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U.S. House · Arkansas's 4th District

South Arkansas, including Pine Bluff, El Dorado, Hot Springs, and Texarkana.

General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

RESULT · UNOFFICIAL UNTIL CERTIFIED

Bruce Westerman, projected winner

CandidateVotesShare
Bruce Westerman131,28965.5%
James Russell III69,17534.5%

About 99% of the expected vote counted. As of November 9. Winners take office next year. Counts can change until states certify. NBC News ↗

Sources re-checked September 25, 2026 · How we research

  • Incumbent Bruce Westerman's Republican primary was canceled after only he qualified. James Russell defeated Steven O'Donnell in the Democratic primary.[1]

On the November 3 ballot · 2 candidates

Bruce WestermanRINCUMBENTPROJECTED WINNERU.S. Representative (since 2015)Full profile →James RussellDFull profile →

Issue evidence — side by side

Recorded votes, documented positions and candidates’ own words are shown with sources. “In their own words” quotes a candidate on the topic without inferring a stance. Votes describe specific bills or motions; they do not establish overall support or opposition to a broad issue. A dash means our research has no evidence on that topic, not that the candidate has no position.

Protect legal access to abortion

  • Bruce Westerman
    Recorded votes[36][37][38]

    Voted no on Women's Health Protection Act of 2021 (H.R. 3755, 2021-09-24). Voted no on Women's Health Protection Act of 2022 (H.R. 8296, 2022-07-15). Voted yes on Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 36, 2017-10-03), which would have banned most abortions after 20 weeks.

  • James Russell
    —

Stricter gun laws

  • Bruce Westerman
    Recorded votes[31][32][33][34]

    Voted no on Bipartisan Background Checks Act (H.R. 8, 2019-02-27), which would have required background checks on most private gun sales. Voted no on Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 (H.R. 1808, 2022-07-29), which would have banned the sale of many semiautomatic assault weapons. Voted no on Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (S. 2938, 2022-06-24), which expanded background checks for buyers under 21 and funded state red-flag programs. Voted yes on Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (H.R. 38, 2017-12-06), which would have required states to honor other states' concealed-carry permits.

  • James Russell
    —

Expand immigration enforcement and deportations

  • Bruce Westerman
    Recorded votes[15][16][17][18][19][20][21]

    Voted yes on Laken Riley Act (S. 5, 2025-01-22). Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which funded expanded immigration enforcement, detention and border operations. Voted yes on Secure the Border Act of 2023 (H.R. 2, 2023-05-11). Voted no on American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (H.R. 6, 2019-06-04; 2021-03-18).

  • James Russell
    —

Raise taxes on high earners or corporations

  • Bruce Westerman
    Recorded votes[16][17][18][27][26]

    Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03; 2017-12-20), which made the 2017 individual tax rates, including the 37% top rate, permanent. Voted no on Inflation Reduction Act (H.R. 5376, 2022-08-12), which added a 15% minimum tax on large corporations and a stock-buyback excise tax.

  • James Russell
    Supports[4]

    Campaign platform proposes a small tax on the wealthiest 0.1% to help fund efforts to end homelessness.

Expand public health coverage

  • Bruce Westerman
    Recorded votes[16][17][18][23][24]

    Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which reduced federal Medicaid spending and added Medicaid work requirements. Voted no on Breaking the Gridlock Act (H.R. 1834, 2026-01-08), which extended enhanced ACA premium subsidies. Voted yes on American Health Care Act (H.R. 1628, 2017-05-04), which would have capped federal Medicaid funding and ended enhanced funding for the Medicaid expansion.

  • James Russell
    Supports[11]

    His campaign website says he supports expanding Medicare and moving toward health care for everyone.

Faster transition away from fossil fuels

  • Bruce Westerman
    Recorded votes[16][17][18][25][26]

    Voted yes on One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 2025-05-22; 2025-07-03), which phased out Inflation Reduction Act clean-energy tax credits. Voted no on Build Back Better Act (H.R. 5376, 2021-11-19; 2022-08-12), which would have funded clean-energy tax credits.

  • James Russell
    Supports[4]

    Campaign website says to invest in a clean energy future that uses multiple sources and to protect natural resources from toxic industrial runoff and harmful chemical use.

Raise the minimum wage

  • Bruce Westerman
    Recorded votes[35]

    Voted no on Raise the Wage Act (H.R. 582, 2019-07-18).

  • James Russell
    Supports[11]

    His campaign website says the minimum wage has not kept pace with the cost of living and calls for laws that raise wages.

Broad tariffs on imported goods

  • Bruce Westerman
    Recorded votes[30]

    Voted no on Resolution disapproving tariffs on Canada (H.J. Res. 72, 2026-02-11), which disapproved the tariffs on Canadian imports.

  • James Russell
    —

Universal, publicly funded child care

  • Bruce Westerman
    Recorded votes[25]

    Voted no on Build Back Better Act (H.R. 5376, 2021-11-19), which would have funded universal pre-K and child-care subsidies.

  • James Russell
    —

Require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote

  • Bruce Westerman
    Recorded votes[22]

    Voted yes on SAVE Act (H.R. 22, 2025-04-10).

  • James Russell
    —

Require Congress to approve U.S. military action abroad

  • Bruce Westerman
    Recorded votes[28][29]

    Voted no on War Powers Resolution on Venezuela (H. Con. Res. 64, 2025-12-17), which would have directed the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities against Venezuela absent congressional authorization. Voted no on War Powers Resolution directing removal of forces from Iran hostilities (H. Con. Res. 86, 2026-06-03), which directed the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran absent congressional authorization.

  • James Russell
    —

Research notes & limits

Key House floor votes and FEC campaign-finance totals for incumbent Bruce Westerman are added separately by script and not duplicated here. Biography gaps: birth years are not given in the official or campaign sources reviewed, and Russell's background rests on his Ballotpedia profile and survey responses (no standalone campaign biography page was loaded).

Sources · 40

Researched 2026-09-25. Green citations are official government records.

  1. 1.United States House of Representatives elections in Arkansas, 2026 · Ballotpedia Reference
  2. 2.Bruce Westerman · Ballotpedia Reference
  3. 3.James Russell (Arkansas) · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey Candidate's own words
  4. 4.James Russell's campaign website (quoted via Ballotpedia) · James Russell campaign website · 2026-01-16 Candidate's own words
  5. 5.WESTERMAN COSPONSORS LEGISLATION TO PERMANENTLY REPEAL THE DEATH TAX · Office of U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman · 2024-01-19 Official record
  6. 6.WESTERMAN APPLAUDS FINAL PASSAGE OF THE ONE BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL · Office of U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman · 2025-07-03 Official record
  7. 7.Natural Resources · Office of U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman Official record
  8. 8.H.R. 22 — SAVE Act (119th Congress) · Congress.gov Official record
  9. 9.H.R. 38 — Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025 · Congress.gov Official record
  10. 10.H.R. 722 — Life at Conception Act · Congress.gov Official record
  11. 11.James Russell campaign website (via Ballotpedia, Jan. 16, 2026) · Ballotpedia Candidate's own words
  12. 12.Bruce Westerman · Ballotpedia Reference
  13. 13.About | Congressman Bruce Westerman · Office of U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman Official record
  14. 14.Arkansas 4th election results 2026 · NBC News News report
  15. 15.Roll call: Laken Riley Act — final passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-01-22 Official record
  16. 16.Roll call: One Big Beautiful Bill Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-05-22 Official record
  17. 17.H.R. 1 (119th Congress) — One Big Beautiful Bill Act: text and summary · Congress.gov Official record
  18. 18.Roll call: One Big Beautiful Bill Act — final passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-07-03 Official record
  19. 19.Roll call: Secure the Border Act of 2023 — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2023-05-11 Official record
  20. 20.Roll call: American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2019-06-04 Official record
  21. 21.Roll call: American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2021-03-18 Official record
  22. 22.Roll call: SAVE Act — proof-of-citizenship voter registration · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-04-10 Official record
  23. 23.Roll call: Breaking the Gridlock Act — ACA subsidy extension · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-01-08 Official record
  24. 24.Roll call: American Health Care Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2017-05-04 Official record
  25. 25.Roll call: Build Back Better Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2021-11-19 Official record
  26. 26.Roll call: Inflation Reduction Act — final House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2022-08-12 Official record
  27. 27.Roll call: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act — final House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2017-12-20 Official record
  28. 28.Roll call: War Powers Resolution on Venezuela · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2025-12-17 Official record
  29. 29.Roll call: War Powers Resolution directing removal of forces from Iran hostilities · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-06-03 Official record
  30. 30.Roll call: Resolution disapproving tariffs on Canada · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2026-02-11 Official record
  31. 31.Roll call: Bipartisan Background Checks Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2019-02-27 Official record
  32. 32.Roll call: Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2022-07-29 Official record
  33. 33.Roll call: Bipartisan Safer Communities Act — final House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2022-06-24 Official record
  34. 34.Roll call: Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2017-12-06 Official record
  35. 35.Roll call: Raise the Wage Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2019-07-18 Official record
  36. 36.Roll call: Women's Health Protection Act of 2021 — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2021-09-24 Official record
  37. 37.Roll call: Women's Health Protection Act of 2022 — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2022-07-15 Official record
  38. 38.Roll call: Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act — House passage · Office of the Clerk, U.S. House · 2017-10-03 Official record
  39. 39.James Russell (Arkansas) · Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey Candidate's own words
  40. 40.Arkansas's 4th District results 2026 · NBC News News report