Republican Party of Arkansas

Last updated

Republican Party of Arkansas
AbbreviationRPA
Chairman Joseph K. Wood
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Lieutenant Governor Leslie Rutledge
Senate President pro tempore Bart Hester
House Speaker Matthew Shepherd
FoundedApril 2, 1867
(157 years ago)
 (1867-04-02)
Headquarters1201 West 6th Street, Little Rock, Arkansas
Membership (June 2021)117,277 [1]
Ideology Conservatism
National affiliation Republican Party
State House
82 / 100
State Senate
29 / 35
Statewide Executive Offices
7 / 7
U.S. House of Representatives
4 / 4
U.S. Senate
2 / 2
Election symbol
Republican Party Disc (alternate).svg
Website
arkansasgop.org

The Republican Party of Arkansas (RPA), headquartered at 1201 West 6th Street in downtown Little Rock, is the affiliate of the Republican Party in Arkansas. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling all four of Arkansas' U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, all statewide executive offices, including the governorship, and supermajorities in both houses of the state legislature.

Contents

The Republican Party of Arkansas was founded on April 2, 1867, by "the leading Union men" of Arkansas. [2] Under Powell Clayton, it played a preeminent role in politics at the height of Reconstruction in the state (1864–1874). [3] The party chairman is Joseph K. Wood.

History

Powell Clayton, 9th Governor of Arkansas (1868-1871) and the first Republican to hold the office Powell Clayton.jpg
Powell Clayton, 9th Governor of Arkansas (1868–1871) and the first Republican to hold the office

The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP (Grand Old Party), is the second oldest currently existing political party in the United States after its older rival, the Democratic Party. Both parties exist in all fifty states. Historically, prior to the late 20th century, the Republican Party was much weaker than the Democratic Party in the former states of the old Confederacy, including Arkansas.

The Arkansas party did not hire its first paid executive director until 1970, when businessman Neal Sox Johnson, then of Nashville, Arkansas, assumed the position in the last year of Winthrop Rockefeller's second term as governor of Arkansas. Johnson held the position until early in 1973, when he left Arkansas to take a position with the former Farmers Home Administration in Washington. [4]

Between 2010 and 2014, similar to what took place in neighboring Oklahoma, Arkansas Republicans won all four U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, all of the statewide offices, and supermajority control of both chambers of the General Assembly.

Associated groups

There are six groups and these groups are: Arkansas Diversity Alliances Coalition, African American Coalition of Arkansas, Arkansas African American Trailblazers, Arkansas Federation of College Republicans, Arkansas Federation of Young Republicans, Arkansas Federation of Republican Women, and the Arkansas Federation of Teenage Republicans. The Tusk Club is another arm of the Arkansas Republican Party.

Republican governors

As of 2023, there have been a total of eight Republican governors.

#GovernorPhotoCountyStart dateEnd dateTime in office
9 Powell Clayton (1833–1914) Powell Clayton.jpg Jefferson July 2, 1868March 17, 1871 [a] 2 years, 258 days
Ozra Amander Hadley (1826–1915) O. A. Hadley (Arkansas Governor) 2.jpg Pulaski March 17, 1871January 6, 18731 year, 295 days [b]
10 Elisha Baxter (1827–1899) Elisha Baxter.png Independence January 6, 1873November 12, 18741 year, 310 days
37 Winthrop Rockefeller (1912–1973) Winthrop Rockefeller Razorback 1969 (cropped).jpg Conway January 10, 1967January 12, 19714 years, 2 days
41 Frank D. White (1933–2003) Frank D. White 1995 (cropped).jpg Pulaski January 19, 1981January 11, 19831 year, 357 days
44 Mike Huckabee (born 1955) Mike Huckabee, August 2002 (cropped).jpg Hempstead July 15, 1996January 9, 200710 years, 359 days
46 Asa Hutchinson (born 1950) Asa Hutchinson 2019.jpg Benton January 13, 2015January 10, 20237 years, 362 days
47 Sarah Huckabee Sanders (born 1982) Sarah Sanders September 2024 (cropped).jpg Hempstead January 10, 2023Incumbent1 year, 329 days

Current elected officials

The Arkansas Republican Party controls all of the state's seven statewide offices. Republicans also hold both of the state's U.S. Senate seats and all four of the state's U.S. House seats.

Members of Congress

U.S. Senate

Republicans have controlled both of Arkansas's seats in the U.S. Senate since 2015:

U.S. House of Representatives

Out of the four seats Arkansas is apportioned in the U.S. House of Representatives, all four are held by Republicans:

DistrictMemberPhoto
1st Rick Crawford
Rick Crawford 115th Congress (cropped).jpg
2nd French Hill
Rep. French Hill official photo.jpg
3rd Steve Womack
Steve Womack 2018.jpg
4th Bruce Westerman
Bruce Westerman, 115th official photo (cropped).jpg

Statewide offices

Republicans control all seven of the elected statewide constitutional offices:

State legislative leaders

List of chairmen

This is a list of chairmen of the Republican Party of Arkansas: [5]

Electoral history

Gubernatorial

Arkansas Republican Party gubernatorial election results
ElectionGubernatorial candidateVotesVote %Result
1994 Sheffield Nelson 287,90440.16%LostRed x.svg
1998 Mike Huckabee 421,98959.77%WonGreen check.svg
2002 Mike Huckabee 427,08253.02%WonGreen check.svg
2006 Asa Hutchinson 315,04040.67%LostRed x.svg
2010 Jim Keet 262,78433.63%LostRed x.svg
2014 Asa Hutchinson 470,42955.44%WonGreen check.svg
2018 Asa Hutchinson 582,40665.33%WonGreen check.svg
2022 Sarah Huckabee Sanders 571,10562.96%WonGreen check.svg

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Dakota Republican Party</span> North Dakota affiliate of the Republican Party

The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio Republican Party</span> Ohio affiliate of the Republican Party

The Ohio Republican Party is the Ohio affiliate of the Republican Party. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1854.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Party of Illinois</span> Political party in the United States

The Democratic Party of Illinois is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the oldest extant state party in Illinois and one of just two recognized parties in the state, along with the Republican Party. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling the majority of Illinois' U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, both houses of the state legislature, and the governorship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Jersey Democratic State Committee</span> Political party

The New Jersey Democratic State Committee (NJDSC) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of New Jersey. LeRoy J. Jones Jr. is the chair and Peg Schaffer is the vice chair. Its main rival is the New Jersey Republican State Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah Republican Party</span> Political party

The Utah Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Utah. It is currently the dominant party in the state, and has been for almost all of its history. It currently holds Utah's entire congressional delegation, all statewide executive offices, and supermajorities in both state legislative chambers.

The Colorado Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Colorado. Shad Murib serves as its chair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in New York (state)</span>

The results of elections in the state of New York have tended to be more Democratic-leaning than in most of the United States, with in recent decades a solid majority of Democratic voters, concentrated in New York City and some of its suburbs, including Westchester County, Rockland County and Long Island's Nassau county, and in the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, and Ithaca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Oklahoma</span> Oklahoma Politics

The politics of Oklahoma exists in a framework of a presidential republic modeled after the United States. The governor of Oklahoma is both head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform two-party system. Executive power is exercised by the governor and the government. Legislative power is vested in the governor and the bicameral Oklahoma Legislature. Judicial power is vested in the judiciary of Oklahoma. The political system is laid out in the 1907 Oklahoma Constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Party of Arkansas</span> Political organization in Arkansas, U.S.

The Democratic Party of Arkansas is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Arkansas. The current party chair is Grant Tennille. Former U.S. president Bill Clinton was born in Arkansas, and served as state governor from 1979 to 1981 and 1983 to 1992.

The Delaware Democratic Party (DelDems) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is headquartered in New Castle County and chaired by Erik Raser-Schramm.

The Nevada State Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Nevada. It has been chaired by Daniele Monroe-Moreno since March 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Party of New Mexico</span> U.S. Democratic Party state party affiliate of New Mexico

The Democratic Party of New Mexico (DPNM) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is headquartered in Albuquerque and led by Chair Jessica Velasquez, Vice Chair Manny Crespin, Secretary Isaac Dakota Casados, and Treasurer Rayellen Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Virginia Republican Party</span> West Virginia affiliate of the Republican Party

The West Virginia Republican Party is the affiliate of the United States Republican Party in West Virginia. Matthew Herridge is the party chair. It is currently the dominant party in the state, and is one of the strongest affiliates of the national Republican Party. It controls both of West Virginia's U.S. House seats, one of the U.S. Senate seats, the governorship, and has supermajorities in both houses of the state legislature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republican Party of Kentucky</span> Kentucky affiliate of the Republican Party

The Republican Party of Kentucky is the affiliate of the Republican Party in Kentucky and follows its nationally established platform. The party's headquarters is in Frankfort, Kentucky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Republican State Committee</span> Affiliate of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of New York

The New York Republican State Committee, established in 1855, is the New York State affiliate of the United States Republican Party (GOP). The party has headquarters in Albany, Buffalo, and New York City. The purpose of the committee is to nominate Republican candidates for election to New York and federal political roles. It also assists its nominees in their election campaigns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Carolina Republican Party</span> North Carolina affiliate of the Republican Party

The North Carolina Republican Party (NCGOP) is the affiliate of the Republican Party in North Carolina. Michael Whatley was the chair from 2019 until his election as national chair in March 2024. It is currently the state's dominant party, controlling half of North Carolina's U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, and a 3/5 supermajority control of both chambers of the state legislature, as well as a majority on the state supreme court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Dakota Republican Party</span> South Dakota affiliate of the Republican Party

The South Dakota Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party in South Dakota. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling South Dakota's at-large U.S. House seat, both U.S. Senate seats, the governorship, and has supermajorities in both houses of the state legislature. State Sen. John Wiik has served as the party's chairman since 2023.

The State government of Arkansas is divided into three branches: executive, legislative and judicial. These consist of the state governor's office, a bicameral state legislature known as the Arkansas General Assembly, and a state court system. The Arkansas Constitution delineates the structure and function of the state government. Since 1963, Arkansas has had four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Like all other states, it has two seats in the U.S. Senate.

James Ray Caldwell, known as Jim R. Caldwell, is a retired Church of Christ minister in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who was a Republican member of the Arkansas State Senate from 1969 to 1978, the first member of his party to sit in the legislative upper chamber in the 20th century. His first two years as a senator corresponded with the second two-year term of Winthrop Rockefeller, the first Republican governor of Arkansas since Reconstruction. Caldwell was closely allied with Rockefeller during the 1969-1970 legislative sessions.

William Leach Spicer was a businessman from Fort Smith, Arkansas, who from 1962 to 1964 was the embattled state chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party.

References

Notes

  1. Resigned.
  2. President of the Senate acting as Governor.

    Citations

    1. "VR Statistics Report for June 2021" (PDF). Retrieved June 9, 2021.
    2. Clayton, Powell (1915). The Aftermath of the Civil War, in Arkansas. New York: The Neale Publishing Company. pp. 35–37. LCCN   15004463. OCLC   3508506. OL   6574262M via Internet Archive.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
    3. Barth, Jay (September 19, 2017). "Republican Party". Encyclopedia of Arkansas . Little Rock, Arkansas: CALS. 594. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
    4. Arkansas Outlook, Arkansas Republican Party newsletter, February 1973
    5. Coon, Ken, Dr. Heroes and Heroines of the Journey: The Builders of the Modern Republican Party of Arkansas. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

    34°44′41.1″N92°17′04.7″W / 34.744750°N 92.284639°W / 34.744750; -92.284639