Overview
- AP and NBC News called the race after Tuesday’s runoff, with Hammer at 50.6% and Bryan Norris at 49.4%.
- Hammer, a state senator from Benton, secured endorsements from Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Sen. Tom Cotton, Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge, Attorney General Tim Griffin, and incumbent Cole Jester.
- Norris ran as an outsider backed by Michael Flynn and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and faced calls to drop out from Jester after a vulgar message to Cotton and a post suggesting Israel helped kill JFK.
- The candidates clashed on how to run elections, as Norris pushed paper ballots and said he would only certify machines that ban foreign-made parts and meet U.S. Defense Department cybersecurity rules, while Hammer defended Arkansas’s current standards.
- Hammer advances to a November matchup with Democrat Kelly Grappe and Libertarian Michael Pakko in a state where Republicans are favored, and the winner will oversee elections, business filings, and the state Capitol grounds.