Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has called a special election to fill the Arkansas Senate District 1 seat left vacant following the resignation of Sen. Ben Gilmore.
According to the governor’s proclamation, a special partisan primary will be held Tuesday, August 18th.
If no candidate receives the required majority, a runoff election will take place September 15th.
The special general election is scheduled for November 3rd, when nominees from each political party, along with any qualified independent candidates, will appear on the ballot.
The winner will serve the remainder of Gilmore’s term, which expires at the end of January 2029. Gilmore resigned June 30th after accepting a position with the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office.
Candidates seeking the nomination of a political party must file their notice of candidacy, political practices pledge and affidavit of eligibility with the Arkansas Secretary of State’s Office between noon Monday, July 13th, and noon Thursday, July 16th.
Independent candidates must submit their petitions to the Secretary of State by noon Friday, Aug. 7th. Petition signatures may be gathered beginning July 17th, and the number of signatures required has been reduced under state law because of the special election schedule.
Following the primary, political parties must certify their nominees by September 22nd, with ballot positions for the Nov. 3rd special election to be drawn September 23rd. County election officials are required to certify the election results by November 18th.
Although the filing period has not yet opened, two Republican candidates have publicly announced their intention to seek the District 1 seat.
Laura “Missy” Wardlaw, of the Janssen community in Bradley County, has entered the race after narrowly losing the Republican primary for House District 94 earlier this year.
Harrell Wilson, of the States community, also announced his candidacy.
Wilson owns a family-operated hardwood sawmill in Rison, manages pine and hardwood timber operations, and has served on the Cleveland County School Board since 2012, where he is currently board president.
