Arkansas Governor's Race: Sanders and Two Challengers Clash Over School Vouchers and Health Care in Conway Debate
Arkansas's three gubernatorial candidates met on October 13 in Conway for their first joint debate of the 2026 election cycle, hosted by Arkansas TV, according to the Arkansas Advocate. Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended her administration's record on taxes and education, while Democratic state Senator Fred Love of Little Rock and Libertarian candidate Colt Shelby criticized her approach to school vouchers, health care and state spending.
Love repeated his pledge to end the state's Educational Freedom Account school voucher program by executive order if elected, and called for suspending the state gasoline tax amid high fuel prices. Shelby criticized the LEARNS Act, the education law Sanders signed in 2023, and said the voucher program should be scaled back with more accountability. Sanders cited literacy coaches assigned to struggling schools and teacher pay increases under the law, and argued families should have options when their children attend struggling schools.
The debate also covered the future of Arkansas's Medicaid expansion and coverage for new mothers, as well as prison plans. Sanders won 62 percent of the vote in 2022, and Arkansas has not elected a Democrat to a statewide seat since 2010; election forecasters rate the race as safely Republican.
Source: Reporting by the Arkansas Advocate
Related: America's Electoral System (4): The Midterms: What Is on the Ballot on November 3, 2026
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 阿肯色州议会大厦（小石城），Daniel Schwen 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0（Wikimedia Commons）
