Candidate for U.S. Senate

Tom Cotton

RepublicanIncumbent

Cotton is a Yell County native and Army veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan who has represented Arkansas in the U.S. Senate since 2015, after one term in the U.S. House. He chairs the Senate Republican Conference and the Senate Intelligence Committee and is seeking a third term. His campaign highlights immigration enforcement, tax cuts, national security and law enforcement.

Current or most recent role: U.S. Senator from Arkansas (since 2015); Chairman, Senate Republican Conference
Hometown: Dardanelle (Yell County)
Campaign website: tomcotton.com

Why they say you should vote for them

The candidate's own case to voters, summarized from their campaign and public statements.

Presents himself as a sixth-generation Arkansan and Army combat veteran "fighting to make Arkansas safe and prosperous."[1],[2]
Says he will deliver a "strong military," a "secure border" and "lower taxes for every Arkansan."[1]
Points to his work on the Laken Riley Act and on border security with President Trump.[1],[3]
Calls Arkansas the "Defense Capital of America" and says he has delivered billions in defense investments to the state, including in Pine Bluff and at Fort Ebbing.[1],[3]
Says he has "consistently voted against the spending that drove inflation higher."[3]

Background

Chairman, Senate Republican Conference · 2025–present[4],[5]
Chairman, Senate Select Committee on Intelligence · 2025–present[4],[5]
U.S. Senator, U.S. Senate (Arkansas) · 2015–present[4],[5]
U.S. Representative, 4th District, U.S. House of Representatives · 2013–2015[5]
Infantry officer (Iraq, Afghanistan, The Old Guard), U.S. Army · 2005–2009[4],[5]
Law clerk, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit; private law practice, Federal judiciary / private practice[2],[5]

Education

J.D., Harvard Law School[2],[5]
A.B., Harvard College[2],[5]

Where they stand

Immigration
Supports finishing the border wall and deporting noncitizens convicted of crimes; authored the RAISE Act to limit family-based ("chain") immigration.[3]
Taxes
Voted for the 2025 tax and spending law (H.R. 1); says he supports no tax on tips and no tax on Social Security and opposes IRS expansion.[3],[7]
Health Care
Opposed extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, saying they lacked a way to ensure they served only low-income Americans; says he supports rural hospitals and lower drug costs.[3],[6]
Foreign Policy
Calls China "our most dangerous enemy" and supports decoupling U.S. supply chains from China.[6]
Agriculture
Voted against the 2014 and 2018 farm bills, saying too much of the money went to nutrition programs; asked the USDA in 2025 to speed up aid to farmers.[6]
Guns
Opposes gun-control measures he says punish law-abiding citizens and calls gun ownership "a God-given right"; supports tougher enforcement against violent criminals.[3]
Education
Supports school choice, local control and parental rights; opposes teaching critical race theory in schools.[3],[6]
Abortion
His campaign says he has "stood up for life."[3]

Voting record

A selection of notable recorded votes. Not a complete record.

Measure	Vote	Date
H.R. 1 – One Big Beautiful Bill Act Budget reconciliation law extending 2017 tax cuts and changing Medicaid, food assistance and other federal programs. (U.S. Senate)	Yes[7]	Jul 1, 2025
S. 5 – Laken Riley Act Requires federal detention of noncitizens in the country illegally who are charged with theft and certain other crimes. (U.S. Senate)	Yes[8]	Jan 20, 2025
H.R. 5376 – Inflation Reduction Act Climate, health care and tax law that allowed Medicare to negotiate some drug prices and set a corporate minimum tax. (U.S. Senate)	No[9]	Aug 7, 2022
H.R. 4346 – CHIPS and Science Act Funding and tax credits for U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and federal science research. (U.S. Senate)	No[10]	Jul 27, 2022
H.R. 3684 – Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Federal funding for roads, bridges, transit, broadband, water systems and other infrastructure. (U.S. Senate)	No[11]	Aug 10, 2021

In their words

“the right amount of illegal immigration is zero”

Campaign website, immigration issue page[3]

“We must end our economic dependence on China, decouple our supply chains”

Campaign website, as quoted by the Arkansas Advocate, February 17, 2026[6]

“We will govern with strength, pride, and honor, just as Reagan did.”

Campaign website, About Tom page[2]

Sources

Tom Cotton for Senate (home page), Tom Cotton campaign
About Tom, Tom Cotton campaign
Issues, Tom Cotton campaign
About Senator Cotton, Office of U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton
Tom Cotton, Wikipedia
Senate candidates on both sides of the aisle focus on ousting Sen. Tom Cotton, Arkansas Advocate (republished by Arkadelphian), February 17, 2026
Roll Call Vote 119th Congress, 1st Session, Vote 372 (H.R. 1), U.S. Senate, July 1, 2025
Roll Call Vote 119th Congress, 1st Session, Vote 7 (S. 5), U.S. Senate, January 20, 2025
Roll Call Vote 117th Congress, 2nd Session, Vote 325 (H.R. 5376), U.S. Senate, August 7, 2022
Roll Call Vote 117th Congress, 2nd Session, Vote 271 (H.R. 4346), U.S. Senate, July 27, 2022
Roll Call Vote 117th Congress, 1st Session, Vote 314 (H.R. 3684), U.S. Senate, August 10, 2021

Photo: Official portrait, U.S. Senate (Public domain (U.S. government work)).

Last reviewed October 10, 2026. Spot an error or something missing? Report a correction.

Also running for U.S. Senate

Hallie Shoffner (Democratic)
Jeff Wadlin (Libertarian)

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