Candidate · November 3, 2026
Colt Shelby
On the ballot for Governor · Arkansas
- issues with public statements
- 3
§1On the ballot
Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.
| Office | Governor · Arkansas1, |
|---|---|
| Party on the ballot | Libertarian1, |
| Status | Challenger |
| Also on the ballot |
|
§2Who they are
Why this matters: Background and experience help you judge how someone might do the job. These come from public records and the candidate's own materials.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Colt Shelby grew up in Cecil, Arkansas.5 After high school he worked on drilling rigs for Thornton Drilling of Van Buren for nearly 16 years before moving to a Houston-based oil company, and his campaign website says he has managed hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts over the last 20 years.5 He and his family bought a farm in 2016, where they raise cattle and work the fields, and he is a Franklin County landowner.5,
Why they say they're running
His campaign website says his interest in public service began in 2024, when Governor Sanders announced plans for a 3,000-bed prison about four miles from his home, and that listening to neighbors across the region showed him broader concerns about the state's direction.5 It says he is running to offer leadership that puts people first and to make the state motto, Regnat Populus (the people rule), mean something.5
Websites and accounts
- Campaign websitecolt4arkansas.org5,
7 - Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=615885563757535
- Instagraminstagram.com/colt4arkansas5
§3What they've said on the issues
Why this matters: These are positions the candidate has stated publicly — on their campaign website or in public statements — summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Issues they haven't spoken about publicly are left out.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Each issue has its own range of views. A position is marked on that range only when the candidate's own statement clearly matches one option; there is no overall left–right score.
Education
His campaign website says he opposes school voucher programs that redirect public education money to private alternatives, saying they drain resources from rural public schools.6,
- Make them available to every family
- Offer them only to some students, such as those from low-income families or with disabilities
- No public money for private school or homeschooling costs
His campaign website says the state should fully fund existing public schools and prioritize investment in teacher pay, school facilities and rural district funding formulas.6
Energy and Climate
His campaign website says large data center and crypto-mining operations should pay their fair share of grid upgrades, that their water use should not come at the expense of agriculture, and that the Public Service Commission should review such deals before they are signed.6
- Encourage new data centers with tax breaks and faster approvals
- Require data centers to pay the full cost of the power plants and lines they need
- Pause or limit new data centers
§4Money
Why this matters: Campaigns report where their money comes from and how much they have left.
Candidates for governor file campaign-finance reports with the state, not the FEC, so this guide doesn't include their fundraising.