John Davis, political scientist, explains how Arkansas became a Republican state

KUAR | By Ronak Patel

In an interview with KARK Channel 4’s Capitol View, John Davis, executive director of the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, explained how Arkansas went from being a Democratic state to a Republican state.

In an interview with KARK Channel 4’s Capitol View, Davis said the state took longer than the rest of the South to become a Republican state.

“Our demographics don’t really add up to the other southern states. A lot of the shifts really after the Civil War we saw more white conservatives feel alienated from the Democratic party and gravitate toward the Republican party. We didn’t really see that,” Davis said.

John Davis, political scientist, explains how Arkansas became a Republican state

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In recent years, Arkansas has become one of the reddest states in the nation. Prior to this, Arkansas used to be a Democratic stronghold.