Tom Cotton
| Tom Cotton | ||
 | ||
| U.S. House, Arkansas, District 4 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| January 3, 2013-Present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 3, 2015 | ||
| Years in position | 0 | |
| Party | Republican | |
| Predecessor | Mike Ross (D) | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $174,000/year | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| First elected | November 6, 2012 | |
| Next election | November 4, 2014 | |
| Campaign $ | $2,213,218 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Education | ||
| High school | Dardanelle High School | |
| Bachelor's | Harvard College | |
| J.D. | Harvard Law School | |
| Military service | ||
| Service/branch | United States Army | |
| Years of service | 2004-2009 | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | May 13, 1977 | |
| Place of birth | Dardanelle, AR | |
| Profession | Businessman | |
| Net worth | $282,501 | |
| Religion | Christian | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
| Campaign website | ||
Contents |
Cotton is considered a potential 2014 Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat Mark Pryor. Pryor is running for re-election in 2014.[1]
Based on analysis of multiple outside rankings, Cotton is an average Republican member of Congress, meaning he will vote with the Republican Party on the majority of bills.
Biography
Cotton received a bachelor's degree from Harvard College. He went on to earn his law degree from Harvard Law School. After completing school, he was a clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals. He then worked as a private practice attorney.
Cotton joined the United States Army and served five years of active duty. He then worked as a management consultant for McKinsey and Company.
Career
Below is an abbreviated outline of Cotton's academic, professional and political career[2]:
- 1998: Graduated from Harvard University with B.A.
- 2002: Graduated from Harvard University with J.D.
- 2002-2003: Clerk, U.S. Court of Appeals
- 2004-2009: United States Army Officer
- 2010-2011: Management consultant, McKinsey & Co
- 2013-Present: Member of the U.S. House, representing Arkansas's 4th district
Committee Assignments
U.S. House
2013-2014
Cotton serves on the following committees:[3]
- Financial Services Committee
- Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Debt
- Subcommittee on Monetary Policy and Trade
- Foreign Affairs Committee
- Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa
- Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade
Issues
Campaign website
2012
Cotton's campaign website listed the following issues:[4]
- Defend the Constitution
- Excerpt: "As an Army officer, I took an oath of office to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and I administered that oath to many soldiers. I will proudly take the same oath as your congressman..."
- Promote Job Creation
- Excerpt: "Beware of politicians who promise to create jobs, because only businesses and entrepreneurs—not politicians—can create jobs."
- Stop the Spending and Cut the Debt
- Excerpt: "Our country faces a debt crisis because of Washington’s reckless spending and borrowing. The federal debt is now $15 trillion, the size of the entire American economy."
- Reduce and Simplify Taxes
- Excerpt: "Our taxes are too high and too complicated. The individual and corporate tax codes distort the financial decisions of individuals and businesses, leading them to base spending, investment, and saving on tax considerations, not economic benefits."
- Repeal and Replace ObamaCare
- Excerpt: "ObamaCare is a job-killer, a health-care disaster, and an assault on liberty. I will fight to repeal and replace ObamaCare with free-market reforms that empower patients and doctors to make health-care decisions."
- Secure Energy Independence
- Excerpt: "America has the world’s largest fossil-fuel reserves in the world. I view our fossil fuels as a valuable asset to be used, not an embarrassing liability to be restrained. In Congress, I will support policies that unleash our energy producers, put America on the path to energy independence, and reduce our dependence on unreliable and hostile countries."
- Protect National Security
- Excerpt: "The foremost responsibility of the federal government is to provide for the common defense."
- Secure the Border and Enforce Immigration Laws
- Excerpt: "America is a nation of immigrants, but it is also a nation of laws. Our federal government is failing at a core duty: protecting our borders and enforcing our immigration laws. In Congress, I will oppose amnesty in all forms, fight to secure our borders, and improve enforcement of the immigration laws."
- Promote Parental and Local Control in Education
- Excerpt: "In Congress, I will work to empower parents with better information and more options to make the right choices for their children’s education and I will work to restore local control over our educational system."
- Uphold the Second Amendment
- Excerpt: "I will always defend our Second Amendment rights in Congress. As a combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, my soldiers and I kept our rifles and guns within arms’ reach because of a fundamental truth: at critical moments, your life depends on being armed and ready to defend yourself."
- Defend Traditional Values
- Excerpt: "Strong families are the cornerstones of a strong, free, and prosperous country. As your congressman, I will work to strengthen families and I will stand up for the traditional values I learned growing up on my family’s farm."
- Honor Veterans
- Excerpt: "I understand personally the sacrifices of our veterans and I will always ensure that we honor their service and patriotism."
Elections
2014
Cotton is considered a potential 2014 Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat Mark Pryor. Pryor is running for re-election in 2014.[5]
2012
Cotton won the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Arkansas's 4th District. He defeated John Cowart and Beth Anne Rankin in the May 22 Republican primary. He then defeated Gene Jeffress (D) in the general election on November 6, 2012.[6][7]
| U.S. House, Arkansas, District 4 General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Gene Jeffress | 36.7% | 95,013 | |
| Republican |  Tom Cotton |
59.5% | 154,149 | |
| Green | Joshua Drake | 1.9% | 4,807 | |
| Libertarian | Bobby Tullis | 1.9% | 4,984 | |
| Total Votes | 258,953 | |||
| Source: Arkansas Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
| U.S. House, Arkansas District 4 Republican Primary, 2012 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|
Tom Cotton |
57.6% | 20,899 |
| Beth Anne Rankin | 37.1% | 13,460 |
| John Cowart | 5.4% | 1,953 |
| Total Votes | 36,312 | |
Campaign donors
Comprehensive donor information for Cotton is available dating back to 2012. Based on available campaign finance records, Cotton raised a total of $2,213,218 during that time period. This information was last updated on March 22, 2013.[8]
| Tom Cotton's Campaign Contribution History | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Office | Result | Contributions | |
| 2012 | US House (Arkansas, District 4) |  |
$2,213,218 | |
| Grand Total Raised | $2,213,218 | |||
2012
Cotton won election to the U.S. House in 2012. During that election cycle, Cotton's campaign committee raised a total of $2,213,218 and spent $2,094,867.[9]
| U.S. House, Arkansas District 4, 2012 - Tom Cotton Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Total Raised | $2,213,218 |
| Total Spent | $2,094,867 |
| Total Raised by Election Runner-up | $100,330 |
| Total Spent by Election Runner-up | $98,040 |
| Top contributors to Tom Cotton's campaign committee | |
| Club for Growth | $249,833 |
| Stephens Group | $46,500 |
| McKinsey & Co | $38,700 |
| Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher | $28,000 |
| Elliott Management | $22,500 |
| Top 5 industries that contributed to campaign committee | |
| Republican/Conservative | $295,533 |
| Securities & Investment | $135,400 |
| Lawyers/Law Firms | $128,850 |
| Health Professionals | $123,742 |
| Oil & Gas | $92,600 |
Analysis
Ideology and leadership
Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Cotton is a "rank-and-file Republican" as of June 4, 2013.[10]
Lifetime voting record
According to the website GovTrack, Cotton missed 1 of 89 roll call votes from January 2013 to March 2013. This amounts to 1.1%, which is better than the median of 2.2% among current congressional representatives as of March 2013.[11]
Net worth
2011
Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org - The Center for Responsive Politics, Cotton's net worth as of 2011 was estimated between $165,003 and $400,000. That averages to $282,501, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican Representatives in 2011 of $7,859,232.[12]
Voting with party
2013
The website Open Congress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus. According to the website, Salmon has voted with the Republican Party 94.3% of the time. This ranked 184th among the 233 House Republicans as of June 2013.[13]
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a Google news search for the term Tom + Cotton + Arkansas + House
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
External links
- Social media:
- Biographies:
- Political profiles:
- Financial:
- Interest group ratings:
- Issue positions:
- Legislation:
- Public statements:
- Voting record:
- Media coverage:
- Tom Cotton Letter at Snopes
References
- ↑ Fox News, "Arkansas Rep. Cotton leaves the door open for Senate run in 2014," January 25, 2013
- ↑ National Journal, "Arkansas, 4th House District," November 6, 2012
- ↑ CQ.com - Roll Call, "House Committee Rosters for the 113th Congress," accessed January 18, 2013
- ↑ Campaign website, Issues
- ↑ Fox News, "Arkansas Rep. Cotton leaves the door open for Senate run in 2014," January 25, 2013
- ↑ New Orleans Times Picayune "Cotton wins GOP nod for south Arkansas US House seat," May 22, 2012
- ↑ Politico "2012 Election Map"
- ↑ Open Secrets "Career Fundraising for Tom Cotton," Accessed March 22, 2013
- ↑ Open Secrets "Tom Cotton 2012 Election Cycle," Accessed February 19, 2013
- ↑ Gov Track "Tom Cotton," Accessed June 4, 2013
- ↑ GovTrack, "Tom Cotton," Accessed April 2, 2013
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Cotton, (R-Arkansas), 2011"
- ↑ Open Congress "Voting With Party," Accessed June 4, 2013
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mike Ross |
U.S. House - Arkansas District 4 2013-present |
Succeeded by ' |
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