The Winner
If you live in Arkansas’ 3rd Congressional District, Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR) will keep representing you after winning a ninth term by about 13 points. That’s his smallest share of the vote since he was first elected in 2010, and down from his 32-point win in 2024. The Associated Press called the race for Womack on election night, Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Womack had 54.9% of the vote to 41.5% for Democrat Robb Ryerse, a margin of 31,093 votes out of 231,928 cast, in unofficial results from the Arkansas Secretary of State. Libertarian Bobby Wilson) took 3.6%.
The Race
Ryerse is a Springdale pastor who challenged Womack once before, in the 2018 Republican primary, when Womack beat him 84% to 16%. This time he ran as a Democrat, and both he and Womack were unopposed in their March 3 primaries. The Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rated the seat Solid Republican, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rated it Safe Republican, according to Ballotpedia.
The district covers Northwest Arkansas, including Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville and Fort Smith. It includes all of Benton, Carroll, Crawford, Madison and Washington counties and the northern part of Sebastian County, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
About 786,400 people live in the district, which is 64.4% white, 17.2% Hispanic, 3.4% Asian and 2.6% Black. The median household income is about $74,600, the median age is 36, and 32.1% of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. Unemployment is 3.7%, and 12.2% of residents live below the poverty line.
What’s Next
Womack’s new term begins Sunday, Jan. 3, and Republicans will be in the minority after Democrats won control of the House. During the campaign, he named affordability, immigration and national security as his top priorities, according to 40/29 News.
---
AllCiv makes it easy to stay politically informed and involved.
---
Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article