BROOKLAND, AR — (BrooklandNews.com) — Jul. 29, 2026 — Arkansans head back to the polls Nov. 3 for the 2026 midterm election, and for voters in Brookland and the rest of Craighead County, the ballot stretches from the U.S. Senate all the way down to the local school board. Below is a race-by-race breakdown of every contest on the Brookland ballot, followed by a look at the marquee battlegrounds across the country that will decide who controls Washington and the nation’s statehouses.
On the Brookland Ballot — Federal
Two federal races will appear on every Brookland voter’s ballot this fall.
U.S. Senate
Arkansas U.S. Senate Seat
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Republican Sen. Tom Cotton is seeking a third term representing Arkansas in the U.S. Senate. He faces Democrat Hallie Shoffner, a sixth-generation farmer from Newport, in the general election.
- Tom Cotton (incumbent)REP
- Hallie ShoffnerDEM
Cotton has held the seat since 2015 and was previously a member of the U.S. House. Arkansas has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 2008, making this seat a heavy Republican favorite, though Shoffner has campaigned on agricultural and rural economic issues.
U.S. House — District 1
Arkansas’ 1st Congressional District
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Brookland falls within Arkansas’ 1st Congressional District, represented since 2011 by Republican Rick Crawford of Jonesboro. Crawford faces Democrat Dr. Terri Green, a retired Paragould pathologist, along with a Libertarian and an independent candidate.
- Rick Crawford (incumbent)REP
- Terri GreenDEM
- Steve ParsonsLIB
- Jason GainesIND
Green, of Paragould, said she entered the race because she did not want to see Crawford run unopposed on the ballot. The 1st District covers most of east Arkansas and the Delta and has been reliably Republican since Crawford first won the seat in 2010, flipping a district that had voted Democratic since Reconstruction.
On the Brookland Ballot — State
Every statewide constitutional office is up in 2026, along with the state legislative seats covering Craighead County.
StatewideGovernor
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- Sarah Huckabee Sanders (incumbent)REP
- Fredrick LoveDEM
- Colt ShelbyLIB
Sanders is seeking a second term after winning her first in 2022. Love, a state senator from Little Rock, won the Democratic nomination in March. Arkansas has not elected a Democratic governor since 2010, when Mike Beebe won re-election.
StatewideLieutenant Governor
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- Leslie Rutledge (incumbent)REP
- Michael KalagiasLIB
No Democrat filed for this race. Rutledge, the former state attorney general, is seeking a second term as lieutenant governor.
StatewideAttorney General
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- Tim Griffin (incumbent)REP
Griffin is running unopposed for a second term as attorney general.
StatewideSecretary of State
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- Kim HammerREP
- Kelly GrappeDEM
The seat is open because appointed incumbent Cole Jester is barred by state law from running for a full term in the office he was appointed to; Jester is instead running for land commissioner (see below). Hammer, a term-limited state senator, won a Republican runoff over Bryan Norris in March to advance to the general election.
StatewideTreasurer
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- John Thurston (incumbent)REP
Thurston, who previously served as secretary of state and land commissioner, is running unopposed for a full term as treasurer.
StatewideAuditor
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- Dennis Milligan (incumbent)REP
Milligan is running unopposed for another term as state auditor.
StatewideCommissioner of State Lands
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- Cole JesterREP
- Christopher OlsonLIB
Current Secretary of State Cole Jester is running for land commissioner instead, a seat left open by term-limited incumbent Tommy Land. Jester defeated Christian Olson in the Republican primary in March.
State SenateDistricts 19 & 20 (Craighead County)
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Not on the 2026 ballot. Neither seat is up for election this cycle.
Craighead County is split between two state Senate districts. Dave Wallace of Leachville represents District 19, and Dan Sullivan of Jonesboro represents District 20. Both are in the middle of four-year terms and will not appear on this year’s ballot.
State HouseDistrict 32 (Brookland area)
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Republican Rep. Jack Ladyman, who has represented rural Craighead County since 2015, is seeking re-election. He faces Democrat Erika Askeland, who won the March Democratic primary, in the general election.
- Jack Ladyman (incumbent)REP
- Erika AskelandDEM
Askeland, a past Senate District 20 candidate, defeated fellow Democrat Joshua Alfano in the March primary with about 93% of the vote to earn the nomination.
State HouseDistrict 30 (Craighead, Greene, Lawrence)
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This seat is open after Rep. Fran Cavenaugh announced she would not seek re-election. Two Republicans faced off in the primary with no Democratic challenger filed, so the primary winner advances unopposed in November.
- Josh LongmireREP
- Coty PowersREP
Longmire is a Craighead County Justice of the Peace from Jonesboro; Powers is a Walnut Ridge bail bondsman.
State HouseDistrict 38 (Craighead County)
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- Dwight Tosh (incumbent)REP
Tosh, who has served District 38 since 2015, is running unopposed for another term.
On the Brookland Ballot — Craighead County & Local
County offices and the Brookland School District board round out the local ballot.
Craighead CountySheriff
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This race was effectively decided in the March primary. No Democrat or independent filed to challenge the Republican nominee, so no additional vote is needed in November.
Assistant Chief Deputy Jason Allen defeated Randy Eggers in the Republican primary, 5,919 votes to 1,018, to succeed retiring Sheriff Marty Boyd. Allen, a 19-year law enforcement veteran and a member of the Brookland School District community, will take office as Craighead County’s next sheriff.
Craighead CountyTax Collector
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- Jenny Ruth CrislerREP
- Stephanie A. HoffmanREP
This is the only contested county row office on the ballot this cycle. Both candidates are Republicans, with no Democrat or independent having filed, so the winner is decided in the primary.
Craighead CountyCounty Judge, Tax Assessor & Treasurer
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All three offices below drew only one candidate each and are unopposed on the ballot.
- Marvin Day — County Judge (incumbent)REP
- Hannah Towell — Tax AssessorREP
- Terry M. McNatt — TreasurerREP
Check your sample ballot for Justice of the Peace races specific to your precinct, as these vary by district within the county.
Brookland School DistrictSchool Board, Zones 1 & 2
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- Brandon Sutton — Zone 1NONPARTISAN
- Danna Johnson — Zone 2NONPARTISAN
Both Brookland School Board seats up this cycle drew single candidates, who will be seated barring a late write-in challenge. School board races are nonpartisan under Arkansas law.
Battleground Races to Watch Nationally
Arkansas’ own races are mostly settled contests, but these are the fights that will decide control of Congress and governor’s mansions across the country. Republicans currently hold the U.S. Senate 53-47 and a narrow U.S. House majority.
📊 DDHQ 2026 Forecast
Updated regularly at votes.decisiondeskhq.comU.S. House
Florida’s 14th District
Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor is fighting to hold her Tampa-area seat after Republican-led redistricting made the district noticeably more competitive.
North Carolina’s 1st District
Democratic Rep. Don Davis faces a 2024 rematch against Republican Laurie Buckhout in one of the most closely watched districts in the country.
Maine’s 2nd District
Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, one of the chamber’s most independent-minded members, represents a district Trump has carried multiple times.
Arizona’s 6th District
Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani defends a seat Trump won by less than a point, facing Democrat JoAnna Mendoza after she won a competitive July primary.
Colorado’s 8th District
Republican Rep. Gabe Evans faces Democrat Manny Rutinel in a rematch of one of 2024’s closest House races nationally.
Pennsylvania’s 7th & 10th Districts
Republican Reps. Ryan Mackenzie and Scott Perry are both defending seats Cook Political Report rates as pure toss-ups this cycle.
Iowa’s 1st District
Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks has won three straight nail-biters and is again among the GOP’s most vulnerable incumbents.
Nebraska’s 2nd District
Republican Rep. Don Bacon’s Omaha-area seat has flipped to Democratic presidential candidates in recent cycles even as Bacon has held on.
U.S. Senate
Maine
Republican Sen. Susan Collins, in office nearly 30 years, will face Democrat Troy Jackson, a former state Senate president, after the party’s original nominee dropped out amid scandal.
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Maine’s Senate contest was upended just weeks before the general election. Oyster farmer and combat veteran Graham Platner won the Democratic primary in June over Gov. Janet Mills, running as an outsider progressive with backing from Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. His campaign had already weathered controversy over a chest tattoo resembling Nazi imagery and old Reddit posts in which he downplayed sexual assault in the military. In early July, Politico reported that a former girlfriend accused Platner of forcing her to have sex without her consent in 2021. Platner denied the allegation as “categorically untrue,” but within hours, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, campaign committee chair Kirsten Gillibrand, and eventually Sanders himself called on him to leave the race.
Platner suspended his campaign and formally withdrew in mid-July, saying the process to pick his replacement should be decided by Maine Democrats rather than by him. The party set a compressed nominating process, and a 601-delegate convention was held July 25 in Bangor. Troy Jackson, a former state Senate president from Aroostook County running as a progressive in his own right, won all but five of the 571 votes cast and became the new Democratic nominee. He now takes on Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who is seeking a sixth term in a race both parties consider critical to control of the Senate.
New Hampshire
An open seat after Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s retirement. Democrat Chris Pappas faces Republican Chuck Morse, with the up-ballot governor’s race also drawing national attention.
Michigan
An open seat after Democratic Sen. Gary Peters chose not to run again. U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed compete in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary to face Republican Mike Rogers, who narrowly lost this seat in 2024.
Georgia
Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is defending the only Democratic-held Senate seat in a state Trump won. He faces Republican Rep. Mike Collins, who won a contested GOP primary with Trump’s endorsement.
North Carolina
An open seat after Republican Sen. Thom Tillis chose to retire following clashes with President Trump. Democrat and former Gov. Roy Cooper has led Republican Michael Whatley in every public poll of the race so far.
Texas
Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton won a bruising GOP primary and faces Democratic state Rep. James Talarico. No Democrat has won statewide in Texas in more than 30 years, but the race is drawing unusual national money and attention.
Iowa
An open seat after Sen. Joni Ernst chose not to run. Iowa’s economy has been hit hard by tariffs, and Democrats see Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand as a stronger-than-expected recruit.
Alaska
Democrat Mary Peltola, the first Alaska Native elected to Congress, is challenging for the Senate seat in a state with a history of independent-minded voting.
Governor
Arizona
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs seeks re-election in a state that has become a premier battleground. She will face Republican Rep. Andy Biggs, who won the July GOP primary over fellow Rep. David Schweikert with Trump’s endorsement.
Michigan
An open race to replace term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson leads the Democratic field against a crowded Republican primary.
Georgia
The only Republican-held governor’s seat rated a true toss-up this cycle. Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms faces Republican Rick Jackson for the seat Gov. Brian Kemp must give up due to term limits.
Kansas
Considered the governor’s seat most likely to flip parties in 2026, as term-limited Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly leaves office in a state that still leans Republican overall.
Wisconsin
One of the classic presidential battlegrounds, also up for grabs at the governor level this cycle, with implications for the state’s next round of redistricting.
Nevada
Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo faces Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford, with Medicaid and casino-and-tourism economic issues front and center given the state’s reliance on gaming and hospitality.
Pennsylvania
Gov. Josh Shapiro, viewed as a potential 2028 presidential contender, must win re-election first in a state both parties treat as the ultimate bellwether.
Minnesota
An open seat after Gov. Tim Walz opted not to seek a third term. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar is running, while Republicans have a crowded field including MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.
Why the U.S. House is different this year
Control of the House will be decided on unusually Trump-friendly turf. Because of mid-decade redistricting fights in Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and several other states, both parties have redrawn maps aggressively in their own favor, offsetting many of the gains either side hoped to make. Analysts say House Republicans are defending far fewer Trump-won-narrowly seats than is typical heading into a midterm, meaning Democrats will need to compete on tougher ground than in past wave years like 2018 to retake the chamber.
Key Dates & Voting Info
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Craighead County voters may cast a ballot at any open polling center countywide, including Wood’s Chapel Baptist Church in Brookland. Any state-issued photo ID is accepted; the enhanced “Real ID” license is not required. Voter registration is not available online in Arkansas and must be completed through the Craighead County Clerk’s Office at 511 S. Main Street, Suite 202, in Jonesboro.