After leading the Democratic Party of Arkansas since October 2021, Chairman Grant Tennille announced Monday that he’s stepping down on July 15.
Vice Chair Jannie Cotton is stepping up to lead for now, and the party plans to hold an election for a new chair within 60 days.
Tennille tried to duck out once before, in January 2023, when he announced he was simply too tired to continue in the role, which we grant is a grueling one. Being an underfunded blue underdog in a turbocharged red state where Republicans call pretty much all the shots is romantic in theory, exhausting in practice.
Tennille changed his mind about leaving in 2023, but this time, his resignation seems official. Here’s a press release sent from the Democratic Party of Arkansas Monday afternoon.
After Historic 4-Year Tenure at Arkansas Democratic Party, Chair Grant Tennille to Resign Effective July 15, 2025
During his term as Chair, Tennille rescued the party from financial insolvency and increased Democratic standing in the legislature for the first time in nearly two decades.
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Democratic Party Chair Grant Tennille issued notice that he will resign effective Tuesday, July 15, after serving four years in a historic term at the helm of the party.
Arkansas Democrats will hold elections in the next 60 days in accordance with party rules. Vice Chair Jannie Cotton of Sherwood will assume the role of Interim Chair.
Chair Grant Tennille released the following statement:
“It has been an honor to serve Arkansas Democrats for nearly four years as Chair of the party. Together, we have returned our party to strength and competitiveness, and I must extend a special thanks to the “true believers” among us who made it happen through hard work and generosity.
When I took the position in 2021, I promised the State Committee that I would work full-time because that’s what everyone, including me, felt the challenge demanded. I have been diligent; in the office most weeks for between 50 and 60 hours and spending many nights and weekends traveling the state. That work has helped the Party to begin to rebuild trust and grow again, but it has come at a personal cost.
I am weary, and I’ve missed way too much time with my family. Next year promises to be the most demanding yet, and it is better to step aside today, to allow the new chair to plan for ’26, preside over candidate filing and hit the ground next year with a few months’ experience under their belt.
I am excited by the group of Democratic candidates who are stepping forward to run next year because I believe their strength indicates that this party’s best days lie ahead. I’m proud of the small role I have played in this progress.”
During Tennille’s tenure, the state party has righted its financial status, restored ethical compliance with federal election law, and both eliminated its debt and run a fiscally sound operation, while expanding staffing, political outreach across the state, and overall electoral expenditures cycle-over-cycle. Tennille has often remarked that his duties extended from toilet cleaner and plumbing repairman to chief representative to the Democratic National Committee. While the superlatives are many, the Party’s achievements in the 2024 election cycle of recruiting more candidates for the state legislature than any year since 2012 and growing the number of Democrats in the state legislature for the first time since 2006 will remain some of the most notable hallmarks under Tennille.
On Friday, July 11, Arkansas Democrats will release additional information about upcoming elections for party leadership and interim Chair Jannie Cotton, following a July 10 meeting of the party’s Executive Committee.
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