Arkansas voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly chose President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump as nominees for president in 2024 from their respective political parties.
Votes in the primaries assign delegates to each party’s candidates ahead of the summer party conventions. The conventions ultimately choose the nominee based on the number of delegates won by candidates in the primaries.
There were 31 Democratic delegates and 40 Republican delegates up for grabs in Arkansas.
The Associated Press called the Democratic race for Biden at 7:45 p.m., about 15 minutes after polls closed.
The AP called the Republican primary for Trump at 8:02 p.m.
As of 10:30 p.m., Biden had garnered 89% of votes with 99% of votes counted, according to the AP; Trump had received 76%.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, the only other active candidate in the race, had received 19% of the GOP vote at 10:30 p.m.
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who dropped out of the race in January had received 3%.. The remaining six Republican candidates on the ballot each received less than 2% of the vote.
Turnout for the primaries was low across the state, according to the secretary of state’s office.
‘Only one who can beat Doofus’
Trump voters outnumbered Biden voters interviewed by Arkansas Advocate reporters outside of polling places on Tuesday.
Ben Rogers of Little Rock said he voted for Trump because “he’s the only one who can beat Doofus,” referring to Biden.
Rogers was one of several Central Arkansas voters who expressed disappointment with Biden as a reason to vote for his predecessor, who has dominated the GOP presidential primaries.
Craig Cox, a Democratic voter from central Little Rock, said he thinks Biden’s detractors have unfairly blamed him for “anything from gas prices to food to the economy and everything else.”
“We’re in the biggest [economic] recovery in years, and yet they’re trying to paint it as though it’s all one person’s fault,” Cox said. “Obviously he’s made mistakes, and there are things he’s done that I don’t agree with, but I also don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater.”
Jeff Schwen of Benton in Saline County said he initially considered the choice between Hutchinson and Trump “a toss-up” but voted for Trump because he “kind of lost faith in Hutchinson [during] the last year or so he was governor.”
Damion Donovan, who lives in the John Barrow neighborhood of Little Rock, said Trump is the only viable Republican candidate, and he doesn’t want “another four years of crap” if Biden wins.
“I’ve spent the last four years going through [problems] with jobs and all kinds of stuff,” Donovan said. “Before that, I had no issues.”
Gary Fryar of rural Saline County said the possibility of Biden losing is “all that matters” to him in the presidential race.
“Anyone but him,” he said. “Any president with a backbone is what we need.”
Gil and Eulanda Bryant of Huntsville in Madison County were split on who to vote for in the Republican presidential primary.
Eulanda said Nikki Haley is a good choice because she’s quick on her feet and has no problems answering questions.
Eulanda said Donald Trump has too much chaos surrounding him and if he’s elected, he could get impeached again.
Gil agreed that Trump has his baggage, but voted for him because he likes his economic policies, like “America first.”
Joseph Wood, chairman of the Republican Party of Arkansas, said, “Tonight’s results make one thing clear: Arkansans are excited to return President Donald J. Trump to the White House in November. We at the Republican Party of Arkansas offer our congratulations to our candidates across the State, including Congressman Steve Womack, on their primary victories and look forward to running the best ground game Arkansas has ever seen to elect Republicans up and down the ballot this fall.
Now, it’s game time.”
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