Biography
Colt Shelby is the Libertarian nominee for governor of Arkansas and a resident of Cecil in Franklin County.[1][4] He sued the state to move up the special election for the late Sen. Gary Stubblefield's seat, in the district where Gov. Sanders proposed a 3,000-bed prison. He calls the LEARNS Act a failure and wants to scale back the voucher program.[2][3]
Shelby grew up in Cecil, where he lives today, according to his campaign website. Soon after high school he went to work on drilling rigs for Thornton Drilling out of Van Buren, stayed nearly 16 years, and then moved to a large Houston-based oil company.[5]
He married Elizabeth Burt in 2006; they have three children, and the family has owned a farm since 2016, according to his campaign.[5] Shelby says his interest in public service began in 2024, when Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced plans for a 3,000-bed prison near his home.[5]
He advanced from the Libertarian Party convention on February 22, 2026, and after the death of Sen. Gary Stubblefield he sued the state to move up the date of the Senate District 26 special election.[4][3]
- 1.2026 Arkansas gubernatorial election · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 2.Challengers call Arkansas governor's policy priorities misplaced in debate · Arkansas Advocate · 2026-10-13 News report
- 3.Libertarian Party of Arkansas nominates 2026 general election candidates · Arkansas Advocate · 2026-02-23 News report
- 4.Colt Shelby · Ballotpedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 5.Colt Shelby for Governor · Shelby campaign · 2026-10-21 Candidate's own words
Researched from the cited sources on 2026-10-21.
