Tom Cotton

Tom Cotton
Junior U.S. Senator from Arkansas From: January 3, 2015 – present
Predecessor	Mark Pryor
Successor	Incumbent (no successor)
U.S. Representative from Arkansas's 4th Congressional District From: January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2015
Predecessor	Mike Ross
Successor	Bruce Westerman
Information
Party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Anna Cotton
Religion	Methodist
Military Service
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	Army
Service Years	2005–2009 (active) 2010–2013 (reserve)
Rank	Captain
Unit	506th Infantry Regiment 101st Airborne Division 3rd Infantry Regiment
Battles/wars	Iraq War Afghan War
Awards	Bronze Star Medal Combat Infantryman Badge Ranger Tab

Thomas Bryant “Tom” Cotton (born May 13, 1977 (age 45)) is the current junior senator from Arkansas. He has mostly held a strongly conservative voting record in contrast to his colleague John Boozman, who is the state's senior senator.

As a military veteran with a commanding presence, relative youth, and a tall stature, Sen. Cotton is expected to be the well-funded neoconservative candidate for president in 2028. His rivals then will be Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, all of whom have been supported by Koch-network related money in the past.

Cotton criticized Joe Biden's approach to the post-pullout Afghanistan government: the White House is "more worried Taliban cabinet is full of men than full of terrorists."

U.S. House of Representatives

Cotton formerly represented Arkansas in its 4th congressional district. He was first elected to this seat in 2012. A leader against Obamacare, Cotton has hinted that he might support withholding government funding until the Obamacare failure is repealed.

U.S. Senate

2014 election

He defeated entrenched Democrat Mark Pryor for the U.S. Senate seat in 2014. He took an early lead against Pryor in polls back in August 2013.

Tenure

In June 2020, Cotton spearheaded a resolution to condemn the far-left agenda of attempting to defund the police.

Sen. Cotton introduced a bill in mid-June 2020 that would offer cash benefits to exemplary police officers.

2020 election

Cotton was easily re-elected in 2020 with over 65% of the votes cast after facing only a Libertarian challenger.

Political positions

Cotton takes conservative stances on immigration, supporting reduced legal immigration levels and stronger border security. He co-sponsored the RAISE Act. Cotton has also defended President Trump's tariffs on China.

Cotton strongly opposes criminal justice reform, and has even gone as far as implying that the First Step Act enabled Black Lives Matter and made the immense scale of the George Floyd riots possible.

Late in 2020, however, Cotton disappointed his conservative base when he urged U.S. President Donald Trump to concede the election to former Vice President Joe Biden. He refused to support the challenge to the electoral votes waged January 6 by conservatives objecting to rampant election fraud.

Cotton is notorious for being a warmonger, particularly against China following the emergence of COVID-19, as well as Iran.

External links

• Biography in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Project Vote Smart profile
• Official Senate website