Live dataArkansas · 2026 U.S. Senate

Know the problem. Know the candidates. Then vote.

Non-partisan data for Arkansas, drawn from public records and hundreds of news stories.

Public databases
12
Behind 20 measured problems
News stories on problems
940
Read and scored one by one
News stories on candidates
644
Checked against their public record

The 5 biggest problems in Arkansas

Measured from public government data. Not from opinions or headlines.

  1. 1Crime & Safety

    Among the 3 worst states.

    Critical75/100
  2. 2Education Quality

    Among the 3 worst states.

    Critical74/100
  3. 3Grid Reliability

    Among the 5 worst states.

    Critical72/100
  4. 4Wage Stagnation & Income Inequality

    Worse here than in 42 other states.

    Moderate64/100
  5. 5Digital Divide

    Worse here than in 40 other states.

    Moderate60/100
See all 20 problems →

Where the news gets Arkansas wrong

We compare what the data says with what the news covers.

  • AI Displacement RiskUnder-covered

    The data says ai displacement risk is a bigger problem in Arkansas than the news coverage suggests.

  • Mental Health & Addiction CrisisOver-covered

    The news talks about mental health & addiction crisis in Arkansas far more than the data says it is a problem here.

  • Education QualityUnder-covered

    The data says education quality is a bigger problem in Arkansas than the news coverage suggests.

See every problem compared →

Who is running in Arkansas

Ranked by Leadership Score — how news coverage describes their leadership. 100 is the best score any leader in U.S. history would earn.

  1. Hallie Shoffner
    DemocratParty nominee

    54

    Leadership Score (WATT)

  2. Thomas Cotton
    RepublicanParty nominee

    27

    Leadership Score (WATT)

  3. Jeffrey Francis Wadlin
    LibertarianParty nominee

    Not enough news coverage to score yet

Detail breakdown
MeasureHallie ShoffnerThomas CottonJeffrey Francis Wadlin
Leadership Score53.6 / 10026.8 / 100—
Credit for strengths in the news+57.5+58.0—
Deduction for criticism in the news−3.9−31.3—
News stories analysed585514
Record ScoreNo voting record — has not served in Congress4.8 / 10No voting record — has not served in Congress

Look at the details

Everything above, with the numbers behind it.

Longer bar means bigger problem

Ranked by government data alone, ignoring headlines and politics. 0 means the problem does not exist. 100 means it is as bad as it gets. The dotted line is the average across all 50 states.

1. Crime & Safety
75 (Critical)Worse than average
2. Education Quality
74 (Critical)Worse than average
3. Grid Reliability
72 (Critical)Worse than average
4. Wage Stagnation & Income Inequality
64 (Moderate)Worse than average
5. Digital Divide
60 (Moderate)Worse than average
6. AI Displacement Risk
59 (Moderate)Worse than average
7. Political Polarization
59 (Moderate)Worse than average
8. Healthcare Access
54 (Moderate)Worse than average
9. Job Availability
52 (Moderate)Worse than average
10. Food Insecurity
50 (Moderate)Worse than average