Democratic Party of Arkansas

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Democratic Party of Arkansas
Membership (June 2021)90,420[1]
IdeologySocial liberalism (American)
Populism
National affiliationDemocratic Party
Colors  Blue
State House
18 / 100
State Senate
6 / 35
Statewide Executive Offices
0 / 7
U.S. House of Representatives
0 / 4
U.S. Senate
0 / 2
Website
arkdems.org

The Democratic Party of Arkansas is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Arkansas. The current party chair is Grant Tennille.

History

Early statehood

Arkansas began its statehood with a strong Democratic dominance in politics. Before Arkansas became a state on June 15, 1836, its politics was dominated by a small group commonly called "

The Family" or "The Dynasty" until the American Civil War.[2] The founder of this party was James Conway, who was inspired by the death of his older brother, Henry Conway.[3] On October 27, 1827, Henry Conway was killed in a duel by Robert Crittenden, a former friend that soon became his political opposition.[4] In an act to avenge his brother's death, he formed the first political party of Arkansas, "The Dynasty".[4] Many of the members in this group were related by either blood or marriage, and thus it received the name "The Family".[3] This group was closely allied with former President Andrew Jackson.[2]

One of the former major factions of the party is known as the Swamp Democrats, around during the

Hill Democrats. The area of strength for the Swamp Democrats was the flooded timber and marshy areas of eastern Arkansas and the Grand Prairie section of the state. This was the region of the slaveholding plantations, and swamp Democrats generally voted in the interests of Arkansas planters and merchants.[5]

Reconstruction through the Gilded Age

Following the

Radical Republicans in Arkansas in the late 1870s, the state entered an "unbroken tenure"[6] of Democratic hegemony until 1966, when Republican Winthrop Rockefeller won the Governorship.[2]

After Reconstruction, Democrats in Arkansas were known as

Jeff Davis
.

Progressive Era

See also: Progressive Era

The start of the 20th century marked a change in Arkansans and the nation at large. Though more restrained in Arkansas, social activism and political reform grew throughout the

primaried by John Ellis Martineau, who accused Terral of receiving kickbacks, after his first term. Governor Harvey Parnell managed to pass reform measures, but was blamed for the Great Depression, and left office extremely unpopular.[8]

The Progressive Era in Arkansas was shorter-lived than across the United States. Though Arkansas and the nation voted for

reform era in Arkansas.[9]

Democratic control weakens

Over the years, the Republican Party spread from its geographic base in the Ozarks,[10] largely through individual conversion.[11] Presidential elections became more competitive, though Arkansas was last to deny electoral votes to a Democrat by supporting George Wallace in the 1968 presidential election. Following that election, Arkansas only voted Democrat to support fellow Southerner Jimmy Carter[12] and former Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton.[13]

During the 1970s and 1980s, Arkansans were very likely to split their ballots among parties, indicating a tradition of independence.

1982. Democrats continued to dominate the state legislature with more than 3 to 1 majorities until 2010, despite a 1992 constitutional amendment that limited incumbents to a maximum of 2 terms in the State Senate and 3 terms in the State House.[16]

Republican strength

Previous version of the state party logo, used from 2013 to 2024.

With the election of Barack Obama as president in 2009, Arkansas Democrats have seen their influence gradually decline. In 2014, Republicans captured all the statewide offices, both chambers of the state legislature, all four U.S. House seats, and both U.S. Senate seats. Though the Democratic Party of Arkansas does not currently hold any statewide office in Arkansas, the work of the party is pursued through the Democratic Party of Arkansas' county committees[17] and the party's auxiliary, the Young Democrats of Arkansas.[18]

Current elected officials

Members of Congress

  • None

Arkansas’ congressional delegation has been all-Republican since 2015. Mark Pryor was the last Democrat to hold or win election to an Arkansas U.S. Senate seat. First elected in 2002, Pryor lost his bid for a third term in 2014 to Tom Cotton. The last Democrat to win or hold an Arkansas U.S. House seat was Mike Ross. First elected in 2000, Ross did not seek re-election to a 7th term in 2012, instead unsuccessfully running for Governor of Arkansas in 2014. State Senator Gene Jeffress ran as the Democratic nominee for Ross’ seat and lost to Cotton.

Statewide offices

  • None

Arkansas has not elected any Democratic candidates to statewide office since 2010, when Mike Beebe, Dustin McDaniel, and Martha Shoffner were re-elected as governor, attorney general, and treasurer and Charlie Daniels was elected as state auditor. In 2014, term limits prevented Beebe, and McDaniel from seeking third terms while Shoffner resigned during her second term and her replacement Charles Robinson was not eligible to run for a full term and Daniels opted not to seek re-election to a second term. Mike Ross, Nate Steel, Karen Sealy Garcia, and Regina Stewart Hampton ran as the Democratic nominees in the 2014 elections and were all subsequently defeated by Republican challengers Asa Hutchinson, Leslie Rutledge, Dennis Milligan, and Andrea Lea.

State Legislature

Municipal

The following Democrats hold prominent mayoralties in Arkansas:

Past governors

President Bill Clinton (1993−2001)

Democratic governors that have won gubernatorial elections in Arkansas since 1941:

[21][22]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "VR Statistics Report for June 2021" (PDF). Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Democratic Party". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "The Family [Political Dynasty]". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  4. ^
    ASIN B0007EEXZW
    .
  5. ISBN 978-1557284655
    .
  6. ^ a b c "State" (1957), p. 48.
  7. ^ "State" (1957), p. 49.
  8. ^ "Arkansas" (2002), p. 320.
  9. ^ "Arkansas" (2002), p. 321.
  10. ^ "Realignment" (1997), p. 319.
  11. ^ "Realignment" (1997), p. 317.
  12. ^ "Realignment" (1997), p. 309.
  13. ^ "Realignment" (1997), p. 310.
  14. ^ a b "Realignment" (1997), p. 321.
  15. ^ "Realignment" (1997), p. 322.
  16. ^ "Arkansas Term Limits, Proposed Amendment 4 (1992)".
  17. ^ "County Parties & Officers".
  18. ^ "About Us". YDAR. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  19. ^ a b "Arkansas Senate Leadership President Pro Tempore Majority Leader Minority Leader". Arkansas Senate. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  20. ^ a b "Leadership". State of Arkansas House of Representatives. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  21. ISBN 978-0914546085
    .
  22. ^ List of governors of Arkansas

References

External links
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