The Cabot Lore Repository

Compiled from the Arkansas Leader's candidate-filing reports, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's 2026 Voter Guide, and campaign sources. Summaries are original paraphrase; no newspaper text is reproduced.

Election 2026: Who's Running in Cabot

Cabot voters decided a full slate of city and county offices in the general election on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The results — unofficial final totals from the county's Summary Results Report — lead this page. Below them, the pre-election guide to who ran is kept as it was published, as the record of the race. It was compiled from the Arkansas Leader's candidate-filing reports (final list published August 12, 2026), the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's 2026 Voter Guide, and the candidates' own campaign material, and it is not an endorsement of anyone.

Results — November 3, 2026 (unofficial final)

The totals below are the unofficial final results from the Lonoke County Summary Results Report generated on election night (November 3, 2026, 9:52 PM). They stay unofficial until the election commission certifies them; certified figures will replace these when the county posts them.

In Ward 1, Position 2, Spangler also led both halves of the count: the early and absentee vote went 3,103–2,526 in his favor, and Election Day voting itself went 545–383.

Three seats were unopposed: John "Mickey" Spillane (Ward 2, Position 1), Brandon Hillenburg (Ward 2, Position 2), and Matt Webber (Ward 4, Position 1) were each the only candidate for their seat. The summary pages this update is drawn from report no vote totals for the unopposed races, so none are listed here.

One gap, stated plainly: Ward 3, Position 1 had a third candidate, Benton (see the filing list below). His total was not included in the summary pages supplied for this update, so it is not shown rather than estimated.

The council for 2027

The results seat this council, taking office in January 2027: Mayor Ken Kincade. Ward 1: Ed Long and Corey Spangler. Ward 2: John "Mickey" Spillane and Brandon Hillenburg. Ward 3: Moore and Clem. Ward 4: Matt Webber and Kyle Pickard.

Mayor of Cabot — contested

Ken Kincade (incumbent). First elected in 2018 and seeking a third term. His campaign points to dozens of business openings during his tenure, the Game Time at the Grounds sports complex, and the Lyon College veterinary school coming to Cabot, arguing that the sales- and A&P-tax revenue they generate is paying down the voter-approved 2021 bond issue and building reserves. His stated priorities are street overlays, drainage and flooding repairs, and economic development without raising taxes. (Arkansas Leader, Aug. 12, 2026)

Eddie Joe Williams (challenger). Cabot's mayor from 2007 to 2010, after service on the planning and parks commissions and three terms on the city council. He then served in the Arkansas Senate from 2011 to 2017, including as majority leader, and left for a presidential appointment to the Southern States Energy Board. In early 2024 he served briefly as interim secretary of the state Department of Corrections, and in 2022 he ran for Arkansas Secretary of State. Since February 2026 he has been Lonoke County's interim county clerk, appointed by the quorum court to finish Dawn Porterfield's term through the end of 2026 — meaning the challenger in the mayor's race is also, for a few more weeks, the county's chief election administrator; he has said he will step back from ballot handling on Election Day. His working career was 30-plus years with the Union Pacific Railroad, from laborer to regional director of transportation, and he is an Army veteran. He has lived in Cabot nearly 40 years with his wife, DeLona; they have four daughters. He is running on traffic, city debt, and bringing industry and jobs. (Arkansas Leader, July 29, 2026; Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

The debt argument, in brief. Williams says the city's obligations, citing the legislative audit, total nearly $100 million, with payments weighted toward later years. The underlying bond issue is the $69 million package Cabot voters approved in August 2021 for infrastructure, public safety, and parks, funded by continuing the city's one-cent sales tax; the city later refinanced from 5% to 3%. Kincade answers that the bonds are being retired 18 years ahead of schedule (paid off in 2038) and are secured by that sales tax rather than the city's general funds. (Arkansas Leader, July 29 and Oct. 14, 2026)

City Clerk/Treasurer — unopposed

Tammy Yocum (incumbent) is the only candidate.

City Attorney — unopposed

Courtnie Holt, the deputy city attorney, is the only candidate for an open seat: City Attorney Ben Hooper was elected Lonoke County prosecutor in March. Holt earned a journalism and political science degree from the University of Arkansas in 2013 and a law degree in 2016, and took over the McCastlain law practice in Lonoke County. (Arkansas Leader, Aug. 5, 2026)

City Council

• - Ward 1, Position 1 — contested. Ed Long (incumbent) vs. Courtney Roldan.
• - Ward 1, Position 2 — contested. Corey Spangler (incumbent) vs. Dwayne Roper, a retired Cabot police lieutenant who now leads the Cabot School District's police as its safety and security director.
• - Ward 2, Position 1 — unopposed. John "Mickey" Spillane. Incumbent Stephen Redd did not file for re-election.
• - Ward 2, Position 2 — unopposed. Brandon Hillenburg (incumbent).
• - Ward 3, Position 1 — contested, open seat. Marvin Benton, Mary Friddle, and John "Casey" Moore. Incumbent Maggie Cope is not seeking re-election.
• - Ward 3, Position 2 — contested, open seat. Danny Clem, a retired Cabot assistant police chief, vs. Lena Strickland. Incumbent James Reid is not seeking re-election.
• - Ward 4, Position 1 — unopposed. Matt Webber (incumbent).
• - Ward 4, Position 2 — contested. Kyle Pickard (incumbent) vs. Scott Steely, a retired Cabot police chief.

Lonoke County offices on Cabot ballots

• - County Judge — contested, open seat. Mike Verkler (Republican) vs. Toby Troutman (independent). Incumbent Doug Erwin is retiring. Troutman's place on the ballot was challenged in court over residency and an old conviction; a judge ruled him eligible to run. (Arkansas Leader, Aug. 19 and Sept. 9, 2026)
• - Sheriff — contested. Aaron Spencer (Republican), who defeated incumbent John Staley in the March primary, vs. Larry Behnke (independent), who also ran for sheriff in 2022.
• - Circuit Clerk — contested. Deborah Oglesby (Republican, incumbent) vs. Charla Perkins (independent).
• - Tax Collector — contested. Kristen Petrus (Republican) vs. Katrina O'Donnell (Democrat).
• - Justice of the Peace, District 8 — contested. Tate House (Republican) vs. Jeremy Picard (independent).
• - County Clerk — effectively decided. Joanie Howell (Republican) won the March primary and no November opponent emerged in the coverage reviewed; she takes office January 1, 2027, succeeding interim clerk Eddie Joe Williams.

Sources for this page

• - Results: Lonoke County Summary Results Report — unofficial final totals, generated November 3, 2026, 9:52 PM.
• - Arkansas Leader: candidate filing reports and final candidate list (Aug. 5 and Aug. 12, 2026); Williams announcement profile (July 29, 2026); Kincade campaign profile (Aug. 12, 2026); candidate forum coverage (Oct. 14, 2026). Issues are held in the site's Leader archive.
• - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 2026 Voter Guide — lists the Cabot mayor race; the paper had published no dedicated article on the race as of late October 2026.
• - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Williams's interim corrections appointment (Jan. 31, 2024).
• - Arkansas Money & Politics, "Eddie Joe Williams Seeking Another Round as Cabot Mayor" (July 29, 2026).
• - Williams campaign site: goeddiejoe.com.