Frances Cavenaugh

Frances Cavenaugh

Republican Party

Arkansas House of Representatives District 30

Tenure

2023 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

2

Predecessor

Fred Allen

Prior offices

Arkansas House of Representatives District 60

Successor: Roger Lynch

---

Compensation

Base salary

$44,356/year

Per diem

For legislators residing within 50 miles of the capitol: $59/day. For legislators residing more than 50 miles from the capitol: $166/day.

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Personal

Profession

Business executive

Contact

Official website

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

Personal Instagram

Frances Cavenaugh (Republican Party) is a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives, representing District 30. She assumed office on January 9, 2023. Her current term ends on January 11, 2027.

Cavenaugh (Republican Party) ran for re-election to the Arkansas House of Representatives to represent District 30. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Biography

Frances Cavenaugh lives in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. Cavenaugh's career experience includes working as the chief financial officer with Cavenaugh Auto Group. She has served as the president of the Arkansas Independent Automobile Dealers Association, as the president of The Children’s Shelter of Northeast Arkansas, and on the Lawrence Memorial Hospital Foundation Board.

Committee assignments

Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.

2023-2024

Cavenaugh was assigned to the following committees:

• House City, County and Local Affairs Committee
• House Revenue and Taxation Committee
• Joint Budget Committee, Vice Chair

2021-2022

Cavenaugh was assigned to the following committees:

• House City, County and Local Affairs Committee
• House Judiciary Committee
• Joint Budget Committee
• Joint Performance Review Committee

2019-2020

Cavenaugh was assigned to the following committees:

• Advanced Communications and Information Technology Committee
• Joint Budget Committee
• House City, County and Local Affairs Committee
• House Education Committee

2017 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:

Arkansas committee assignments, 2017
• Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs
• Education

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Elections

2024

See also: Arkansas House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 30

Incumbent Frances Cavenaugh defeated Hamilton Holmes in the general election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 30 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Frances Cavenaugh (R)	80.6	8,923
	Submit photo	Hamilton Holmes (D)	19.4	2,147

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,070
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Hamilton Holmes advanced from the Democratic primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 30.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 30

Incumbent Frances Cavenaugh defeated Coty Powers in the Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 30 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Frances Cavenaugh	67.2	1,584
	Submit photo	Coty Powers	32.8	773

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,357
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Cavenaugh in this election.

Pledges

Cavenaugh signed the following pledges.

• U.S. Term Limits

2022

See also: Arkansas House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 30

Incumbent Frances Cavenaugh defeated Cheryl Primm in the general election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 30 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Frances Cavenaugh (R)	81.1	6,641
	Submit photo	Cheryl Primm (L)	18.9	1,549

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,190
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 30

Incumbent Frances Cavenaugh defeated Coty Powers in the Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 30 on May 24, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Frances Cavenaugh	69.0	2,530
	Submit photo	Coty Powers	31.0	1,137

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,667
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Arkansas House of Representatives District 30

Cheryl Primm advanced from the Libertarian convention for Arkansas House of Representatives District 30 on February 20, 2022.

		Candidate
✔	Submit photo	Cheryl Primm (L)

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2020

See also: Arkansas House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 60

Incumbent Frances Cavenaugh won election in the general election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 60 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Frances Cavenaugh (R)	100.0	9,899

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,899
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Frances Cavenaugh advanced from the Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 60.

2018

See also: Arkansas House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

The general election was canceled. Incumbent Frances Cavenaugh won election in the general election for Arkansas House of Representatives District 60.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 60

Incumbent Frances Cavenaugh advanced from the Republican primary for Arkansas House of Representatives District 60 on May 22, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Frances Cavenaugh

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2016

See also: Arkansas House of Representatives elections, 2016

Ballotpedia's analysis revealed that only 42 of the 100 seats up for election in 2016 involved competition between Democrats and Republicans. This made it numerically impossible for Democrats to take control of either Arkansas legislative chamber in 2016.

The reason for the low competition was that candidates were in safe districts for their parties. Between 1972 and 2014, an upward trend in uncontested state legislative elections occurred.

The Democratic Party of Arkansas focused its 2016 efforts on the state’s House of Representatives. Without the numbers to win the state Senate, H.L. Moody, communications director for the Democratic Party of Arkansas, told Ballotpedia that the party’s goal was to “start building back where we can,” beginning with the House.

Ballotpedia spoke to political analyst Richard Winger, who said that the early primary deadline for the 2016 elections was a possible factor as well, making it difficult for Democrats to recruit candidates early.

The primary election was held on March 1, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing period began at noon local time on November 2, 2015, and ended at noon local time on November 9, 2015.

Frances Cavenaugh defeated incumbent James Ratliff in the Arkansas House of Representatives District 60 general election.

Arkansas House of Representatives, District 60 General Election, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Frances Cavenaugh	50.82%	5,112
	Democratic	James Ratliff Incumbent	49.18%	4,948
Total Votes				10,060
Source: Arkansas Secretary of State

Incumbent James Ratliff ran unopposed in the Arkansas House of Representatives District 60 Democratic Primary.

Arkansas House of Representatives, District 60 Democratic Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Democratic	James Ratliff Incumbent (unopposed)

Frances Cavenaugh ran unopposed in the Arkansas House of Representatives District 60 Republican Primary.

Arkansas House of Representatives, District 60 Republican Primary, 2016
Party		Candidate
	Republican	Frances Cavenaugh  (unopposed)

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Frances Cavenaugh did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Frances Cavenaugh did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Frances Cavenaugh did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

---

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

---

Frances Cavenaugh campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Arkansas House of Representatives District 30	Won general	$71,522	$17,391
2022	Arkansas House of Representatives District 30	Won general	$62,754	$47,356
2020	Arkansas House of Representatives District 60	Won general	$14,150	N/A**
2018	Arkansas House of Representatives District 60	Won general	$21,448	N/A**
2016	Arkansas House of Representatives, District 60	Won	$109,529	N/A**
Grand total			$279,403	$64,747
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Arkansas

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Arkansas scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].
In 2024, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from April 10 to May 9. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to small business issues.

2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].

In 2023, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from January 9 to May 1. Arkansas Farm Bureau Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to agriculture. Conduit for Commerce Legislators are scored on whether their votes on bills deliver "more economic freedom for all Arkansans." Family Council Action Committee Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to "promoting, protecting, and strengthening traditional family values." The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].
In 2022, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from February 14 to March 15. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to small business issues.

2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].

In 2021, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from January 11 to October 15. Arkansas Farm Bureau Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to agriculture. Conduit for Commerce Legislators are scored on whether their votes on bills deliver "more economic freedom for all Arkansans." Family Council Action Committee Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to "promoting, protecting, and strengthening traditional family values." The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2020

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show].
In 2020, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from April 8 to April 24. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to small business issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].

In 2019, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from January 14 through April 24. Americans for Prosperity Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. Conduit for Commerce Legislators are scored on whether their votes on bills deliver "more economic freedom for all Arkansans." Family Council Action Committee Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to "promoting, protecting, and strengthening traditional family values." The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2018

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show].
In 2018, the Arkansas State Legislature was in session from February 12 through March 12. The legislature held a special session from March 13 to March 15. National Federation of Independent Business Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to small business issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2017

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show].

In 2017, the 91st Arkansas State Legislature was in session from January 9 through May 1. The Legislature held a special session from May 1 to May 3. Americans for Prosperity Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues. Conduit for Commerce Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to conservative issues with "a focus on small business." Family Council Action Committee Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to social issues. The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

See also

2024 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

Arkansas House of Representatives District 30

Website

Facebook

Officeholder

Arkansas House of Representatives District 30

Website

Personal

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Fred Allen (D)	Arkansas House of Representatives District 30 2023-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	Arkansas House of Representatives District 60 2017-2023	Succeeded by Roger Lynch (R)

[show]

Current members of the Arkansas House of Representatives

Leadership

Majority Leader:Howard Beaty

Minority Leader:Andrew Collins

Representatives

District 1

Jeremy Wooldridge (R)

District 2

Trey Steimel (R)

District 3

Stetson Painter (R)

District 4

Jason Nazarenko (R)

District 5

Ron McNair (R)

District 6

Harlan Breaux (R)

District 7

Brit McKenzie (R)

District 8

Austin McCollum (R)

District 9

Diana Gonzales Worthen (D)

District 10

Mindy McAlindon (R)

District 11

Rebecca Burkes (R)

District 12

Hope Hendren Duke (R)

District 13

Scott Richardson (R)

District 14

Nick Burkes (R)

District 15

John Carr (R)

District 16

Kendon Underwood (R)

District 17

Randy Torres (R)

District 18

Robin Lundstrum (R)

District 19

Steven Unger (R)

District 20

Denise Garner (D)

District 21

Nicole Clowney (D)

District 22

David Whitaker (D)

District 23

Kendra Moore (R)

District 24

Brad Hall (R)

District 25

Chad Puryear (R)

District 26

James Eaton (R)

District 27

Steven Walker (R)

District 28

Bart Schulz (R)

District 29

Rick McClure (R)

District 30

Frances Cavenaugh (R)

District 31

Jimmy Gazaway (R)

District 32

Jack Ladyman (R)

District 33

Jon Milligan (R)

District 34

Joey Carr (R)

District 35

Jessie McGruder (D)

District 36

Johnny Rye (R)

District 37

Steve Hollowell (R)

District 38

Dwight Tosh (R)

District 39

Wayne Long (R)

District 40

Shad Pearce (R)

District 41

Alyssa Brown (R)

District 42

Stephen Meeks (R)

District 43

Rick Beck (R)

District 44

Stan Berry (R)

District 45

Aaron Pilkington (R)

District 46

Jon Eubanks (R)

District 47

Lee Johnson (R)

District 48

Ryan Rose (R)

District 49

Jay Richardson (D)

District 50

Zack Gramlich (R)

District 51

Cindy Crawford (R)

District 52

Marcus Richmond (R)

District 53

Matt Duffield (R)

District 54

Mary Bentley (R)

District 55

Matt Brown (R)

District 56

Steve Magie (D)

District 57

Cameron Cooper (R)

District 58

Les Eaves (R)

District 59

Jim Wooten (R)

District 60

Roger Lynch (R)

District 61

Jeremiah Moore (R)

District 62

Mark McElroy (R)

District 63

Lincoln Barnett (D)

District 64

Ken Ferguson (D)

District 65

Glenn Barnes (D)

District 66

Mark Perry (D)

District 67

Karilyn Brown (R)

District 68

Brian Evans (R)

District 69

David Ray (R)

District 70

Carlton Wing (R)

District 71

Brandon Achor (R)

District 72

Tracy Steele (D)

District 73

Andrew Collins (D)

District 74

Tippi McCullough (D)

District 75

Ashley Hudson (D)

District 76

Joy Springer (D)

District 77

Fred Allen (D)

District 78

Keith Brooks (R)

District 79

Tara Shephard (D)

District 80

Denise Ennett (D)

District 81

RJ Hawk (R)

District 82

Tony Furman (R)

District 83

Paul Childress (R)

District 84

Les Warren (R)

District 85

Richard McGrew (R)

District 86

John Maddox (R)

District 87

DeAnn Vaught (R)

District 88

Dolly Henley (R)

District 89

Justin Gonzales (R)

District 90

Richard Womack (R)

District 91

Bruce Cozart (R)

District 92

Julie Mayberry (R)

District 93

Mike Holcomb (R)

District 94

Jeff Wardlaw (R)

District 95

Howard Beaty (R)

District 96

Sonia Barker (R)

District 97

Matthew Shepherd (R)

District 98

Wade Andrews (R)

District 99

Lane Jean (R)

District 100

Carol Dalby (R)

Republican Party (81)

Democratic Party (19)