LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Democratic Party of Arkansas Chair Grant Tennille said more Democrats will be on Arkansas ballots in the 2024 election than has been seen in the last 10 years.
Arkansas Democrats will contest 64 state House districts, the most since 2012 when they last held the majority in the chamber.
The Democratic Party also shared that they will field 78 total candidates for state House, seven candidates for state Senate, one candidate for state treasurer, one candidate in all four congressional districts, and seven presidential candidates.
“This is a momentous day for Arkansas Democrats,” Tennille said Tuesday morning.
Democratic candidates cover the state legislature race and all four U.S. House seats, according to Tennille. He said the candidates are retired military officers, public school teachers, students, farmers, and parents.
Republican Party of Arkansas Executive Director Seth Mays said the numbers won’t matter.
“You can have a thousand candidates file, but if they’re not qualified to represent constituents in their own districts, they’re simply not going to get elected,” he said.
Mays said the RPA is not losing sleep at night over Democrat numbers this election.
“Throwing numbers at the board hoping something sticks isn’t going to translate to victories,” he said.
Tennille said the Democrats have a group of people to thank for getting this number of Democrats on the ballot.
“Governor Sanders has helped our party more than anything we’ve seen in years,” Tennille said. “Put simply, the conduct and political arrogance of the supermajority party in this state have led to a stronger position for the Democratic Party and the results are speaking for themselves.”
Tennille pointed to things like the LEARNS Act, the new Freedom of Information Act in Arkansas and what’s become known as “Lecterngate” as reasons Democrats are pushing for new state leadership.
Mays, on the other hand, said Sanders will actually be helping Republicans as she backs them up once the election season starts to ramp up.
“If the Democratic Party of Arkansas wants to invoke the name Sarah Huckabee Sanders in the election of 2024, we’ll just consider it a contribution,” Mays said. “The governor is very popular with Arkansans. They know her, they trust her, and that’s why they elected her.”
The Republican Party of Arkansas also shared a statement on the number of Republican candidates on the ballot.
“With today’s completion of the filing period in Arkansas, the Republican Party of Arkansas filed the most candidates of any party, totaling 100 candidates for State House, 18 candidates for State Senate, 1 candidate for State Treasurer, 5 candidates for United States Congress, and 9 candidates for United States President,” the statement said.
