akashic
1876–2024
State House District 42·Arkansas

Arkansas 42nd State House District changed its political identity in living memory.

One of Arkansas's most lopsided legislative districts by presidential margin

18762024·38 elections
AR
Latest
R+35
in 2024
Archetype
Realigner
since the recent cycles
Population
54,136
2024 ACS

Arkansas 42nd State House District, Arkansas: Realigner district. In 2024, voted R+35%. Democratic peak: D+67 in 1932.

Key facts

2024 presidential margin
R+35MIT Election Lab
Political archetype
RealignerAkashic typology
Population
54,1362024 5-year
Median household income
$65,8912024 5-year
White (non-Hispanic)
80.0%2024 5-year
Black
10.8%2024 5-year
Hispanic / Latino
5.5%2024 5-year
Peak Democratic margin
D+67 in 1932MIT Election Lab
Peak Republican margin
R+35 in 2016MIT Election Lab
3 counties · 0 D · 3 R
R+60
D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024).
YearWonMarginDemocraticRepublicanTotal
R
−35.1%
7,28415,48723,342
R
−32.4%
7,55515,12023,372
R
−34.7%
6,10812,96819,776
R
−32.7%
5,80311,67817,980
R
−26.2%
6,40811,10817,931
R
−18.0%
6,5809,52316,371
R
−12.8%
5,5407,24513,338
D
+9.1%
5,6614,63211,300
D
+14.3%
6,1284,42611,877
R
−17.9%
3,5725,1608,860
R
−23.3%
3,4955,6639,285
D
+4.2%
4,1543,8048,413
D
+47.7%
5,5811,9727,560
R
−20.2%
2,2193,3465,569
O
+6.2%
1,7741,4475,267
D
+29.2%
2,9541,6124,590
D
+18.2%
1,7991,2193,187
D
+13.8%
1,6891,2782,984
D
+19.6%
1,7571,1792,945
D
+50.4%
1,3874051,949
D
+38.8%
1,1985271,729
D
+60.4%
1,2713121,587
D
+59.5%
1,3563421,704
D
+67.2%
1,4762781,782
D
+37.7%
1,4376482,091
D
+39.6%
8023231,210
D
+5.0%
8928031,766
D
+37.8%
1,1275091,636
D
+42.1%
6922231,113
D
+30.3%
8984611,441
D
+12.7%
5704371,050
D
+23.6%
6253811,034
D
+53.2%
1,0323111,355
D
+13.1%
7655721,472
No data
No data
No data
No data

Demographics

Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
12.5%
German
8.4%
Irish
7.6%
American
6.0%
Scottish
2.1%
French
1.4%
Italian
1.3%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
95.3%
speak English only
Spanish3.5%
Asian & Pacific Islander0.7%
Other Indo-European0.5%
Other languages0.1%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Baptist
26.4%
Other Christian
14.6%
Methodist
4.8%
Catholic & Orthodox
4.3%
Pentecostal & Holiness
3.5%
Mainline Protestant
1.0%
Non-Christian
0.5%
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 44.9% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.

With a 2024 presidential margin of R+62.2, this district of roughly 30,000 residents sits among the most one-sided in the state, leaving general-election competition rare and primary outcomes typically decisive.

The unraveling was not abrupt. The Democratic margin in Arkansas 42nd State House District peaked at sixty-seven points in 1932; it narrowed steadily over the late twentieth century. The 2000 election delivered the district to the Republican party for the first time in many years, by a margin of thirteen points. By 2024, the margin had settled into deep Republican territory.

The economic and demographic context is severe. The median household income of $65,891 is among the lowest at this geographic scale; 15% of residents live below the federal poverty line.

Compare two places, side by side

Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →

Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
State House District 42, Arkansas. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/05042/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How did State House District 42, Arkansas vote in 2024?
In 2024, State House District 42, Arkansas voted Republican by 35.1 points (R+35), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 23,342 votes cast, 7,284 went Democratic and 15,487 went Republican.
What is State House District 42, Arkansas's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State House District 42, Arkansas as a "Realigner" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 23 times, Republican 10 times, and other 1 times.
When did State House District 42, Arkansas last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which State House District 42, Arkansas voted Democratic was 1996.
How many people live in State House District 42, Arkansas?
State House District 42, Arkansas has a population of 54,136 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in State House District 42, Arkansas?
Median household income in State House District 42, Arkansas is $65,891 — below the national median of $80,734. The Arkansas state median is $60,773.
What is the political history of State House District 42, Arkansas?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State House District 42, Arkansas from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 23 went Democratic and 10 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Realigner" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.