Arkansas Schedules January Special Election for Senate District 18 Following Dismang Resignation
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders set a January 5, 2027 special election to fill the Senate District 18 seat vacated by former Republican Sen. Jonathan Dismang, who resigned this week to become vice president of external affairs for Arkansas Electric Cooperatives. A special primary will coincide with the November 3 general election. Dismang, who served as an architect of Arkansas' Medicaid expansion, leaves Republicans with a 27-6 majority in the state Senate. Candidates have until noon September 24 to file for the vacancy in the district covering White County and parts of Faulkner and Cleburne counties.
Dismang played a central role in designing and defending Arkansas' Medicaid expansion model, and his departure from the legislature removes a key voice on Medicaid policy as the state continues implementing work requirements and other coverage restrictions.
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