The arkansas delegation

congressional officials …

Arkansas is a small delegation state with one of the least diverse delegations. All are Republicans, and all are male.

Of the six delegation members are serving in their first term.

Three delegation members are veterans, one retiring as an Army Colonel with combat experience. 

One member is a lawyer, one member is an Optometrist, and one graduate degree has been conferred to members of the delegation.

The average tenure for the delegation is 5.3 terms, assuming everyone completes their service through the end of 2026. The longest-serving member has been in Congress since 2010; in fact, three have been since 2010.

When you look at these profiles, we have given each a letter grade for their effort this Congress, based on various factors, which you will find in What Is Thomas Looking For? These letter grades are probably pretty familiar to you if you have ever been a school student (we hope the answer to that is we all have!)

If you see a meager score for a particular member, it will probably be due to one or two key factors: ethics challenges or anti-democratic behavior.

• Republicans have been hit hard on their lack of push back on former and now current President Trump and their support of election denying in the 2020 presidential campaign. The unanswered soaring deficit on their watch, the dismantling of allied relationships around the globe, and opposition to funding anti-authoritarian initiatives. The denial of climate change weighs heavily on us as well. We make no secret that transparency and Government in the Sunshine are important to us, and we further argue that some have been awful stewards of this category. One of the six current Arkansas delegation members voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results the same evening as Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol.

• Democrats have been hit hard for their lack of progress on key matters because they control the United States Senate and have a razor-close margin in the U.S. House of Representatives. They have not been, in our opinion, innovative or necessarily insistent on finding rational, reasonable solutions to the problems plaguing the American public today. We want to see more and better.

• Both have been dinged for being too partisan and not collaborative where evident. In our opinion, being too doctrinaire or an obstructionist to good government in the 21st century does not get one a good grade from Thomas.

We also indicate what we believe might be the outcome of these Members’ 2026 elections today. One of the United States Senators’ seats is open for election this season.

Our prospect ratings fall into three categories:

• Safe Bet - which means what it means. These members of Congress are running strong and look to be overwhelming prospects for re-election at this time. However, we reserve the right to re-categorize their chances if necessary.

• It’s A Race - means this race is too close to call, and we can not reasonably predict who will win this seat.

• Nudging - means the seat is leaning one way or another for this candidate. We have just a small number of current members of Congress in this category. Stay tuned!

So, would you like to meet these fascinating Arkansans? If so, keep reading on!

what is thomas looking for?

There are no vulnerable races in Arkansas for Thomas to watch in 2026.

the senators

United States Senator john boozman (r)

Two-term United States Senator John Boozman is a former Optometrist who earned his degree from Southern College of Optometry.  He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Arkansas. Senator Boozman is chair of the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee and a member of the Appropriations Committee, the Environment and Public Works Committee, the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and the Committee on Rules and Administration. The Senator is married and the father of three.

Thomas Take: Not up for re-election in 2026

Thomas Rank: B

Website

United states senator tom cotton (R)

Arkansas’ junior senator is Tom Cotton, an Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and has a law and undergraduate degree from Harvard University.  Now serving in his second term, Senator Cotton was embroiled in a controversy about his Army Ranger service related to graduating from Ranger School or being a combat Ranger.  The married father of two is chair of the Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Republican Conference.  He is a member of the Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Thomas Take: Up for re-election in 2026

Thomas Rank: D

Website

the representatives