By James Jefferson and Rob Moritz
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansans awoke to a new political reality today: After decades of Democratic dominance, the state finally has a two-party system.
In stunning fashion, voters repainted Arkansas’ political landscape in Tuesday’s general election by booting out a veteran Democratic incumbent U.S. senator in favor of a Republican, elected Republican candidates to replace two retiring Democratic congressmen, handed three state constitutional offices to the GOP and staked the party with 23 new seats in the Legislature.
“It was an amazing election statewide,” said Art English, political science professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
In incomplete, unofficial returns reported today, Republican U.S. Rep. John Boozman defeated Democratic incumbent Blanche Lincoln in the U.S. Senate race, garnering 435,891 votes, 58 percent, to 280,987 votes, 37 percent, for incumbent Democrat Blanche Lincoln in the U.S. Senate race. Independent candidate Trevor Drown received 24,781 votes, 3 percent, and Green Party candidate John Gray received 14,119, 2 percent.
In the governor’s race, Democratic incumbent Mike Beebe easily won re-election. Beebe had 489,718 votes, 65 percent, and Republican Jim Keet had 253,890 votes, 34 percent. Green Party candidate Jim Lendall received 14,223 votes, just under 2 percent.
Republican Mark Darr defeated Democrat state Sen. Shane Broadway in the race for lieutenant governor. Darr had 376,689 votes, 51 percent, and Broadway had 364,143, 49 percent.
Democrat Dustin McDaniel was re-elected as attorney general, defeating Green Party candidate Rebekah Kennedy. McDaniel received 511,366 votes, 73 percent, and Kennedy received 187,184 votes, 27 percent.
For secretary of state, Republican Mark Martin defeated Democrat Pat O’Brien. Martin received 379,258 votes, 51 percent, and O’Brien received 362,891 votes, or 49 percent.
Democrats retained the most important state offices. Victories for Beebe and McDaniel assure a Democratic majority on the three-member state Board of Apportionment that will redraw legislative districts next year to reflect the 2010 census.
They will be joined by the GOP’s Martin as secretary of state.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Ross, the state’s only U.S. House incumbent returning to Washington, will be joined by three Republicans — a mirror image of the current delegation in which Boozman serves with three Democrats.
When Boozman joins U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., in the Senate next year, Arkansas’ congressional delegation will have a Republican majority for the first time since Reconstruction.
“What we have done is elect three ideological Republicans … very conservative. There’s a difference between the moderate Democrat and someone who is coming up to Washington with a completely opposite agenda to the president,” English said.
“They seem to be strongly against, for a lack of a better word, the old pork or earmark for infrastructure development. They are going up there with the idea of cutting spending, cutting taxes and things like that.” he said. “The question has to be how do they work with the rest of the delegation?”
In the Legislature, Republicans nearly doubled their presence in the 35-member Senate, from eight seats currently to 15, and claimed 44 seats in the 100-member House, up from 28 currently. A special election will have to be held for one other House seat because the winner in Tuesday’s balloting, Republican Keith Crass of Hot Springs, died before the election.
The extra numbers will embolden Republicans to more aggressively push a conservative agenda, said House Republican leader Bryan King, R-Green Forest.
“In years past it was kind of like a chess game where the Republicans had five or six pieces and the Democrats had the rest. But last night the people of Arkansas just wiped the slate clean and a new game is starting now,” King said.
State sovereignty over national health care and illegal immigration reform were issues Republicans pushed during the 2009 session that failed. Those issues may be back, and this time the Republicans will be “ready for a fight,” he said.
Other unofficial results from Tuesday’s election:
—Republican Rick Crawford defeated Democrat Chad Causey for the 1st District congressional seat. Crawford had 92,202 votes, 52 percent, and Causey had 77,249 votes, 43 percent. Green Party candidate Ken Adler received 8,427 votes, 5 percent.
—Republican Tim Griffin defeated Democrat Joyce Elliott in the 2nd District. Griffin had 119,962 votes, 58 percent, and Elliott garnered 79,183 votes, 38 percent. Independent candidate Lance Levi received 4,344 votes, 2 percent, and Green Party candidate Lewis Kennedy had 3,550 votes, 2 percent.
—Republican Steve Womack defeated Democrat David Whitaker in the 3rd District congressional race. Womack had 136,608 votes, 72 percent, and Whitaker had 52,267 votes, 28 percent.
—Ross defeated Republican Beth Anne Rankin in the 4th District. Ross had 102,222 votes, 58 percent, and Rankin had 71,385 votes, 40 percent. Green Party candidate Josh Drake garnered 4,120 votes, 2 percent.
—Incumbent Democrat Martha Shoffner defeated Green Party candidate Bobby Tullis in the race for state treasurer. Shoffner had 466,007 votes, 68 percent, and Tullis received 223,129, 32 percent.
—For state auditor, Democrat Charlie Daniels received 491,518 votes, 71 percent, and Green Party candidate Mary Hughes-Willis, received 204,265 votes, 29 percent.
—In the land commissioner’s race, Republican John Thurston received 382,473 votes, 52 percent, and Democrat L.J. Bryant received 346,958 votes, 48 percent.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report
