More candidates enter Senate District 26 special election

The special election for Arkansas Senate District 26 will have at least five GOP candidates and one independent candidate. Wade Dunn of Greenwood will run as a Republican, and Franklin County resident Adam Watson will file as an independent.

District 26, left vacant with the Sept. 2 passing of Sen. Gary Stubblefield, R-Branch, includes parts of Franklin, Johnson, Logan and Sebastian counties. Towns in the large legislative district include Barling, Booneville, Charleston, Clarksville, Greenwood, Lamar, Lavaca, Ozark, and Paris.

The special election has taken on added significance with the Senate district including the proposed site for a planned state prison. Gov. Sanders and other state officials announced Oct. 31, 2024, that the state had purchased the 815 acres was $2.9 million.

The effort to build the prison has generated opposition from Franklin County residents and Arkansas legislators, with Sen. Stubblefield a leader of the anti-prison effort before his death. The Arkansas Senate failed to advance a funding bill for a new state prison late in the recent regular session. The $750 million funding measure failed five times to get a 75% vote from senators.

Dunn, who lost in a 2022 GOP primary bid to unseat Rep. Lee Johnson, R-Greenwood, has been endorsed by Stubblefield’s widow, Kathi, and daughter, Amber Sullivan.

“Senator Gary Stubblefield wasn’t just my State Senator who represented me, my family, my interests, and advocated for our rural River Valley values – he was one of my best friends,” Dunn said in a statement. “He will never be replaced, but I feel it’s important we have someone who understands our district, our conservative values, and someone who will listen to our needs.

“It is critically important that the next State Senator help provide accountability and transparency to our State, not just be a rubberstamp (sic) for any agenda that does not reflect who we are or what we can afford. Billion dollar prison boondoggles and power grabs must be stopped immediately.”

Other Republicans who have filed for the GOP primary are former State Rep. Mark Berry, R-Ozark, Paris businessman Brad Simon, Greenwood resident Stacie Smith, and Paris businessman Ted Tritt. No Democrats have announced for the seat. The filing period began Nov. 3 and ends Nov. 12.

INDEPENDENT MOVE
Watson, a self-identified business development professional and small farm operator living in Franklin County, has been one of several vocal opponents of the governor’s plan to build a prison in the county. He is the founding director of Gravel & Grit, a nonprofit organized to oppose the prison, and he is vice-chair of the Arkansas Civic Action Network.

“I’m running because the people of District 26 deserve better than backroom deals and top-down decisions,” Watson said in a statement. “We deserve honesty, accountability, and a representative who answers to neighbors – not to party leaders or special interests in Little Rock,” Watson said. “It’s time someone stood up to say enough with the political theater. Let’s get back to facts, fairness, and common sense.”

Watson said he is running as an independent to push back against the policies of Republicans and Democrats.

“Whether it’s the attempt to spend millions to build a mega prison with no local input, ignoring the affordability of our healthcare and groceries, weakening Arkansas’s Freedom of Information Act, or denying the District’s basic right to representation—none of it is working for the people,” Watson said. “This isn’t about left versus right. It’s about right versus wrong.”

ELECTION DATE UNCERTAIN
It’s unclear when the District 26 special election will be held. Gov. Sanders set the primary election for March 3, 2026, with the special general election set for June 9. In her election call, Sanders declared that it is ‘impracticable or unduly burdensome” to hold an election within 150 days of the declared vacancy in the district seat.

Franklin County resident Colt Shelby filed a lawsuit in the Pulaski County Circuit Court seeking an earlier date, alleging that waiting until June 2026 would violate the constitutional rights of residents in the district by not having representation in the Senate beyond the 150-day requirement set by state law.

Judge Patricia James on Oct. 22 ruled for Shelby. The office of Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, who is representing Sanders in the legal action, is seeking a stay of James’ ruling from the Arkansas Supreme Court. As of Nov. 10, no hearing date has been set for a hearing on the requested stay.

Jennifer Waymack-Standerfer, the attorney for Shelby, has said a stay and subsequent legal actions will only serve to extend the disenfranchisement of voters in district 26.