1980Final results
1980 election for Arkansas House District 43
Arkansas House of Representatives · Arkansas
Jim Smithson (R) won with 50.2% of the vote, defeating Billy Joe Purdom (D) by 0.3 points.
Jim SmithsonRepublican · winner · incumbent
50.2%6,739
Billy Joe PurdomDemocrat
49.8%6,695
13,434 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1980
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET