Candidate · November 3, 2026
Tom Cotton
On the ballot for U.S. Senate · Arkansas
- raised through Oct 14, 2026
- $7.1M
- cash on hand
- $5.1M
- issues with public statements
- 11
- outside spending for or against
- $591K
§1On the ballot
Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.
| Office | U.S. Senate · Arkansas1, |
|---|---|
| Party on the ballot | Republican1, |
| Status | Incumbent — Currently serves as a U.S. senator from Arkansas.5 |
| Also on the ballot |
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§2Who they are
Why this matters: Background and experience help you judge how someone might do the job. These come from public records and the candidate's own materials.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Tom Cotton was raised on his family's cattle farm in Yell County, Arkansas, graduated from Dardanelle High School, and attended Harvard and Harvard Law School.6 After clerking on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and briefly practicing law, he joined the U.S. Army as an infantry officer after the September 11 attacks and spent nearly five years on active duty, with combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.6 Between those tours he served as a platoon leader with The Old Guard at Arlington National Cemetery.6 He has been a U.S. senator since 2015, and his campaign website describes him as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and the third-ranking Republican senator.6,
Why they say they're running
His campaign website says he is working to make Arkansas safer and more prosperous, pointing to defense investment in the state, a secure border and lower taxes.7
Service in Congress since 2023
- 2021–nowU.S. Senator, AR5
Websites and accounts
- Official websitecotton.senate.gov5
- X (Twitter)x.com/SenTomCotton8
- Facebookfacebook.com/SenatorTomCotton8
- YouTubeyoutube.com/RepTomCotton8
- Campaign websitetomcotton.com7,
9 - Facebookfacebook.com/TomCottonAR7
- YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVhTgeGOPys80LYsNwAxyUQ7
- Instagraminstagram.com/tomcottonar7
- X (Twitter)x.com/TomCottonAR7
§3What they've said on the issues
Why this matters: These are positions the candidate has stated publicly — on their campaign website or in public statements — summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Issues they haven't spoken about publicly are left out.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Each issue has its own range of views. A position is marked on that range only when the candidate's own statement clearly matches one option; there is no overall left–right score.
Immigration
His campaign website says the right amount of illegal immigration is zero, and says he voted for the Laken Riley Act and has consistently voted to deport immigrants in the country illegally who commit crimes.10
His campaign website says he backed President Trump's border enforcement policies and pushed to finish the border wall.10
His campaign website says he wrote the RAISE Act to overhaul legal immigration by ending what it calls chain migration and putting American workers first.10
Taxes and Budget
His campaign website says he helped pass the Working Families Tax Cut and passed no tax on tips.10
Social Security and Medicare
His campaign website says he passed no tax on Social Security.10
Health Care
His campaign website says he led the 2017 effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and has opposed one-size-fits-all government takeovers of health care.6,
Energy and Climate
His campaign website says he has written legislation to protect Arkansans from the costs associated with data centers.10
Education
His campaign website says he has worked to keep critical race theory out of schools and opposes policies that divide children by race or undermine parents' rights.6,
His campaign website says he supports school choice so parents can pick the best option for their children.10
Crime, Policing and Prisons
His campaign website says he backs law enforcement and opposes defunding the police.10
§4Popular bills that never got a vote
Why this matters: Many bills with wide support from both parties never reach a vote, so no member of Congress is ever on record for or against them. Signing on as a sponsor or cosponsor is the only public record of support.
While Tom Cotton served, these bills had broad support from both parties but never reached a floor vote. No officeholder ever had to vote on them. Tom Cotton sponsored or cosponsored 20 of the 50. How bills die without a vote.
See all 50
- Requires sanctions and tariffs if Russia refuses peace talks with Ukraine or invades again (S. 1241, 119th Congress · 84 cosponsors)11Cosponsored
- Lets combat-disabled military retirees receive full retired pay and disability pay (S. 1032, 119th Congress · 80 cosponsors)12Cosponsored
- Lets combat-disabled veterans with under 20 years' service get full retirement pay (S. 344, 118th Congress · 74 cosponsors)13Cosponsored
- Permanently expands Medicare coverage of telehealth services (S. 1261, 119th Congress · 73 cosponsors)14Cosponsored
- Renews the repair-backlog fund for national parks and other public lands (S. 1547, 119th Congress · 70 cosponsors)15Cosponsored
- Permanently expands Medicare coverage of telehealth services (S. 2016, 118th Congress · 65 cosponsors)16Cosponsored
- Requires AM radio as standard equipment in new passenger vehicles (S. 1669, 118th Congress · 62 cosponsors)17Cosponsored
- Lets surviving military and veteran spouses who remarry keep certain benefits (S. 410, 119th Congress · 61 cosponsors)18Cosponsored
- Bans connected vehicles and parts tied to China, Russia, Iran or North Korea (S. 4429, 119th Congress · 57 cosponsors)19Cosponsored
- Sets criminal penalties for charging unauthorized fees to help with VA benefit claims (S. 740, 118th Congress · 55 cosponsors)20Cosponsored
- Bars insurance discrimination against living organ donors and clarifies their leave rights (S. 1552, 119th Congress · 50 cosponsors)21Sponsored
- Adds military spouses to the groups covered by the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (S. 596, 118th Congress · 49 cosponsors)22Cosponsored
- Raises the railroad track maintenance tax credit and updates which track qualifies (S. 1532, 119th Congress · 48 cosponsors)23Cosponsored
- Has education civil rights officials consider a specific definition of antisemitism (S. 558, 119th Congress · 47 cosponsors)24Cosponsored
- Bars insurer bias against living organ donors; counts recovery for job-protected leave (S. 1384, 118th Congress · 43 cosponsors)25Cosponsored
- Lets surviving military and veteran spouses who remarry keep certain benefits (S. 1266, 118th Congress · 40 cosponsors)26Cosponsored
- Adds military spouses to the tax credit for hiring workers from targeted groups (S. 1027, 119th Congress · 39 cosponsors)27Cosponsored
- Expands and extends the military's authority to counter drone threats through 2030 (S. 1793, 119th Congress · 39 cosponsors)28Sponsored
- Expands U.S.-Israel military cooperation on counter-drone and emerging technology (S. 554, 119th Congress · 32 cosponsors)29Cosponsored
- Expands tech company reporting duties and victim remedies for online child sexual abuse (S. 1829, 119th Congress · 29 cosponsors)30Cosponsored
- Sets prior authorization standards for Medicare Advantage plans (S. 1816, 119th Congress · 71 cosponsors)31Did not cosponsor
- Adds Medicare coverage of tests that screen for many types of cancer, starting in 2028 (S. 339, 119th Congress · 68 cosponsors)32Did not cosponsor
- Allows Medicare to cover FDA-approved tests that screen for many types of cancer (S. 2085, 118th Congress · 64 cosponsors)33Did not cosponsor
- Gives new-car dealers more time to restock inventory under a tax accounting method (S. 443, 118th Congress · 63 cosponsors)34Did not cosponsor
- Sets electronic prior-approval and reporting rules for Medicare Advantage plans (S. 4532, 118th Congress · 59 cosponsors)35Did not cosponsor
- Adds Medicare coverage of early Alzheimer's screening tests starting in 2028 (S. 3267, 119th Congress · 57 cosponsors)36Did not cosponsor
- Requires health plans to cover birth defect care for the eyes, ears, teeth, mouth or jaw (S. 1677, 119th Congress · 54 cosponsors)37Did not cosponsor
- Expands federal support for community development lenders, including Native lenders (S. 3940, 119th Congress · 53 cosponsors)38Did not cosponsor
- Requires employer health plans to offer exceptions to step therapy drug rules (S. 2903, 119th Congress · 52 cosponsors)39Did not cosponsor
- Limits VA cuts to payment rates for ambulances and other special transportation (S. 2757, 118th Congress · 49 cosponsors)40Did not cosponsor
- Requires health plans to offer exceptions to step-therapy drug rules (S. 652, 118th Congress · 48 cosponsors)41Did not cosponsor
- Lowers U.S. taxes on Taiwan residents if Taiwan gives Americans similar treatment (S. 199, 119th Congress · 48 cosponsors)42Did not cosponsor
- Restores immediate tax deductions for research costs and expands startup research credits (S. 866, 118th Congress · 43 cosponsors)43Did not cosponsor
- Authorizes stillbirth research, data collection and public education programs (S. 2647, 118th Congress · 41 cosponsors)44Did not cosponsor
- Expands and revises the low-income housing tax credit for affordable rentals (S. 1515, 119th Congress · 41 cosponsors)45Did not cosponsor
- Funds state stillbirth data collection and federal stillbirth guidelines (S. 2858, 119th Congress · 41 cosponsors)46Did not cosponsor
- Expands tax breaks and federal support for employee ownership of S corporations (S. 2515, 118th Congress · 40 cosponsors)47Did not cosponsor
- Creates a White House coordinator and task force to counter antisemitism (S. 4091, 118th Congress · 38 cosponsors)48Did not cosponsor
- Lowers Medicare drug plan costs and limits for non-opioid pain medicines (S. 475, 119th Congress · 36 cosponsors)49Did not cosponsor
- Expands and renames the low-income housing tax credit (S. 1557, 118th Congress · 34 cosponsors)50Did not cosponsor
- Funds two federal diabetes programs, including one for Native Americans, through 2027 (S. 2211, 119th Congress · 34 cosponsors)51Did not cosponsor
- Adds permanent Medicare coverage of pharmacist testing and treatment for common infections (S. 2426, 119th Congress · 33 cosponsors)52Did not cosponsor
- Expands tax deferral and federal support for employee ownership of S corporations (S. 2461, 119th Congress · 33 cosponsors)53Did not cosponsor
- Adds a presentation on VA benefits to military transition counseling (S. 3938, 119th Congress · 32 cosponsors)54Did not cosponsor
- Creates a federal data system on college students' enrollment, costs and outcomes (S. 1349, 118th Congress · 31 cosponsors)55Did not cosponsor
- Funds SNAP food assistance benefits during a lapse in fiscal 2026 Agriculture funding (S. 3024, 119th Congress · 31 cosponsors)56Did not cosponsor
- Expands and extends federal and local authority to detect and stop threatening drones (S. 1631, 118th Congress · 30 cosponsors)57Did not cosponsor
- Makes the federal adoption tax credit refundable (S. 2895, 118th Congress · 30 cosponsors)58Did not cosponsor
- Sets federal criminal penalties for illicit use of xylazine, an animal sedative (S. 993, 118th Congress · 30 cosponsors)59Did not cosponsor
- Adds Medicare payment for pharmacist testing and treatment of flu, COVID-19 and more (S. 2477, 118th Congress · 29 cosponsors)60Did not cosponsor
§5Money
Why this matters: Campaigns report where their money comes from and how much they have left. Outside groups that spend on their own, without coordinating with the campaign, report that too.
Reported to the Federal Election Commission for the 2025–2026 election cycle, through October 14, 2026.61
| Raised | $7,149,643 |
|---|---|
| Spent | $9,470,585 |
| Cash on hand | $5,129,928 |
| Debts owed by the campaign | $104,891 |
Where the money came from
Outside spending
Groups spending independently reported $590,800 supporting and $0 opposing Tom Cotton this cycle, primary and general combined, in the 24- and 48-hour reports the law requires for larger expenditures, filed through February 12, 2026.62
| Group | Supporting | Opposing |
|---|---|---|
| America One | $590,800 | — |
Smaller expenditures that appear only on a group's regular monthly or quarterly report aren't in these totals, so the full amounts can be somewhat higher. When a group amends a report, only its latest version is counted.
§6Financial disclosures
Why this matters: Federal candidates and members of Congress must report their assets, income, debts and outside jobs, and members must report stock trades. These filings show possible conflicts of interest.
Senate candidates and senators file with the Senate's own disclosure system, which asks each visitor to agree to its terms before searching, so we can't link straight to a filing. You can search for Tom Cotton at efdsearch.senate.gov63.