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."[1]

## Contents

* 1 U.S. House of Representatives
* 2 U.S. Senate
* 2.1 2014 election
* 2.2 Tenure
* 2.3 2020 election
* 3 Political positions
* 4 References
* 5 External links

## U.S. House of Representatives[edit]

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Obamacare, Cotton has hinted that he might support withholding government funding until the Obamacare failure is repealed.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[edit]

### 2014 election[edit]

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[edit]

In June 2020, Cotton spearheaded a resolution to condemn the far-left agenda of attempting to defund the police.[2]

Sen. Cotton introduced a bill in mid-June 2020 that would offer cash benefits to exemplary police officers.[3]

### 2020 election[edit]

Cotton was easily re-elected in 2020 with over 65% of the votes cast after facing only a Libertarian challenger.[4]

## Political positions[edit]

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.[5]

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.[6]

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.[7][8][9]

## References[edit]

1. ↑ https://www.foxnews.com/media/white-house-taliban-cabinet-men-terrorists-tom-cotton
2. ↑ Two references:
* GOP senators introduce resolution opposing calls to defund the police
* Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton introduce resolution condemning 'defund the police' movement
3. ↑ Two references:
* Exclusive: Tom Cotton Introduces Bill to Provide Cash Rewards to Good Cops
* Sen. Tom Cotton introduces bill to give cash rewards to good cops
4. ↑ Two references:
* Arkansas U.S. Senate results
* Arkansas' Tom Cotton cruises to 2nd Senate term after not facing a Democratic challenger
5. ↑ Daugherty, Owen (May 13, 2019). GOP senator defends China tariffs: Sacrifice by Americans 'minimal' compared to soldiers. The Hill. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
6. ↑ https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/op-eds/our-under-incarceration-problem
7. ↑ https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/05/06/coulter-lab-theory-of-wuhan-virus-cooked-up-in-a-neocon-lab
8. ↑ https://nypost.com/2021/09/27/sen-tom-cotton-warns-of-cold-war-with-china-and-biden-must-take-action/
9. ↑ https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/443725-cotton-us-could-win-war-with-iran-in-two-strikes

## External links[edit]

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