | 91,932 | 100.0% | ||
Libertarian convention
Candidates
Nominated at convention
- Kenneth Cates, firefighter[22]
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[23] | Solid R | March 4, 2022 |
| Inside Elections[24] | Solid R | April 1, 2022 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[25] | Safe R | March 1, 2022 |
| Politico[26] | Solid R | April 1, 2022 |
| RCP[27] | Safe R | February 24, 2022 |
| Fox News[28] | Solid R | May 12, 2022 |
| DDHQ[29] | Solid R | July 20, 2022 |
| 538[30] | Solid R | June 30, 2022 |
| The Economist[31] | Safe R | September 7, 2022 |
Post-primary endorsements
Natalie James (D)
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
John Boozman (R) |
Natalie James (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hendrix College[35] | September 12, 2022 | 835 (LV) | ± 3.8% | 44% | 31% | 5%[b] | 21% |
| Echelon Insights[36] | August 31 – September 7, 2022 | 382 (RV) | ± 7.7% | 56% | 32% | – | 12% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Boozman (incumbent) | 592,437 | 65.73% | +5.96% | |
| Democratic | Natalie James | 280,187 | 31.09% | −5.08% | |
| Libertarian | Kenneth Cates | 28,682 | 3.18% | −0.78% | |
| Total votes | 901,306 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republican hold | |||||
By county
| County[37] | John Boozman Republican |
Natalie James Democratic |
Kenneth Cates Libertarian |
Margin | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Arkansas | 3,342 | 74.95% | 1,012 | 22.70% | 105 | 2.35% | 2,330 | 52.25% | 4,459 |
| Ashley | 4,103 | 75.51% | 1,251 | 23.02% | 80 | 1.47% | 2,852 | 52.48% | 5,434 |
| Baxter | 12,207 | 78.30% | 2,940 | 18.86% | 443 | 2.84% | 9,267 | 59.44% | 15,590 |
| Benton | 58,938 | 65.08% | 28,336 | 31.29% | 3,288 | 3.63% | 30,602 | 33.79% | 90,562 |
| Boone | 10,174 | 80.20% | 1,979 | 15.60% | 533 | 4.20% | 8,195 | 64.60% | 12,686 |
| Bradley | 1,824 | 69.70% | 730 | 27.89% | 63 | 2.41% | 1,094 | 41.80% | 2,617 |
| Calhoun | 1,269 | 80.16% | 281 | 17.75% | 33 | 2.08% | 988 | 62.41% | 1,583 |
| Carroll | 5,867 | 64.98% | 2,835 | 31.40% | 327 | 3.62% | 3,032 | 33.58% | 9,029 |
| Chicot | 1,687 | 49.90% | 1,653 | 48.89% | 41 | 1.21% | 34 | 1.01% | 3,381 |
| Clark | 3,685 | 60.36% | 2,267 | 37.13% | 153 | 2.51% | 1,418 | 23.23% | 6,105 |
| Clay | 3,080 | 78.63% | 698 | 17.82% | 139 | 3.55% | 2,382 | 60.81% | 3,917 |
| Cleburne | 8,336 | 83.14% | 1,342 | 13.39% | 348 | 3.47% | 6,994 | 69.76% | 10,026 |
| Cleveland | 2,343 | 84.04% | 380 | 13.63% | 65 | 2.33% | 1,963 | 70.41% | 2,788 |
| Columbia | 4,177 | 69.01% | 1,752 | 28.94% | 124 | 2.05% | 2,425 | 40.06% | 6,053 |
| Conway | 4,648 | 69.21% | 1,856 | 27.64% | 212 | 3.16% | 2,792 | 41.57% | 6,716 |
| Craighead | 18,697 | 67.78% | 7,882 | 28.58% | 1,004 | 3.64% | 10,815 | 39.21% | 27,583 |
| Crawford | 13,894 | 78.59% | 3,125 | 17.68% | 660 | 3.73% | 10,769 | 60.91% | 17,679 |
| Crittenden | 5,436 | 51.07% | 4,999 | 46.96% | 210 | 1.97% | 437 | 4.11% | 10,645 |
| Cross | 3,707 | 75.58% | 1,079 | 22.00% | 119 | 2.43% | 2,628 | 53.58% | 4,905 |
| Dallas | 1,366 | 66.50% | 630 | 30.67% | 58 | 2.82% | 736 | 35.83% | 2,054 |
| Desha | 1,647 | 54.64% | 1,296 | 43.00% | 71 | 2.36% | 351 | 11.65% | 3,014 |
| Drew | 3,525 | 67.19% | 1,632 | 31.11% | 89 | 1.70% | 1,893 | 36.08% | 5,246 |
| Faulkner | 26,218 | 65.54% | 12,257 | 30.64% | 1,526 | 3.81% | 13,961 | 34.90% | 40,001 |
| Franklin | 4,284 | 79.73% | 892 | 16.60% | 197 | 3.67% | 3,392 | 63.13% | 5,373 |
| Fulton | 3,119 | 78.60% | 681 | 17.16% | 168 | 4.23% | 2,438 | 61.44% | 3,968 |
| Garland | 22,606 | 68.60% | 9,162 | 27.80% | 1,186 | 3.60% | 13,444 | 40.80% | 32,954 |
| Grant | 5,205 | 82.91% | 859 | 13.68% | 214 | 3.41% | 4,346 | 69.23% | 6,278 |
| Greene | 9,050 | 78.65% | 2,027 | 17.62% | 429 | 3.73% | 7,023 | 61.04% | 11,506 |
| Hempstead | 3,338 | 72.00% | 1,193 | 25.73% | 105 | 2.26% | 2,145 | 46.27% | 4,636 |
| Hot Spring | 7,360 | 74.60% | 2,139 | 21.68% | 367 | 3.72% | 5,221 | 52.92% | 9,866 |
| Howard | 2,668 | 73.84% | 861 | 23.83% | 84 | 2.32% | 1,807 | 50.01% | 3,613 |
| Independence | 8,325 | 79.13% | 1,839 | 17.48% | 357 | 3.39% | 6,486 | 61.65% | 10,521 |
| Izard | 3,687 | 80.75% | 721 | 15.79% | 158 | 3.46% | 2,966 | 64.96% | 4,566 |
| Jackson | 2,913 | 72.61% | 988 | 24.63% | 111 | 2.77% | 1,925 | 47.98% | 4,012 |
| Jefferson | 7,570 | 43.97% | 9,339 | 54.25% | 307 | 1.78% | -1,769 | -10.28% | 17,216 |
| Johnson | 5,287 | 75.67% | 1,458 | 20.87% | 242 | 3.46% | 3,829 | 54.80% | 6,987 |
| Lafayette | 1,281 | 65.49% | 632 | 32.31% | 43 | 2.20% | 649 | 33.18% | 1,956 |
| Lawrence | 3,692 | 80.68% | 729 | 15.93% | 155 | 3.39% | 2,963 | 64.75% | 4,576 |
| Lee | 978 | 49.20% | 956 | 48.09% | 54 | 2.72% | 22 | 1.11% | 1,988 |
| Lincoln | 2,040 | 74.64% | 619 | 22.65% | 74 | 2.71% | 1,421 | 51.99% | 2,733 |
| Little River | 2,879 | 75.98% | 798 | 21.06% | 112 | 2.96% | 2,081 | 54.92% | 3,789 |
| Logan | 4,920 | 79.00% | 1,094 | 17.57% | 214 | 3.44% | 3,826 | 61.43% | 6,228 |
| Lonoke | 17,007 | 76.14% | 4,477 | 20.04% | 852 | 3.81% | 12,530 | 56.10% | 22,336 |
| Madison | 4,489 | 77.73% | 1,102 | 19.08% | 184 | 3.19% | 3,387 | 58.65% | 5,775 |
| Marion | 4,766 | 79.65% | 1,015 | 16.96% | 203 | 3.39% | 3,751 | 62.68% | 5,984 |
| Miller | 8,475 | 75.78% | 2,422 | 21.66% | 286 | 2.56% | 6,053 | 54.13% | 11,183 |
| Mississippi | 5,430 | 63.87% | 2,876 | 33.83% | 195 | 2.29% | 2,554 | 30.04% | 8,501 |
| Monroe | 1,295 | 57.99% | 891 | 39.90% | 47 | 2.10% | 404 | 18.09% | 2,233 |
| Montgomery | 2,516 | 79.80% | 532 | 16.87% | 105 | 3.33% | 1,984 | 62.92% | 3,153 |
| Nevada | 1,667 | 67.87% | 740 | 30.13% | 49 | 2.00% | 927 | 37.74% | 2,456 |
| Newton | 2,440 | 79.74% | 513 | 16.76% | 107 | 3.50% | 1,927 | 62.97% | 3,060 |
| Ouachita | 4,163 | 59.52% | 2,663 | 38.08% | 168 | 2.40% | 1,500 | 21.45% | 6,994 |
| Perry | 2,919 | 76.98% | 712 | 18.78% | 161 | 4.25% | 2,207 | 58.20% | 3,792 |
| Phillips | 1,929 | 45.11% | 2,281 | 53.34% | 66 | 1.54% | -352 | -8.23% | 4,276 |
| Pike | 3,133 | 84.61% | 472 | 12.75% | 98 | 2.65% | 2,661 | 71.86% | 3,703 |
| Poinsett | 4,419 | 79.64% | 976 | 17.59% | 154 | 2.78% | 3,443 | 62.05% | 5,549 |
| Polk | 5,669 | 82.59% | 932 | 13.58% | 263 | 3.83% | 4,737 | 69.01% | 6,864 |
| Pope | 13,158 | 75.39% | 3,678 | 21.07% | 618 | 3.54% | 9,480 | 54.31% | 17,454 |
| Prairie | 2,209 | 83.11% | 386 | 14.52% | 63 | 2.37% | 1,823 | 68.59% | 2,658 |
| Pulaski | 52,745 | 42.73% | 67,503 | 54.69% | 3,184 | 2.58% | -14,758 | -11.96% | 123,432 |
| Randolph | 4,160 | 79.31% | 864 | 16.47% | 221 | 4.21% | 3,296 | 62.84% | 5,245 |
| Saline | 30,900 | 71.73% | 10,602 | 24.61% | 1,574 | 3.65% | 20,298 | 47.12% | 43,076 |
| Scott | 2,497 | 84.64% | 349 | 11.83% | 104 | 3.53% | 2,148 | 72.81% | 2,950 |
| Searcy | 2,523 | 81.10% | 426 | 13.69% | 162 | 5.21% | 2,097 | 67.41% | 3,111 |
| Sebastian | 24,097 | 70.32% | 8,926 | 26.05% | 1,246 | 3.64% | 15,171 | 44.27% | 34,269 |
| Sevier | 2,888 | 79.71% | 625 | 17.25% | 110 | 3.04% | 2,263 | 62.46% | 3,623 |
| Sharp | 4,848 | 80.45% | 979 | 16.25% | 199 | 3.30% | 3,869 | 64.21% | 6,026 |
| St. Francis | 2,514 | 49.89% | 2,424 | 48.10% | 101 | 2.00% | 90 | 1.79% | 5,039 |
| Stone | 3,949 | 77.94% | 932 | 18.39% | 186 | 3.67% | 3,017 | 59.54% | 5,067 |
| Union | 7,926 | 68.33% | 3,443 | 29.68% | 230 | 1.98% | 4,483 | 38.65% | 11,599 |
| Van Buren | 4,861 | 77.93% | 1,111 | 17.81% | 266 | 4.26% | 3,750 | 60.12% | 6,238 |
| Washington | 37,336 | 53.01% | 30,935 | 43.92% | 2,160 | 3.07% | 6,401 | 9.09% | 70,431 |
| White | 18,497 | 80.24% | 3,732 | 16.19% | 823 | 3.57% | 14,765 | 64.05% | 23,052 |
| Woodruff | 1,376 | 66.28% | 633 | 30.49% | 67 | 3.23% | 743 | 35.79% | 2,076 |
| Yell | 4,264 | 81.03% | 836 | 15.89% | 162 | 3.08% | 3,428 | 65.15% | 5,262 |
| Totals | 592,437 | 65.73% | 280,187 | 31.09% | 28,682 | 3.18% | 312,250 | 34.64% | 901,306 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Chicot (largest city: Dermott)
- Clark (largest city: Arkadelphia)
- Crittenden (largest city: West Memphis)
- Desha (largest city: Dumas)
- Lee (largest city: Marianna)
- St. Francis (largest city: Forrest City)
- Woodruff (largest city: Augusta)
By congressional district
Boozman won all four congressional districts.[38]
| District | Boozman | James | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 72% | 25% | Rick Crawford |
| 2nd | 59% | 38% | French Hill |
| 3rd | 63% | 33% | Steve Womack |
| 4th | 70% | 27% | Bruce Westerman |