In the concurrent presidential election in Arkansas, Democrat Bill Clinton — a native Arkansan who previously served as Governor — defeated Republican Bob Dole.

Arkansas Attorney General Winston Bryant and Arkansas State Senator Lu Hardin finished in the top two in the primary, and Bryant narrowly defeated Hardin in the runoff.

Although Huckabee won the Senate nomination unopposed in the May primary, he abandoned his Senate bid when Governor Jim Guy Tucker resigned from office and he became Governor of Arkansas.

Hutchinson was ratified as the nominee by the Arkansas Republican State Committee.

[14] Hutchinson won election to the U.S. Senate, receiving just over 5% more of the vote than his opponent Bryant.