Arkansas Sen. Jonathan Dismang resigns for cooperative job

Dismang leaves the Senate

Republican Sen. Jonathan Dismang’s resignation took effect Tuesday, ending a legislative career that lasted nearly two decades. He served one term in the Arkansas House before winning election to the Senate in 2010.

Dismang co-chaired the Joint Budget Committee and served two consecutive terms as Senate president pro tempore. He said he decided after considerable thought that it was time to leave the Senate and thanked Arkansans for placing their trust in him.

Dismang was named vice president of external affairs for Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Inc. He is scheduled to join the organization next month. He will succeed former state Rep. Bill Gossage as chief of external affairs after Gossage retires in January 2027.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ spokesperson said further announcements about scheduling a special election will come later.

Role in Medicaid and energy policy

Dismang helped develop Arkansas’ hybrid Medicaid expansion, which lawmakers approved in 2013. The program uses federal funding to buy private health insurance for low-income Arkansans.

The majority-Republican Legislature approved the approach, and Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe signed it as an alternative to a conventional expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Arkansas has requested a two-year extension after the Trump administration rejected the state’s request to renew the program through 2031.

Dismang also sponsored a 2025 law allowing utilities to recover the cost of new power-generation facilities before construction is finished. The measure was intended to help Arkansas attract data centers and other businesses that use large amounts of energy. His legislative work also included food insecurity and tax reductions.