Arkansas farmer launches bid to challenge US Sen. Tom Cotton's reelection bid [View all]

Source: AP

Updated 4:56 PM EDT, July 15, 2025


LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A sixth-generation farmer from northeast Arkansas announced Tuesday that she is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Sen. Tom Cotton, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee who is seeking a third term.

Hallie Shoffner of Newport announced her bid for the nomination to unseat Cotton, who was first elected to the Senate and is widely viewed as a potential 2028 presidential hopeful.

“I’ll cut taxes for blue-collar workers, fight to restore Medicaid, save Social Security, cut the deficit, and be radically focused on bringing costs down for regular people,” Shoffner said in a release. “I’ll fight this rigged system every day — Tom Cotton’s the guy who did the rigging.”

Cotton was first elected to the Senate in 2014, defeating two-term Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor in a nationally watched race that drew millions of dollars in outside spending. Cotton easily won reelection in 2020 after his Democratic challenger dropped out of the race days after filing to run.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/tom-cotton-hallie-shoffner-arkansas-senate-2026-c2bf093a81772e67319aff202ae0ac7b