Gov. Sanders Revises Election Timeline for District 26 Seat

After resistance, Sanders revises election date to fill vacant Arkansas Senate seat

A gate to the 815-acre site of a proposed 3,000-bed state prison in Franklin County, Arkansas. (Undated photo courtesy of Arkansas Department of Corrections)After pushback from members of her own party, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders late Friday changed the date of the general election to fill the vacant District 26 Senate seat from November 2026 to June. The new general election date still comes after the end of the Legislature’s 2026 fiscal sessi…

Gov. Sanders revises election timeline for District 26 seat

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders revised the timeline for the special election to fill the late Sen. Gary Stubblefield’s District 26 seat after facing criticism from both parties and candidates. Stubblefield, who represented the River Valley district, died on Sept. 2. On Friday, Sanders initially set the special primary for March 3, 2026, and the general election for Nov. 3, leaving the seat vacant for over a year …

Dates set for special election to fill Stubblefield's Arkansas Senate seat

Sen. Gary Stubblefield, R-Branch, asks a question of a group opposed to a planned prison in Franklin County during a press conference in Little Rock on Jan. 14, 2025. (Photo by Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate) Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders officially called a special election Friday to fill the seat of the late Sen. Gary Stubblefield, who died earlier this month. The Republican from Branch represented Senate District 26, which encompasses parts of…

Special election set for state senator office, previously held by state Sen. Stubblefield

The office was previously held by state Sen. Gary Stubblefield. Stubblefield died on Tuesday, Sept. 2.

Gov. Sanders changes date for District 26 Senate special election after backlash

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced a special election to fill former District 26 Senator Gary Stubblefield's seat will not be held until November 2026.

Sanders sets dates for special primary and general elections for Stubblefield’s seat | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

After drawing criticism from some Republicans and state Democratic leaders, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Friday night changed the date for the special general election for the vacant Senate District 26 seat formerly held by the late state Sen. Gary Stubblefield, R-Branch, from Nov. 3, 2026, to June 9.