United States congressional delegations from Arkansas
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Arkansas has sent congressional delegations to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives since it became a state in 1836,<ref name="statehood">Template:Cite news</ref> with the exception of the Civil War and Reconstruction period between 1861 and 1868.Template:Efn<ref name="AR-timeline" /> Before becoming a state, the Arkansas Territory elected a non-voting delegate at-large to Congress, beginning with the 16th United States Congress in 1819.<ref name="congress-delegations">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp Arkansas first sent a voting representative to Congress in the 25th United States Congress, following its statehood.<ref name="congress-delegations" />Template:Rp
Each U.S. state elects two senators to serve for six years in general elections, with their re-election staggered. Prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, Arkansas senators were elected by the Arkansas General Assembly; afterwards, senators were elected directly by the people of the state.<ref name="nara-17th-amendment">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Each state elects at least one member of the House to a two-year term. The number of House members is proportional to the state's share of the national population, and changes every ten years with the results of the United States Census.<ref name="const-12">Template:Cite constitution</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Arkansas's representation began with one representative immediately after statehood, and peaked from 1903 to 1953 following the 1900 United States census, with seven seats in the House. Arkansas has sent four members to the House in each congressional delegation since 1963.<ref name="census-seat-history" />
As a senator for 34 years, from 1942 to 1977, John L. McClellan was the longest-serving senator to represent Arkansas in Congress.<ref name="4029-Senate" /> The current dean, or longest-serving incumbent, of Arkansas's congressional delegation is senator John Boozman, who has represented Arkansas in Congress since 2001.<ref name="Boozman-dean" /> While Arkansas politics was dominated by the Democratic Party from the 1870s to the 1960s, Arkansas's current delegation consists entirely of Republicans. Some scholars consider the 2010 elections the beginning of the modern rise of the Arkansas Republican Party.<ref name="weitz-davis-review">Template:Cite journal</ref>
Current delegation
Template:Big
|
Class II senator | Class III senator | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Tom Cotton Template:Small Template:Small |
.jpg) John Boozman Template:Small Template:Small | |||
| Party | Template:Party shading/Text/Republican | Template:Party shading/Text/Republican | ||
| Incumbent since | January 3, 2015 | January 3, 2011 |
Arkansas's current congressional delegation in the Template:USCongressOrdinalCongress consists of two senators and four representatives, all of whom are Republicans. The state has had four representatives in the House since 1963, following the 1960 census.<ref name="congress-delegations" />Template:Rp The current dean, or longest-serving incumbent,<ref name="dean-meaning">Template:Cite news</ref> of the Arkansas delegation is Senator John Boozman, who has represented Arkansas in the Senate since 2011 and in Congress since 2001.<ref name="Boozman-dean">Template:Cite news</ref>
The Cook Partisan Voting Index (CPVI) is a measure of how strongly partisan a state is.<ref name="cpvi">Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Rp For each district or state, the CPVI measures the party leaning (Democratic or Republican) and the number of percentage points more partisan than the national average. For instance, a rating of R+4 would mean the district or state voted four percentage points more Republican than the national average, while a rating of D+9 would mean the district or state voted nine points more Democratic than the national average.<ref name="cpvi-about">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As of 2025, the CPVI rated all four districts in Arkansas as leaning Republican, with the 1st district, represented by Rick Crawford in the House, leaning most heavily at R+23, and the 2nd district, represented by French Hill in the House, leaning the least at R+8.<ref name="CPVI" /> The CPVI gave Arkansas an R+15 rating as a whole.<ref name="2025-CPVI">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> {{#section:Arkansas's congressional districts|Current representatives}}
United States Senate
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:Stack 35 people have served as a U.S. senator from Arkansas, consisting of 33 men and two women, as well as 28 Democrats and 7 Republicans.<ref name="4029-Senate">Template:Cite news</ref> Two, William K. Sebastian and Charles B. Mitchel, were expelled from the Senate because of Arkansas's secession from the Union at the start of the American Civil War; Sebastian was the only senator from a Confederate state to later be reinstated, albeit posthumously.<ref name="Mitchel/Sebastian-explusion" />Template:Rp After her husband's death in office, Hattie Caraway, became the first woman to be elected to a full term in the Senate, after finishing his term.<ref name="Caraways" />Template:Rp The longest-serving senator from Arkansas, John L. McClellan, chaired many Senate committees during his 34 years in office, including the Senate Committee on Government Operations and the Senate Appropriations Committee.<ref name="4029-Senate" /><ref name="McClellan-WaPo">Template:Cite news</ref> For some time, he served with J. William Fulbright, known for the Fulbright Program, establishing an American student exchange program; his chairing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, resulting in the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and Fulbright hearings; and his opposition to the civil rights movement.<ref name="Fulbright-jstor">Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Rp<ref name="Fulbright-frc">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Other senators from Arkansas also served in leadership roles in the Senate, including Joseph T. Robinson, who served as Senate Majority Leader,<ref name="Robinson-death" /> and Ambrose Sevier and James P. Clarke, who both served as president pro tempore of the Senate.<ref name="AR-timeline" />
Senators are elected every six years depending on their class, with each senator serving a six-year term and elections for senators occurring every two years; the class up for re-election rotates such that each election, around one-third of the seats in the Senate are up for election.<ref name="senate-about">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Arkansas's senators are elected in classes II and III. Currently, Arkansas is represented in the Senate by Tom Cotton and John Boozman.<ref name="AR-senators" />
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United States House of Representatives
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Arkansas has been represented in the House since 1819, when James Woodson Bates was sent to Congress as a delegate from Arkansas Territory, except for during the American Civil War.<ref name="congress-delegations" />Template:Rp Because Arkansas seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy during the war, its representatives were sent to the Confederate States Congress instead. Robert Ward Johnson, who previously served as both a representative and senator from Arkansas, and Albert Rust, who was a sitting member of Congress from Arkansas during secession, both later served in the Confederate Congress.<ref name="CSC" />Template:Rp
Many representatives from Arkansas have held leadership roles in the House. William A. Oldfield served as the House Minority Whip for the Democratic Party.<ref name="oldfield">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Wilbur Mills was elected in 1938, serving as the powerful chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee from 1957 until his retirement in 1977, following scandals related to his alcoholism and an affair with stripper Fanne Foxe.<ref name="Mills-influence">Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Rp<ref name="Foxe-obit">Template:Cite news</ref> Some representatives have gone on to serve in other political and judicial offices after their time in Congress, including Thomas C. McRae, who later served as governor of Arkansas;<ref name="mcrae">Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Rp Tim Griffin, who later served as lieutenant governor of Arkansas;<ref name="griffin">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Asa Hutchinson, who later became governor of Arkansas and led both the Drug Enforcement Administration and part of the Department of Homeland Security;<ref name="a-hutchinson">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Ray Thornton, who later served on the Arkansas Supreme Court.<ref name="thornton-obit">Template:Cite news</ref>
Each district uses a popular vote to elect a member of Arkansas's delegation in the House of Representatives.<ref name="const-12">Template:Cite constitution</ref> Districts are redrawn every ten years, after data from the US Census is collected.<ref name="nyt-districts">Template:Cite news</ref> While it has sent varying numbers of representatives to Congress over the years, Arkansas has sent four representatives to the House since 1963, following the 1960 United States census.<ref name="census-seat-history">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Arkansas is currently represented in the House by four Republicans: Rick Crawford, French Hill, Steve Womack, and Bruce Westerman.
Historical timeline
1819–1836: 1 non-voting delegate
The Arkansas Territory was created on March 2, 1819, and it sent a non-voting delegate to the House.<ref name="early-history">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="congress-delegations" />Template:Rp
| Congress | Delegate from Template:Ushr |
|---|---|
| Template:USCongressOrdinal (1819–1821) | rowspan=2 Template:Party cell|James Woodson Bates (I) |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal (1821–1823) | |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal (1823–1825) | rowspan=3 Template:Party cell| Henry W. Conway (DR)Template:Efn |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal (1825–1827) | |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal (1827–1829) | |
| rowspan=5 Template:Party cell | Ambrose H. Sevier (J) | |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal (1829–1831) | |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal (1831–1833) | |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal (1833–1835) | |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal (1835–1837) |
1836–1853: 1 seat
Following statehood on June 15, 1836, Arkansas had one seat in the House.<ref name="congress-delegations" />Template:Rp
| Congress | Template:Ushr |
|---|---|
| Template:USCongressOrdinal (1835–1837) | Template:Party cell | Archibald Yell (J) |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal (1837–1839) | Template:Party cell | Archibald Yell (D) |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal (1839–1841) | rowspan=3 Template:Party cell | Edward Cross (D) |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal (1841–1843) | |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal (1843–1845) | |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal (1845–1847) | Template:Party cell | Archibald Yell (D)Template:Efn |
| Template:Party cell | Thomas Willoughby Newton (W) | |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal (1847–1849) | rowspan=3 Template:Party cell | Robert Ward Johnson (D) |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal (1849–1851) | |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal (1851–1853) |
1853–1863: 2 seats
Following the 1850 census, Arkansas was apportioned two seats in the House.<ref name="congress-delegations" />Template:Rp
| Congress | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr |
|---|---|---|
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | rowspan=3 Template:Party cell | Alfred B. Greenwood (D) |
Template:Party cell | Edward A. Warren (D) |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | Template:Party cell | Albert Rust (D) | |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | Template:Party cell | Edward A. Warren (D) | |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | Template:Party cell | Thomas C. Hindman (D)Template:Efn | Template:Party cell | Albert Rust (D) |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | vacant during the Civil WarTemplate:Efn | |
1863–1873: 3 seats
Following the 1860 census, Arkansas was apportioned three seats.<ref name="congress-delegations" />Template:Rp
| Congress | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Template:USCongressOrd–Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | vacant during the Civil War and ReconstructionTemplate:EfnTemplate:Efn | ||
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | |||
| rowspan=3 Template:Party cell | Logan H. Roots (R) | Template:Party cell | James M. Hinds (R)Template:Efn | rowspan=3 Template:Party cell | Thomas Boles (R) | |
| Template:Party cell | James T. Elliott (R) | |||
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | Template:Party cell | Anthony A. C. Rogers (D) | ||
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | rowspan=2 Template:Party cell | James M. Hanks (D) | rowspan=2 Template:Party cell | Oliver P. Snyder (R) | Template:Party cell | John Edwards (LR)Template:Efn |
| Template:Party cell | Thomas Boles (R) | |||
1873–1883: 4 seats
Following the 1870 census, Arkansas was apportioned four seats.<ref name="congress-delegations" />Template:Rp
| Congress | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | rowspan=2 Template:Party cell | Asa Hodges (R) | rowspan=2 Template:Party cell | Oliver P. Snyder (R) | Template:Party cell | William W. Wilshire (R)Template:Efn | rowspan=2 Template:Party cell | William J. Hynes (LR) |
| Template:Party cell | Thomas M. Gunter (D) |
| Congress | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | rowspan=2 Template:Party cell | Lucien C. Gause (D) | rowspan=3 Template:Party cell | William F. Slemons (D) | rowspan=1 Template:Party cell | William W. Wilshire (D) | rowspan=4 Template:Party cell | Thomas M. Gunter (D) |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | rowspan=3 Template:Party cell | Jordan E. Cravens (D) | |||
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | rowspan=2 Template:Party cell | Poindexter Dunn (D) | |||
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | Template:Party cell | James K. Jones (D) |
1883–1893: 5 seats
Following the 1880 census, Arkansas was apportioned five seats.<ref name="congress-delegations" />Template:Rp
| Congress | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | Template:Party cell | Poindexter Dunn (D) | Template:Party cell | James K. Jones (D) | Template:Party cell | John Henry Rogers (D) | Template:Party cell | Samuel W. Peel (D) | Template:Party cell | Clifton R. Breckinridge (D) |
| Congress | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | rowspan=3 Template:Party cell | Poindexter Dunn (D) | rowspan=4 Template:Party cell | Clifton R. Breckinridge (D) |
Template:Party cell | vacantTemplate:Efn | rowspan=6 Template:Party cell | John Henry Rogers (D) | rowspan=7 Template:Party cell | Samuel W. Peel (D) |
| rowspan=6 Template:Party cell | Thomas C. McRae (D) | |||||
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | |||||
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | Template:Party cell | William H. Cate (D)Template:Efn | ||||
| rowspan=2 Template:Party cell | Lewis Featherstone (SL) | Template:Party cell|vacantTemplate:Efn | ||||
| rowspan=2 Template:Party cell | Clifton R. Breckinridge (D) | |||||
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | Template:Party cell | William H. Cate (D) | Template:Party cell | William L. Terry (D) |
1893–1903: 6 seats
Following the 1890 census, Arkansas was apportioned six seats.<ref name="congress-delegations" />Template:Rp
| Congress | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | rowspan=6 Template:Party cell | Philip D. McCulloch Jr. (D) |
Template:Party cell | Clifton R. Breckinridge (D)Template:Efn |
rowspan=6 Template:Party cell | Thomas C. McRae (D) |
rowspan=5 Template:Party cell | William L. Terry (D) | rowspan=6 Template:Party cell | Hugh A. Dinsmore (D) | rowspan=3 Template:Party cell | Robert Neill (D) |
| rowspan=5 Template:Party cell | John S. Little (D) | ||||||
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | ||||||
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | rowspan=3 Template:Party cell | Stephen Brundidge Jr. (D) | |||||
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | ||||||
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | Template:Party cell | Charles C. Reid (D) |
1903–1953: 7 seats
Following the 1900 census, Arkansas was apportioned seven seats.<ref name="congress-delegations" />Template:Rp
1953–1963: 6 seats
Following the 1950 census, Arkansas was apportioned six seats.<ref name="census-seat-history" />
| Congress | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr | Template:Ushr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | rowspan=6 Template:Party cell | Ezekiel C. Gathings (D) | rowspan=6 Template:Party cell | Wilbur Mills (D) | rowspan=6 Template:Party cell | James William Trimble (D) |
rowspan=6 Template:Party cell | Oren Harris (D) | rowspan=3 Template:Party cell | Brooks Hays (D) | rowspan=5 Template:Party cell | William F. Norrell (D)Template:Efn |
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | ||||||
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | ||||||
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | rowspan=3 Template:Party cell | Dale Alford (D) | |||||
| Template:USCongressOrdinal Template:Nowrap | ||||||
| Template:Party cell | Catherine D. Norrell (D) |
1963–present: 4 seats
Since the 1960 census, Arkansas has been apportioned four seats.<ref name="census-seat-history" />
See also
- List of United States congressional districts
- Arkansas's congressional districts
- Political party strength in Arkansas
Notes
References
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