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Tom Cotton

Republican · U.S. Senate, Arkansas · Incumbent since 2015

2026 General Election

Tom Cotton has represented Arkansas in the U.S. Senate since 2015. An Army infantry officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, he graduated from Harvard Law School before his military service. He sits on the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services Committees and is known for a hawkish foreign policy and a hard line on immigration.

Official website →

Views on the Issues

Sen. Cotton’s stated positions alongside Democratic and Republican party platforms. Sources cited below each position. MyPolity does not editorialize.

Economy & Taxes

Democratic Platform

Democrats support progressive taxation, with higher rates on top earners and corporations to fund public investment. The party favors raising the minimum wage, strengthening unions, and expanding worker protections. Democrats generally support government investment in infrastructure, education, and social programs as drivers of broad economic growth.

Tom Cotton

Senator Cotton supported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and supports making its individual and business tax cuts permanent. He backs deregulation and has been a consistent advocate for Arkansas's agriculture and energy sectors, including crop insurance, rural broadband expansion, and domestic energy production.Source →

Republican Platform

Republicans favor lower taxes across income levels, with particular emphasis on cutting corporate and capital gains taxes to stimulate investment and job creation. The party supports deregulation, reduced government spending, and free market solutions over federal programs as the primary engine of prosperity.
Healthcare

Democratic Platform

Democrats support expanding access to affordable healthcare, including protecting the Affordable Care Act and moving toward a public option or expanded Medicare coverage. The party broadly favors government negotiation of prescription drug prices and opposes removing protections for pre-existing conditions.

Tom Cotton

Senator Cotton has opposed the Affordable Care Act and voted for multiple repeal efforts. He supports market-based alternatives including expanded health savings accounts, cross-state insurer competition, and reduced federal mandates he argues raise premiums. He is a consistent opponent of government-run healthcare systems.Source →

Republican Platform

Republicans have generally sought to repeal or significantly reform the Affordable Care Act, favoring market-based solutions. The party supports expanding health savings accounts, increasing competition among insurers across state lines, and reducing federal mandates on coverage requirements.
Immigration

Democratic Platform

Democrats generally support pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including DACA recipients, and favor comprehensive immigration reform. The party supports increased resources for legal immigration processing and a humanitarian approach to asylum seekers at the border.

Tom Cotton

Senator Cotton co-authored the RAISE Act in 2017, which would have shifted the U.S. immigration system to a merit-based points model and reduced legal immigration levels. He has been one of the Senate's most prominent voices for strict border security, opposing amnesty and supporting expanded physical barriers and enforcement at the southern border.Source →

Republican Platform

Republicans prioritize border security and strict enforcement of existing immigration law. The party broadly supports completing physical border barriers, ending policies they view as incentivizing illegal entry, and reforming legal immigration to favor applicants with marketable skills.
Education

Democratic Platform

Democrats favor robust federal investment in public K-12 education and higher education, along with policies to reduce or eliminate student loan debt. The party generally opposes using public funds for private school vouchers and supports universal pre-K and affordable childcare.

Tom Cotton

Senator Cotton supports school choice including education savings accounts and parental rights legislation. He has been outspoken against what he characterizes as ideologically driven content in public school curricula and opposes broad federal student loan forgiveness as unfair to borrowers who repaid loans or did not attend college.Source →

Republican Platform

Republicans support school choice, including voucher programs for private and religious schools, and local control over curriculum decisions. The party generally opposes federal education mandates and broadly supports parental rights in schooling. Many Republicans oppose student loan forgiveness as unfair to borrowers who repaid their loans.
Gun Policy

Democratic Platform

Democrats broadly support stricter gun safety measures, including universal background checks, red flag laws, and restrictions on assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. The party frames these regulations as consistent with the Second Amendment and necessary to reduce mass shootings.

Tom Cotton

Senator Cotton holds an A+ rating from the NRA and opposes new federal gun control legislation, arguing that existing laws should be enforced more effectively. He has opposed universal background check proposals and federal red flag law incentives.Source →

Republican Platform

Republicans strongly defend Second Amendment rights and generally oppose new gun control legislation, arguing that existing laws should be enforced more effectively. The party emphasizes mental health intervention, the right to self-defense, and opposes what they view as infringement on law-abiding gun owners.
Climate & Energy

Democratic Platform

Democrats view climate change as an urgent crisis requiring immediate government action. The party supports transitioning to clean energy through federal investment and regulation, reducing carbon emissions across the economy, and meeting international climate commitments. Democrats generally oppose expanding fossil fuel development on public lands.

Tom Cotton

Senator Cotton supports expanding domestic energy production including oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear power. He has been skeptical of major federal climate legislation and supported U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, arguing it imposed economic burdens on American workers while allowing large emitters like China and India to continue growing emissions.Source →

Republican Platform

Republicans emphasize American energy independence through domestic production of oil, gas, and coal alongside renewable development. Many in the party are skeptical of aggressive climate regulations they argue harm economic growth and jobs. Republicans generally prefer market-based energy solutions over government mandates and oppose restrictions that raise energy costs for families.
Foreign Policy

Democratic Platform

Democrats generally support a multilateral approach to foreign policy, emphasizing alliances, international institutions, and diplomacy as the first line of engagement. The party broadly supports maintaining NATO commitments, providing aid to democratic allies, and engaging international bodies to address shared challenges.

Tom Cotton

Senator Cotton is one of the Senate's most prominent foreign policy hawks. He is a strong supporter of Israel and takes a hard line on Iran — including authoring a 2015 open letter to Iranian leaders warning Congress could undo any nuclear agreement. He has called for significantly increased defense spending, backed NATO commitments, and supported U.S. military aid to Ukraine.Source →

Republican Platform

Republicans emphasize American sovereignty, a strong military as a deterrent, and bilateral relationships over multilateral institutions. The party broadly supports robust defense spending and is skeptical of international agreements they view as constraining American action or requiring open-ended foreign commitments.
Social Security

Democratic Platform

Democrats oppose cuts to Social Security or Medicare benefits and support expanding both programs. The party generally favors raising the Social Security payroll tax cap on high earners to ensure long-term solvency and opposes any form of privatization.

Tom Cotton

Position not yet available.

Republican Platform

Republicans support reforming Social Security and Medicare to ensure long-term fiscal solvency, which some in the party argue requires adjusting benefits or eligibility ages. The party opposes tax increases to fund the programs and some members have supported personal investment account options.
Criminal Justice

Democratic Platform

Democrats broadly support criminal justice reform, including reducing mandatory minimum sentences, addressing racial disparities in policing and incarceration, and investing in community-based alternatives. The party generally supports police accountability measures and evidence-based approaches to reducing recidivism.

Tom Cotton

Senator Cotton opposed the First Step Act of 2018, the bipartisan bill that reduced mandatory minimum sentences for some nonviolent drug offenses. He has argued that reducing sentences before reducing crime rates is the wrong sequencing and is a consistent advocate for tough sentencing and strong support for law enforcement.Source →

Republican Platform

Republicans emphasize law and order, strong support for law enforcement, and tough penalties for crime. The party generally opposes reducing mandatory minimum sentences for violent offenses and supports prosecutors pursuing strong sentences. Republicans broadly oppose policies they view as undermining police authority or creating leniency for criminals.

About these profiles. Party platform positions are drawn from the 2024 Democratic and Republican national platforms. Candidate positions are sourced from official statements, voting records, and campaign websites. MyPolity does not editorialize or endorse any candidate.