A Service of UA Little Rock
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Candidates, voters make way to polls for final day of voting for primary elections

Sarah Sanders, a Republican candidate for governor, brings her family along with her to cast her ballot. Sanders explained to her children how the election process works.
Ronak Patel
/
KUAR News
Sarah Sanders, a Republican candidate for governor, brings her family along with her to cast her ballot. Sanders explained to her children how the election process works.

Like many Arkansans today, political candidates are rushing to the polls before they close at 7:30 tonight. Before taking her kids to school, Republican Candidate for Governor Sarah Sanders cast her ballot for the primary elections at Pleasant Valley Church on Rodney Parham.

Going into the election, Sanders, the press secretary for former President Donald Trump, says she feels good about where the campaign is at.

“We feel good and confident about where we are and where the race is and feel good about it going into the day,” Sanders told reporters. “We have been all over the state and traveled to all 75 counties. There’s incredible enthusiasm everywhere we’ve been.”

Sanders’ opponent in the Republican primary is Doc Washburn, a former radio personality. The winner of the Republican primary will face the winner of the Democratic primary and Libertarian Ricky Dale Harrington, a treatment coordinator for the Arkansas Department of Corrections. Harrington is running unopposed in his party's primary.

Polling from Talk Business and Politics has Sanders and Democrat Chris Jones, a nuclear engineer and minister, winning their parties nominations.

Mary DeLoney Logan, who works in marketing for Cromwell Architects and Engineers, said she identifies as a Democrat but this year voted in the Republican primary, because she believes Democrats don’t have a chance in the general election.

“They [Democrats] aren’t going to win anyway, so you might as well vote for somebody who is going to have the best interests of all Arkansans in mind rather than someone who tries to stay along party lines,” Logan said after casting her ballot at Pleasant Valley Church.

Logan said the race she was most excited to vote in was the governor’s race to exercise voting against Sanders.

“I am not a fan of anybody who strongly aligns themselves with former President Trump. I think that’s a dangerous road we’re headed down with any candidate who does strongly align with him. I would like to have a candidate who is not Sarah Huckabee Sanders on the ballot in November,” Logan said.

A voter who cast their ballot at Iglesia Bautista Nueva Jerusalen on Colonel Glenn also said the governor’s race is the most important to them. Shannon Johnson, a retired school teacher, said she was excited to vote for Jones, who she hopes will win the Democratic nomination.

“We need a change here in Little Rock. It’s time to see someone that looks like me in office to see what they can do for the city,” Johnson said.

Volunteers for political campaigns encourage passing drivers to vote for candidates. The polls close at 7:30 tonight.
Ronak Patel
/
KUAR News
Volunteers for political campaigns encourage passing drivers to vote for candidates. The polls close at 7:30 tonight.

The winners of the primary elections will advance to the general elections, which will take place in November. This year’s elections for Arkansas include a U.S Senate seat, attorney general and lieutenant governor.

Ronak Patel is a reporter for Little Rock Public Radio.