Democrat · Arkansas governor · 2026
Fred Love
Fredrick Love worked at McDonald’s to help pay for school, after a childhood that included time on his grandparents’ farm and periods when his family struggled to keep the lights on.
Biography
Fred Love worked at McDonald's to help pay for school, alongside loans and support from others.1 His campaign biography describes a childhood when his family sometimes slept in a car or went without electricity.1 He and his wife, ShaRhonda, have two children.2
Love earned a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's in public administration at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.2 His work has included AmeriCorps, the Arkansas Food Bank and Pulaski County government, where he was director of community services.13 He has also served on the boards of Carelink and Women and Children First.2
Love served in the Arkansas House from 2011 through 2022 and entered the Senate in 2023, representing parts of Little Rock and Pulaski County.2 He is the Senate minority whip and chairs its human services subcommittee.2 His 2025 work included legislation requiring warning labels on hair relaxers containing potentially harmful chemicals.45
He proposes ending the private school voucher program, increasing support for literacy and early education, and stopping the planned Franklin County prison in favor of rehabilitation and reentry programs.56 He also proposes regional economic hubs, apprenticeships and expanded rural healthcare access.6 He faces Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Libertarian Colt Shelby, offering a change in direction from the incumbent's education agenda.75
Record and controversies
Discrimination lawsuit dismissed
Love challenged his 2023 departure as Pulaski County's community services director, alleging that he had been forced to resign because of racial discrimination and a hostile workplace.8 County Judge Barry Hyde denied the allegations, and the federal court dismissed the case in June 2025, finding that the record would not support a reasonable juror's discrimination finding.8 This is a failed civil employment claim by Love, rather than a criminal conviction or a substantiated harassment finding against him.8