By Andrew DeMillo | Editor-in-Chief
Good morning, Advocate readers! The 2026 election is already underway, with the start of early voting on Monday. The Advocate talked to voters around the state as they cast the first ballots to see what they think about the issues and the candidates. You can find more Arkansas politics and government news on the Advocate site here.
Voters cast their ballots on the first day of early voting at the Hillary Rodham Clinton Children’s Library in Little Rock, Arkansas on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (Photo by Ainsley Platt/Arkansas Advocate)
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
By Ainsley Platt, Tess Vrbin and Angie Ramirez
Polls across Arkansas opened for early voting Monday, with thousands of people expected to cast their ballots before Election Day next month.
The U.S. Capitol on the evening of Sept. 30, 2025. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
By DC Bureau
Democrats have used President Donald Trump’s unpopularity to expand the midterm map, and analysts project the party carries momentum heading into the final two weeks of the election cycle, even as Democrats are expected to flip fewer U.S. House seats than wave elections this century.
A National Institutes of Health researcher’s lab jacket, embroidered with the NIH logo with blue chevron detail. (Photo courtesy NIH)
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
By DC Bureau
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday establishing a Women’s Health Division within the National Institutes of Health.
MORE NEWS
Thanks for reading Arkansas Morning. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.