"Once one of the most Democratic states, Arkansas became ardently Republican in just a few years. While the dramatic shift in the partisan makeup of Arkansas officeholders may appear to have happened almost overnight, the rise of the Republican Party in Arkansas was actually years, if not decades, in the making. From changes in voter preference at the top of the ticket in the 1960s, to generational replacement in Arkansas's political power structure in the 1990s, to a more nationalized and polarized electorate--the ascent of the Republican Party in Arkansas serves as a model for explaining partisan change throughout the country"--