Arkansas Senate Race 2026

Compare candidates running in this Arkansas federal race. Review their positions, voting records, campaign promises, and donor information.

Jeff Wadlin

Party: Libertarian

Hallie Shoffner

Party: Democrat

Tom Cotton

Party: Republican

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Arkansas Senate Race

Election: Nov 3, 2026Updated: Apr 6, 2026
📊Polling+22 Cotton
Cotton leads Shoffner 58-36 in GrayHouse poll; expands to 60-34 when voters informed of opponent
Source: GrayHouse Polling2026-02-09
58%
Cotton
36%
Shoffner
safe r— Cook Political Report

This race has no impact on party control as Arkansas is heavily Republican and Democrats have not won a Senate election there since 2008. A Republican hold is essentially certain.

Jeff WadlinL
Hallie ShoffnerD
Tom CottonR

Summary

U.S. Senate — Jeff Wadlin of Bentonville was nominated as the Libertarian Party of Arkansas candidate for U.S. Senate. Jeff Wadlin advanced from the Libertarian convention for U.S. Senate Arkansas on February 22, 2026.

Sixth-generation farmer Hallie Shoffner officially launched her campaign against U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton on Tuesday. The Democrat and Newport native is challenging the incumbent Republican who's seeking his third six-year term in the U.S. Senate during the 2026 election. Shoffner is a graduate of Newport High School, Vanderbilt University and the Clinton School of Public Service. In addition to running her family farm, she is also the founder and CEO of Delta Harvest, which builds local food infrastructure, supports farmers and brings opportunities back to struggling communities, according to the release. Hallie Shoffner defeated Ethan Dunbar in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Arkansas on March 3, 2026.

Tom Cotton was born in Dardanelle, Arkansas in 1977. He earned a bachelor's degree in government from Harvard University in 1998, and a J.D. from Harvard in 2002. Cotton served in the United States Army from 2004 to 2009. He also worked as a law clerk, a lawyer, a management consultant, and a farmer. Cotton served in the United States House of Representatives from 2013 to 2015. Republican incumbent Tom Cotton is seeking a third term.

Campaign Promises

Other
  • Unite Arkansans Beyond Partisan Divide
Economy
  • Agriculture and Farm Support
  • Social Security and Medicare Protection
  • Worker Protection and Union Rights
Healthcare
  • Healthcare Access
Immigration
  • Border Security and Immigration
Economy
  • Economic Policy and Inflation
Justice
  • Law and Order

Key Issue Positions

Government Reform and Accountability
Promoting transparency and reducing partisan gridlock
The very first thing that would happen is undo the wrongs that have been done to our state. I commit to actually help our school systems, true government transparency through our FOIA process, reduce our crime rate, and help our economy in a way we deserve. If you want back what's yours, remember this name come November on the ballot. Of course, I can't do this alone, I will staff up a team of Professionals in Public education, constitutional law, Law enforcement, and the economy that have as much care for this state as I do, that is what a Staff should look like.
Farm Policy
Strong supporter of comprehensive Farm Bill reform
After deciding to close the family farm in February 2025 due to financial reasons, Hallie Shoffner, a nearly decade-long Arkansas farmer, made the pivot to a Senate campaign to change the way the state approaches agriculture.
Cost of Living and Economic Justice
Frames the race as economic rather than political
Shoffner is running on the idea that the true divide in Arkansas is not political, but economic. "Right now Arkansas families are really struggling to afford basic things like food and medical care. Families are holding it together with sheer force of will and grit and faith."
Healthcare and Prescription Drug Costs
Supports strengthening ACA and protecting Medicare/Medicaid
Job 1 for Ms. Shoffner, she says, would be the Farm Bill, which hasn't seen much movement in Congress in recent years. Beyond agriculture, she says the biggest issue Arkansans care about, based on her discussions, is the cost of health care.
Immigration
Hardline stance advocating zero illegal immigration
Cotton is known for his hardline stance on immigration, advocating for reducing green-card numbers, capping refugee admissions, ending chain migration, and prioritizing immigrants with valuable skills. He also strongly supports the Trump-era deportation and enforcement policies, maintaining that immigration represents a crisis requiring strict federal action.
Inflation and Cost of Living
Supports tax cuts and opposes excess federal spending
Cotton's campaign website mentions inflation as an issue that matters to him and touts his support of tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025.
Healthcare Subsidies
Opposed extending ACA subsidies
Cotton told THV11 in November that he opposed extending Affordable Care Act subsidies that would have prevented many Americans' insurance premiums from increasing. He said he believed the subsidies had no mechanism of ensuring they served only low-income Americans. "Its formal title, the Affordable Care Act, belies the reality because it's not affordable for Arkansas families," Cotton said.

Top Donors

No donor data available.

Small Individual Donors (average $50)
$1.3 million total (as of March 2026)Small Donor
Grassroots fundraising with thousands of donors
Small Individual Contributions (< $200)
35.05%Individual
Percentage of total fundraising
Large Individual Contributions
34.17%Individual
Percentage of total fundraising
PAC Contributions
9.04%Industry PAC
Percentage of total fundraising

Contradictions

No contradictions documented.

Claim: Shoffner campaigns as a non-political "regular farmer" focused solely on agriculture
Contradiction: She spent years as a left-wing activist and worked for social justice nonprofits before returning to farming
Source: Shoffner grew up on her family's farm in eastern Arkansas but did not always work as a farmer, instead spending years as a left-wing activist. As a master's student at the University of Arkansas's Clinton School of Public Service, the Washington Free Beacon reported, Shoffner developed fundraising strategies for PROMSEX, a Soros-funded social justice nonprofit in Peru. She went on to serve as executive director of Seis Puentes, an Arkansas nonprofit that helps illegal immigrants "engage" in the U.S. government "process," as Shoffner put it in a 2012 interview.
Claim: Shoffner campaigns on 'fairness for everyone' with minimal mention of DEI
Contradiction: She previously championed diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and testified to support race-based hiring policies
Source: Months before launching her campaign in July of last year, Shoffner testified before a state panel in February 2025 to argue that the state of Arkansas should keep race-based hiring and admissions policies. Shoffner appeared before Arkansas's House State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee to testify on Senate Bill 3, which called to "prohibit discrimination or preferential treatment" based on race by state agencies, public school districts, colleges, and universities.
Claim: Cotton claims to represent everyday Arkansans and their interests
Contradiction: Opponents argue he has spent little time in Arkansas since graduating high school and attended Harvard for both undergraduate and law school
Source: "My opponent does not live in Arkansas, and he hasn't lived in Arkansas since high school," Shoffner said. "He went to Harvard and never came home, and I think that could be forgiven if he then had a constituent services program."

What Opponents Say

No opponent claims documented.

National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC)

Shoffner is a 'far-left fraud' with 25 donations to Kamala Harris

Hallie Shoffner poured money into Kamala Harris' campaign 25 separate times between 2020 and 2024, backing her bids for vice president and president. Now, she's suddenly claiming she won't even show up to a Harris campaign event in Arkansas.

Republican Party of Arkansas and NRSC

Shoffner is out of touch with Arkansas values

The Republican Party of Arkansas and the National Republican Senatorial Committee each congratulated Cotton and called Shoffner a "far-left fraud" in statements issued Tuesday night.

Hallie Shoffner

Cotton is out of touch and does not support farmers

The candidates are focused on issues like inflation, cost of living, and leadership, with Shoffner portraying Cotton as out-of-touch with the struggles of everyday Arkansans.

Endorsements

No endorsements listed.

Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Editorial Boardmedia
President Donald Trumpindividual
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sandersindividual
State Auditor Dennis Milliganindividual
All Arkansas congressional delegation members and most state legislatorsorganization
View Jeff Wadlin's Full Profile →View Hallie Shoffner's Full Profile →View Tom Cotton's Full Profile →