Arkansas has traditionally been a Democratic state, with substantial support provided to this party. However, starting in 2010, a radical change was observed as local people began to alter their preferences and support Republicans. There are several factors explaining this change and shift of priorities. First of all, Arkansas is a mainly low-income, white, rural, populist, and extremely conservative state. The Democrats enjoyed their strong positions there because of the heritage of the past, the Civil War, and the New Deal of Roosevelt. However, over time, these factors became less significant, which preconditioned the rise of Republicans.
Another possible cause is the extreme unpopularity of the former President. Barak Obama could not gather support from people living in Arkansas as they had other values, visions, and ideas. His politics were also not attractive to them as they did not contribute to the improvement of low-income and rural citizens’ states. For this reason, Arkansans became more attracted by Republicans and their ideas.
Finally, TV and media played a critical role in this process. The extensive use of out-of-state donations provided Republicans with an opportunity to introduce TV ads and associated Democrats with more liberal ideas. It became a serious step towards creating a new vision in the mentality of the local people. Additionally, Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again” also contributed to the increased conversion speed. Under these conditions, it is possible to conclude that citizens’ disappointment along with the popularization of new ideas and the need for change preconditioned the empowerment of Republicans’ positions in the area and their transformation into a dominant political party.
