Republican Sen. Joshua Bryant was elected Thursday as the Arkansas Senate’s next leader following three hours of deadlocked voting that indicated divisions facing the majority-GOP chamber next year. #arpx

Bryant elected to lead Arkansas Senate in vote that highlights deep divides | Arkansas Advocate

Republican Sen. Joshua Bryant was elected Thursday as the Arkansas Senate’s next leader following three hours of deadlocked voting that indicated divisions facing the majority-GOP chamber next year.

arkansasadvocate.com

A third candidate, Sen. Josh Bryant, was named pro tem after three deadlocked votes on Caldwell and Davis. #arpx

Ainsley Platt@ainsleyplatt.bsky.social · 3h ago

Senators have deadlocked twice, with neither candidate receiving the required 18 votes. We’re now on third round with same two candidates. #arpx

Senators have deadlocked twice, with neither candidate receiving the required 18 votes. We’re now on third round with same two candidates. #arpx

Ainsley Platt@ainsleyplatt.bsky.social · 5h ago

Senators are casting votes now for who will be president pro tempore during Arkansas’ 96th General Assembly. The selection is being done by secret ballot. Republican Sens. Breanne Davis and Ron Caldwell were nominated; Davis was voted as pro tem designate earlier this year. #arpx

Senators are casting votes now for who will be president pro tempore during Arkansas’ 96th General Assembly. The selection is being done by secret ballot. Republican Sens. Breanne Davis and Ron Caldwell were nominated; Davis was voted as pro tem designate earlier this year. #arpx

With the 2nd District call by AP, the final tally was 7 (!!!) Diet Dr Peppers. Roll Tide. #arpx

Ainsley Platt@ainsleyplatt.bsky.social · yesterday

Update: we are on my fifth can of Diet Dr Pepper. Arkansas’ 2nd Congressional District hasn’t been called more than 22 hours after poll close. Stay tuned! #arpx

NEW: U.S. Rep. French Hill beats Democrat Chris Jones, winning his closest reelection contest to date. Read more in the @arkansasadvocate.com #arpx

US Rep. French Hill wins seventh term | Arkansas Advocate

Republican U.S. Rep. French Hill has won a seventh term, fending off his challenger Chris Jones despite efforts from national Democrats to flip the seat.

arkansasadvocate.com

I spoke with current and former Republican leaders + a Republican campaign strategist about the Democratic gains in the Arkansas House of Reps. Read what they said in the @arkansasadvocate.com: #arpx

With Arkansas Republicans’ House supermajority lost, a changed dynamic | Arkansas Advocate

When Arkansans went to bed Tuesday night, Republicans were beginning to see the full scale of what amounted to historic losses. The blue wave didn’t upend statewide and federal offices or flip legisla...

arkansasadvocate.com

Update: we are on my fifth can of Diet Dr Pepper. Arkansas’ 2nd Congressional District hasn’t been called more than 22 hours after poll close. Stay tuned! #arpx

Ainsley Platt@ainsleyplatt.bsky.social · 2d ago

Taking bets on how many Diet Dr Peppers I drink before AP calls Arkansas’ 2nd Congressional District. #arpx

I sat down w GOP House Speaker Brian Evans earlier today, and he said that the House could have a changed dynamic next year w/ loss of supermajority — though the priorities for him will remain the same. Read more @arkansasadvocate.com #arpx

Live coverage: Arkansas 2026 election | Arkansas Advocate

Thousands of Arkansans are casting ballots Tuesday in the 2026 midterm election. The Arkansas Advocate is bringing you updates, including conversations with voters and candidates, and photos from arou...

arkansasadvocate.com

NEW: Arkansas Democrats break Republicans’ 10-year supermajority in the state House, picking up at least 10 seats across the state. It marks the largest gains by the party in years. #arpx

Live coverage: Arkansas 2026 election | Arkansas Advocate

Thousands of Arkansans are casting ballots Tuesday in the 2026 midterm election. The Arkansas Advocate is bringing you updates, including conversations with voters and candidates, and photos from arou...

arkansasadvocate.com

Taking bets on how many Diet Dr Peppers I drink before AP calls Arkansas’ 2nd Congressional District. #arpx

Polls are closed in Arkansas! Stay tuned for more from the @arkansasadvocate.com #arpx

Election Night is underway at the @arkansasadvocate.com’s newsroom! Stay tuned for more coverage when polls close in about 20 mins. #arpx

Curious about early voting? So was I. A big spike in votes cast on Friday and Monday helped push the early vote count in Arkansas over 600k, the data shows. See the breakdown by county on the @arkansasadvocate.com live blog. #arpx

I spoke with poll workers at the downtown Little Rock polling site about why they decided to work elections. They told me it was a civic duty. “I started hearing that people were getting intimidated, and I’m just not very intimidated,” said Marck Beggs, who has been a poll worker since 2018. #arpx

Even rain and forgetting my umbrella can’t keep me from Election Day coverage! #arpx

Happy Election Day for all who celebrate! Check out the @arkansasadvocate.com’s live blog to keep up with election news, and stay tuned for updates throughout the day. #arpx

Early voting has officially begun in Arkansas! Keep an eye out for reporting in the @arkansasadvocate.com on the start of voting later today. #arpx

When I heard that the Arkansas State Fair was doing a corndog drop, what I ended up witnessing was not even close to what I had in mind — but it did make for one of the best ledes I think I’ve ever written. Read the story here: #arpx

Make way for the corndog: Arkansas State Fair kicks off | Arkansas Advocate

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… a corndog? To be more precise, it’s radio personality Roger Scott dressed in a corndog costume atop a scissor lift at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds on a somewhat-drea...

arkansasadvocate.com

Congrats to the Advocate's @grajeda.bsky.social @ainsleyplatt.bsky.social @tessmvrbin.bsky.social for winning 1st place in in-depth reporting in the National Federation of Press Women's contest for "Overcrowded" series! Read the award-winning series here: arkansasadvocate.com/category/ove...

christmas came early!!! i can finally put my 2022 edition out to pasture.

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Judge denies effort to block Arkansas outlets from publishing details about data center agreement arkansasadvocate.com/2026/09/02/j...

Judge denies effort to block Arkansas outlets from publishing details about data center agreement | Arkansas Advocate

A federal judge rejected an effort Wednesday to block two Arkansas news outlets from publishing details about an agreement regarding a West Memphis data center, in a case that alarmed free speech grou...

arkansasadvocate.com

Judge weighing whether to block Arkansas news outlets from publishing data center pact details arkansasadvocate.com/2026/09/01/j...

Judge weighing whether to block Arkansas news outlets from publishing data center pact details | Arkansas Advocate

A federal judge is considering whether to block the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and Arkansas Times from publishing details of an agreement regarding a West Memphis data center, a move that free speech a...

arkansasadvocate.com

The wave of cities ending their use of the Flock cameras comes amid mounting concerns about oversight and privacy nationally. #arpx

Arkansas Advocate@arkansasadvocate.com · 3mo ago

Several Arkansas cities pull plug on Flock cameras arkansasadvocate.com/2026/08/19/s...

Q&A: Thune says Republicans can hold their majority — if they stop fighting each other arkansasadvocate.com/2026/08/15/r...

Q&A: Thune says Republicans can hold their majority — if they stop fighting each other | Arkansas Advocate

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s Republican Party faces midterm elections amid economic anxiety, high gas prices and a war with Iran.

arkansasadvocate.com

Arkansas folks: Does your town operate Flock cameras? If so, I want to know. Shoot me a DM or an email at aplatt@arkansasadvocate.com #arpx

UPDATE: The AR Legislative Black Caucus meeting with ASP was rescheduled for 10 a.m. Aug. 25. In addition to some scheduling conflicts, Rep. Jay Richardson said they wanted “to let this investigation move a little bit before we brought them in to see what they can and can’t speak about.” #arpx

Arkansas Advocate@arkansasadvocate.com · 3mo ago

Arkansas lawmakers, NAACP seek accountability over state trooper punching 18-year-old arkansasadvocate.com/2026/08/11/a...

Latest from me:

Arkansas Advocate@arkansasadvocate.com · 3mo ago

Outside of Little Rock, Arkansas counties and cities move ahead on data center moratoriums arkansasadvocate.com/2026/08/11/o...

Arkansas lawmakers, NAACP seek accountability over state trooper punching 18-year-old arkansasadvocate.com/2026/08/11/a...

Arkansas lawmakers, NAACP seek accountability over state trooper punching 18-year-old | Arkansas Advocate

The Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus and NAACP Arkansas State Conference are calling for answers about a traffic stop involving a state trooper punching an 18-year-old that has gained national attent...

arkansasadvocate.com