Arkansas 79th State House District · the strongest Democratic and Republican presidential performances recorded here, measured three ways.
1892–2024 (partial returns from 1876) · 38 presidential cycles · 38 with a vote-share denominator · 34 with a national benchmark
Highest vote share
Largest share of the presidential candidate vote cast here.
Democratic
Franklin D. Roosevelt1936
97.4%
894 votes · D+94.8 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1932 · 95.8%
Republican
Richard Nixon1972
36.4%
1,497 votes · D+27.1 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Ronald Reagan, 1984 · 32.1%
Most votes
Largest number of votes cast for the party’s presidential nominee here.
Democratic
Joe Biden2020
7,383votes
81.0% of the vote · D+64.6 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Hillary Clinton, 2016 · 6,948 votes
Republican
Ronald Reagan1984
2,006votes
32.1% of the vote · D+35.2 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · George H. W. Bush, 1988 · 1,821 votes
Best relative to the U.S.
This Place’s margin against the national margin in the same election — positive when it leaned toward the party more than the country did.
Democratic
James M. Cox1920
+98.9pts D vs U.S.
Place D+72.7 · U.S. R+26.2 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · John W. Davis, 1924 · +97.9 pts
Republican
Barry Goldwater1964
−29.2pts R vs U.S.
Place D+51.8 · U.S. D+22.6 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Richard Nixon, 1968 · −40.3 pts
current representation
Current officeholders
DTara ShephardState House · 79
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
Arkansas 79th State House District sits in the Mid-South. In 2024 it voted Democratic.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 94.8 points in 1936. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 1.8 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 62.8 points.
A population of 30,065, a 16% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $47,309 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State House District 77 and State House District 76.
Akashic
Political twins — state-house districts
The state-house districts whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons → · Or open the source-auditable district brief for electoral baseline, electorate, current-cycle coverage, geography, official dates, and methodology. Open campaign intelligence report →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Arkansas 79th State House District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/05079/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did Arkansas 79th State House District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Arkansas 79th State House District voted Democratic by 62.8 points (D+62.8), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 7,463 votes cast, 6,000 went Democratic and 1,316 went Republican.
How many people live in Arkansas 79th State House District?
Arkansas 79th State House District has a population of 30,065 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Arkansas 79th State House District?
Median household income in Arkansas 79th State House District is $47,309 — below the national median of $80,734. The Arkansas state median is $60,773.
What is the political history of Arkansas 79th State House District?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Arkansas 79th State House District from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 38 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.