Fredrick Love

Fredrick Love graduated from Joe T. Robinson High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (1999 and 2004).⁠[1][2]

He also holds a post-baccalaureate certificate in public health from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and attended the Harvard Kennedy School program for senior executives in state and local government.⁠[1][3]

Love has served as director of community services for the Pulaski County government and has sat on the Pulaski County Child and Youth Services Advisory Board and the board of Women and Children First.⁠[2]

Love served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 2011 through 2022; in 2019–2020 he was vice chair of the House City, County and Local Affairs Committee and vice chair of the Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus.⁠[1][2]

In 2015 he sponsored a bill to remove Robert E. Lee’s name from the state holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr.; Arkansas enacted the change in 2017.⁠[4]

In the Legislature he sponsored roughly two dozen laws, including measures requiring training for election officials, banning the sale of dead human bodies and requiring warning labels on hair relaxers containing cancer-causing chemicals.⁠[4]

Love was elected to the Arkansas Senate in 2022 and sworn in on January 9, 2023, representing District 15, which includes parts of Little Rock and Pulaski County.⁠[1]

During the 2025 regular session he served as Senate minority whip; he also chairs the Senate Public Health – Human Services Subcommittee and is vice chair of the Joint Public Retirement and Social Security Programs Committee.⁠[3][1]

On June 23, 2025, Love, who is term-limited in the Legislature, announced a campaign for governor of Arkansas, saying: “Arkansas works best when it works for all of us.”⁠[3]

His economic plan included regional economic development hubs tied to local industries and workforce needs; expanded access to startup capital, infrastructure and small business grants; partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities, community colleges and high schools to align education with job creation; and investment in broadband, water and utility infrastructure.⁠[3]

He said: “We must stop measuring progress only by what happens in a few cities.”⁠[3]

In the Democratic gubernatorial primary on March 3, 2026, Love defeated Bentonville businesswoman Supha Xayprasith-Mays by 81.0% (104,725 votes) to 19.0% (24,520); the Associated Press called the race around 8:30 p.m. that night.⁠[2][4]

At the Democratic watch party in Little Rock he said: “I truly appreciate your support and I look forward to serving you in November.”⁠[4]

He has said he would eliminate Arkansas’s school voucher program, invest in literacy programs and mental health services, raise teacher salaries in rural districts, provide free lunch to all students and direct more funding to early childhood education.⁠[4]

As of the March 2026 primary his campaign had about $4,400 in funds, compared with more than $4.1 million for incumbent Governor Sarah Huckabee SandersSarah Huckabee SandersSarah Huckabee Sanders (born 1982) is an American Republican politician who was White House press secretary from 2017 to 2019. She has been governor of Arkansas since 2023, the state’s first woman in the office, and was re-elected in November 2026.Open the full entry.⁠[4]

In the gubernatorial election on November 3, 2026, Love ran against Republican incumbent Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Libertarian Colt Shelby; the Associated Press called the race for Sanders at about 9:43 p.m. that night.⁠[5][2]

Arkansas Senate: Official website: https://senate.arkansas.gov/senators/fredrick-j-love/ (opens in a new window).⁠[1]

Fred Love for Arkansas: Official website: https://www.fredloveforarkansas.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[3][2]