Democratic gubernatorial nominee Chris Jones on Wednesday congratulated Republican Governor-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders on being elected Tuesday as the first woman governor in Arkansas.
"The math is clear and the results of the race are clear," Jones said in a written statement. "Our state was poised to make history no matter the results."
Arkansas would either elect the first Black person or the first female governor, he said.
"History was made," Jones said in the statement. "Sarah's election has shown women, including my little girls, that being a woman is no longer a barrier to becoming governor of the state."
Sanders spokesman Judd Deere said Wednesday in a written statement that "The Gov-elect spoke by phone with Chris Jones this morning.
"They had a nice visit, and she is appreciative of the call."
Republican gubernatorial nominee Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Tuesday beat Jones and Libertarian candidate Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. to become the first woman elected as Arkansas' governor.
Sanders, 40, is the daughter of former Gov. Mike Huckabee -- who served as the state's chief executive from July 1996-2007 -- and a former White House press secretary for President Donald Trump.
Sanders, of Little Rock, is the first daughter of a former governor elected to fill the position formerly held by her father in the United States, according to Chelsea Hill, data services manager for the Center for American Women and Politics, which is part of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.
With an estimated 97% of the vote counted, unofficial vote totals Wednesday afternoon were:
SANDERS 566,756
HARRINGTON 16,554
JONES 314,762