Republican candidate Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Democratic candidate Chris Jones on Tuesday easily won their respective party's nomination for governor to advance to the November general election.
Sanders of Little Rock overwhelmingly defeated podcaster Doc Washburn of Little Rock to win the Republican gubernatorial nomination. She is the former press secretary for former President Donald Trump and the daughter of former Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee.
To win the Democratic nomination, Jones of Little Rock handily beat attorney and former state Rep. Jay Martin, businesswoman Supha Xayprasith-Mays, businessman James "Rus" Russell III and educator Anthony Bland, all of Little Rock.
Jones is a former executive director of the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub, a physicist and a minister.
Sanders and Jones will vie with Libertarian candidate Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. of Pine Bluff in the Nov. 8 general election.
The winner of the general election will succeed Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Rogers, who has been governor since 2015. The governor's salary is $158,739 a year.
With an estimated 98.4% of the vote counted Tuesday night, unofficial vote totals in the Republican primary were:
- Sanders: 285,109
- Washburn: 57,855
Sanders was also the favorite in Union County, where she received 3,161 votes to Washburn's 397, according to unofficial election night results. Provisional ballots have yet to be counted in Union County.
With an estimated 96.7% of the votes counted, the unofficial vote totals in the Democratic primary were:
- Jones: 66,082
- Bland: 8,978
- Martin: 7,656
- Russell: 6,349
- Xayprasith-Mays: 4,710
Jones led in Union County with 606 votes, according to unofficial election night results. Following him were Bland with 212 votes; Martin with 145 votes; Xayprasith-Mays with 65 votes; and Russell with 60 votes.
Lieutenant Governor race
Attorney General Leslie Rutledge on Tuesday won the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor, beating five other Republican candidates.
The Maumelle Republican avoided a June 21 runoff election by winning more than half the votes cast in the primary for state government's second-ranking elected official.
The other five Republican candidates in the primary were state Sen. Jason Rapert of Conway; state Surgeon General Greg Bledsoe of Little Rock; Washington County Judge Joseph Wood of Fayetteville; former state Republican Party Chairman Doyle Webb of Benton; and businessman Chris Bequette of Little Rock.
With an estimated 96% of the votes counted, unofficial returns in the Republican primary were:
- Rutledge: 183,126
- Rapert: 49,531
- Bledsoe: 33,610
- Wood: 29,184
- Webb: 23,115
- Bequette: 20,351
In Union County, Rutledge received 1,964 votes; the closest runner-up, Rapert, earned 401. Following them were Bledsoe with 324 votes; Bequette with 296 votes; Webb with 279 votes; and Wood with 180 votes.
Rutledge will vie with Democratic candidate Kelly Krout of Lowell and Libertarian candidate Frank Gilbert of Little Rock in the Nov. 8 general election to succeed term-limited Republican Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin of Little Rock, who is running for attorney general.
The lieutenant governor's salary is $46,704 a year. The post is considered to be part time.
Attorney General race
The unofficial winner of the Republican primary race for attorney general in Arkansas is Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin, according to the Associated Press, which called the race just after 9 p.m.
At that point, Griffin's lead over Leon Jones Jr., was just over 100,000 votes out of an estimated 145,000 votes counted, a lead that continued to widen as the night wore on.
With 96% of the vote count completed, unofficial returns were:
- Griffin: 284,873
- Jones: 48,749
Griffin received 3,043 votes in Union County, while Jones received 315.
The Arkansas attorney general receives a salary of $136,578 annually.
Griffin will go on to face two challengers for the attorney general post in the Nov. 8 general election; Democratic candidate Jesse Gibson and write-in candidate Gerhard Langguth, both of Little Rock.
U.S. Senate
Republican John Boozman coasted to victory in the Senate Republican primary on Tuesday, embracing an endorsement from former President Donald Trump as he fended off challengers from the right.
The victory caps off Arkansas' most high-profile congressional campaign this primary cycle, one that drove millions of dollars in spending between campaigns and super PACs.
The two-term senator turned back challenges from former NFL player Jake Bequette of Little Rock, Jan Morgan, a gun range owner from Hot Springs, and Heath Loftis, a Stuttgart pastor.
With an estimated 98.2% of votes counted, unofficial returns were:
- Boozman: 198,842
- Bequette: 70,957
- Morgan: 64,964
- Loftis: 7,978
Local voters favored Boozman, who earned 2,382 votes in Union County. Following him were Bequette with 595 votes; Morgan with 510 votes; and Loftis with 63 votes.
Also on Tuesday, real estate agent Natalie James of Little Rock finished first in the state's Democratic Senate primary over small-business owner Dan Whitfield of Bella Vista and Jack Foster, a former Pine Bluff City Council member.
With an estimated 96.7% of votes counted, unofficial returns were:
- James: 49,422
- Whitfield: 28,106
- Foster: 13,690
In Union County, James earned 533 votes, compared to Foster's 276 and Whitfield's 240.
News-Times staff contributed reporting.
Chris Jones celebrates after winning the Democratic Party's nomination for Governor during a watch party at the Venue at Westwind on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Stephen Swofford)
Leslie Rutledge, center, addresses supporters after winning the GOP primary for lieutenant governor at a watch party held in the Hamilton Room at the Marriott in Little Rock on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
Gubernatorial candidate Sarah Huckabee Sanders takes the stage with family as she is greeted by supporters as she enters the room to accept the Republican nomination for governor on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, at the Embassy Suites Little Rock. .(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)