Bruce Westerman
Bruce Westerman, a Republican forester and engineer who has represented Arkansas's 4th congressional district since 2015, faces Democrat James Russell, a mental health advocate, in the 2026 election.
2026 Races & Market Forecast
Live TruthIndex™ and prediction market consensus for races contested by Bruce Westerman.
Live News
Recent media coverage for Bruce Westerman.
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ANCA Endorses Congressional Allies; Grades Members of Congress on Pro-Armenian Priorities
Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-OR-05) – C [...] Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-OR-05) – C
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Steve Brawner: More of a joint appearance, but informative | Opinion
The Magnolia Reporter coverage notes that Steve Brawner commented on a debate featuring James Russell, the Democratic challenger in Arkansas’s 4th Congressional District (AR-04) race, alongside Republican Bruce…
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Primo Brands Opens New Mountain Valley Factory As Demand Grows
Bruce Westerman, the U.S. Representative for Arkansas's 4th District (AR-04), attended Primo Brands’ new Mountain Valley factory ribbon-cutting in Hot Springs. The event included Gov.
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‘Tickled to death:’ Joe Manchin’s excited about a potential permitting victory 👉 Updatem News
The article discusses House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and his role in pursuing a bipartisan permitting bill.
No story this week names this candidate.
- Born
- November 18, 1967
- Education
- Fountain Lake High School
University of Arkansas (Bachelor of Science in engineering, 1990)
Yale University (Master of Science in forestry)
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Bruce Westerman, whose full name is Bruce Eugene Westerman, was born on November 18, 1967, and was raised in Hot Springs, Arkansas, where he still lives. He graduated as valedictorian of Fountain Lake High School and attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where he played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and earned a Bachelor of Science in engineering in 1990. He later received a Master of Science in forestry from Yale University.
Career
Bruce Westerman worked as an engineer and forester for the Mid-South Engineering Company, served as president of the Arkansas chapter of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, and sat on the Fountain Lake School District school board. He was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives in 2010, served as House minority leader in 2012, and in 2013 became the first Republican House majority leader in Arkansas since Reconstruction.
In 2014 Westerman ran for the U.S. House to succeed Tom Cotton, who was elected to the U.S. Senate that year. He won the Republican primary on May 20, 2014, over Tommy Moll, 54% to 46%, and defeated Democrat James Lee Witt, 54% to 43%, in November.
As the only certified forester in the House, he introduced the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2017, and in January 2025 he introduced the Fix Our Forests Act alongside Representative Scott Peters of California.
In the 118th Congress he chaired the Committee on Natural Resources and served on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
2026 race
Arkansas's 4th congressional district takes in large parts of rural Arkansas, including most of the state's southern half, a stretch to the northwest that includes Pope County, and part of Little Rock.
Bruce Westerman is the Republican incumbent seeking reelection after winning 72.9% of the vote in 2024, and he is again his party's nominee.
His Democratic opponent is James Russell, a mental health advocate and 2022 candidate for governor, who won the Democratic primary with 53.0% of the vote against Steven O'Donnell, a Navy veteran and small business owner. Westerman and Russell meet in the general election on November 3, 2026.