Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton has had a brief political career, but a short tenure hasn’t hindered his ambition for the highest office. In June, Politico reported that Cotton was meeting with potential donors for a 2024 run, and earlier this month, USA Today reported on Cotton’s visit to Iowa’s, where he headlined an event for Story County Republicans in Cambridge. Prior to politics, Cotton served the US Army as an Infantry Officer Un Iraq with the 101st Airborne and in Afghanistan with a Provincial Reconstruction Team. Between his two combat tours, Cotton served with The Old Guard at Arlington National Cemetery. His military decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, and Ranger Tab.
Cotton’s educational background includes a law degree and a bachelors degree, both from Harvard. After working as a consultant for McKinsey & Co., he ultimately ran for office and was elected to the House of Representatives in 2012, and after one term, he defeated incumbent Senator Mark Pryor, netting Republicans an additional senate seat in the second mid-term of President Obama’s tenure. Cotton and Pryor polled near a statistical tie for much of the campaign cycle, but Cotton ultimately prevailed by a large margin, defeating Pryor 56.5 percent to 39.4 percent. Six years later, Cotton easily defeated Libertarian Ricky Harrington by a margin of nearly 33 points.
Known as defense hawk and a staunch social conservative, Cotton voted against the Iran nuclear deal, PPACA, gay marriage, and every gun control bill that he was able to vote on. As for his 2016 record, he was an early endorser of Donald Trump, and was also a proponent of many of Trump’s policies such as the decision to leave the aforementioned Iran nuclear deal.
Cotton favors a pro-business approach regarding environmental regulations. He voted for Trump’s corporate tax cut bill in 2017 and voted for the Keystone Pipeline. On foreign policy he is pro-Israel, but also recognizes the need for the two-state solution. He has also notably criticized China on several issues such as what the country is doing to the Uyghur Muslims and the country’s other minority populations.
Cotton sits on three Senate Committees, the Banking Committee, the Intelligence Committee, and the Armed Services Committee, where he chairs the Air Land Power Subcommittee.
Politico: Tom Cotton’s rigid conservatism.
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/31/tom-cotton-gop-conservatives-00035784