Secretary of State of Arkansas
Kim Hammer
Arkansas state senatorR
- Race
- Secretary of State of Arkansas
- Election
- 2026-11-03
- Opponents
- Kelly Grappe (D); Michael Pakko (LIB)
- Research
- Basic
Party linenone
No recorded floor votes — not a current legislator in our records.
Said vs. did0 statements · 0 votes
Kim Hammer is the Republican nominee for Arkansas secretary of state and a state senator from Benton, where he represents District 16. A pastor and retired hospice chaplain, he chaired the Senate Efficiency Committee in the 2025-2026 session.[1][2]
On the ballotSecretary of State
2026-11-03
| Kelly Grappe D | challenger |
| Kim Hammer R | challenger |
| Michael Pakko LIB | challenger |
Won the March 31, 2026 Republican primary runoff by 913 votes.
Biography
Kim Hammer is the Republican nominee for Arkansas secretary of state and a state senator from Benton, where he represents District 16. A pastor and retired hospice chaplain, he chaired the Senate Efficiency Committee in the 2025-2026 session.[1][2]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Hammer lives in Benton, and his career experience includes working as a chaplain and pastor with Saline Memorial Hospice.[1]
He served eight years in the Arkansas House of Representatives before his election to the state Senate in 2018.[2] In 2025 he sponsored a package of bills on the signature-gathering process for petitions to place initiatives on the ballot.[2]
Hammer won the March 31, 2026 Republican runoff for secretary of state over Bryan Norris by 913 of 80,977 votes cast, and a recount in six counties returned the same totals.[3]
On the record
Official actions: bills, executive acts, filings and court records.
- actionChaired the Senate Efficiency Committee in the 2025-2026 session and also sat on the Senate Revenue and Taxation and State Agencies and Governmental Affairs committees.[4]
Campaign moneyNo FEC filing summary matched — state candidates file with their state, not the FEC.
Profile: /people/kim-hammer
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Sources cited in this profile
- 1.Kim Hammer · Ballotpedia · 2026-10-19 Reference
- 2.Senator Kim Hammer · Arkansas Senate · 2026-10-21 Official record
- 3.Arkansas Secretary of State election, 2026 · Ballotpedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 4.Kim Hammer · Ballotpedia · 2026-10-19 Reference