Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) launched his 2026 reelection campaign Thursday, a bid that comes as the Senate GOP powerbroker has quickly become one of the most prominent lawmakers in Washington, D.C.
Cotton’s influence has rapidly expanded under the GOP’s new Senate majority. He took over the chamber’s Intelligence Committee and was elected by his peers to the third-ranked position of Republican Conference chairman.
“With President Trump and a Republican Congress, we can secure our border, lower prices, and keep Americans safe,” Cotton said in a statement. “I’m running to reverse the damage the Democrats did. We can turn things around for Arkansas and our nation.”
Cotton is in his second term and did not face a primary challenger in 2020. The seat is solidly Republican, and he won reelection by 33 points last time.
At 47, Cotton is comparatively young — the Senate’s median age is nearly 65 — and he is the youngest member of Senate GOP leadership by nearly a decade. He has declined previous presidential runs and opportunities to join the Trump administration, opting instead to rise through the ranks in the Senate while forging close working relationships with President Donald Trump and those in his orbit. His family life, which includes two young sons, played a large role in his decisions.
Still, Cotton has the potential to emerge as a serious contender for higher offices.
TOM COTTON, THE SENATE GOP’S NEXT POWERBROKER
Cotton starts his reelection bid for a third term with an $8 million war chest and a string of endorsements, including every statewide elected official in Arkansas, nearly every GOP state lawmaker, and his full congressional delegation.
He plans to rollout endorsements in the coming weeks from all of Senate Republican leadership, as well as conservative allies such as Sens. Roger Marshall (R-KS), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), and Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Cotton’s campaign told the Washington Examiner.
