In Arkansas, Democrats see an opening at the edge of the competitive midterms map

In a sign of the potentially dire midterm political environment, Republicans have spent millions of dollars playing defense in Arkansas, one of the most conservative states in the country.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3754x2815+0+0/resize/3754x2815!/quality/85/format/webp/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3f%2Fae%2Fc43cf9cb45db9916b6b2ab75bd3d%2Fhallie-shoffner-hope-campaign-stop.jpeg' alt='Arkansas Democratic Senate nominee Hallie Shoffner speaks with voters at a campaign stop in Hope, Ark. Friday, Oct. 23, 2026.'/><p>In a sign of the potentially dire midterm political environment, Republicans have spent millions of dollars playing defense in Arkansas, one of the most conservative states in the country.</p><p>(Image credit: Stephen Fowler/NPR)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-6009402' />