First on FOX: Sen. Tom Cotton, chairman of the Republican Congress and chairman of the Intelligence Email Committee, revealed plans to run for reelection in Arkansas in 2026, informing Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview how he will support the creation of the next Congress GOP majority and support plans to focus on the threat posed by communist China.
“It was a great honor and privilege to serve the people of Arkansas in the United States Senate,” he said, pointing to some of the GOP achievements.
The Arkansas Republican has entered a re-elect bid with a whopping $8 million in cash between his campaign and his leadership account, his campaign said. This is more than triple the amount he had in his 2020 campaign, and he has knocked his opponents down on hand.
Tulsi Gabbard gives an exclusive glimpse into Trump's first cabinet meeting
Senate Republican Congress Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark. announced on Thursday that he will seek re-election in 2026. (Getty Images)
Cotton, following his campaign, has accumulated 135,000 donations from tens of thousands of people from each of the state's 75 counties.
Cotton also boasts support from all officials across the state of Arkansas. Includes Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Senior General Leslie Rutledge, Attorney General Tim Griffin, Secretary of State Cole Jester, John Thurston, State Dennis Milligan auditor, and all Republic inspector Tommy Rand.
The support comes from Sen. John Boosman, a Republican, as well as lawmakers from all of the Arkansas DC delegation, Rick Crawford, Steve Womack, French Hill and Bruce Westerman.
“Senator Cotton is fortunate to have the overwhelming support of Arkansan, who recognizes that he has fought and delivered for conservative values,” Cotton's campaign adviser Brian Colas said in a statement.
Hypocrisy revealed in Senator Dem's “dark money corruption” ethical complaints, experts say
Thune and Barrasso approved cotton. (Ting Shen/AFP via Getty Images)
The senators also have the support of several GOP senators he serves, including South Dakota Sen. John Tune, Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, Tim Sheehee of Jim Banks in Indiana, Jim Banks in Bernie Moreno in Ohio, and Katy Britt Britt of Alabama in Tommy Taverville.
“The whole career of fellow combat veteran Tom Cotton has been to serve the American people — whether it was on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan or at his Congress home. The Senate, and I am proud to give him my support,” Sheehee said in a statement.
In his own statement, Tuberville said that the state in which cotton was born in Camden, Arkansas, “holds a special place in my heart.”
“Tom is a conservative fighter who puts America first. He is strict about crime, strong in national security, and understands the constitution. I am honored to serve Senator Cotton.
Exclusive: Republicans' long game to confirm Trump FBI director Kash Patel
Tuberville said Arkansas has a special place in his heart. (Anna Money Maker)
While a significant portion of cotton time in the Senate is spent pushing back democratic policies, the senator said, “I'm very excited right now. I have at least four years of opportunity with President Trump and the Republican Congress.
Cotton was first elected to the Senate in 2014 and re-elected in 2020. He is currently seeking a third term in the Upper Chamber.
With Republicans now holding the three regiment of power in Washington, D.C., he will spend several years moving forward with important policies that he probably won't be able to do if Democrats lead Congress.
“I was in the majority. I was in the minority. It's much better to be in the majority,” he said.
GOP Senator suffers from a seizure and cerebral hemorrhage after falling on ice
Cotton's new book is called “Seven Things You Can't Say About China.” (AP photo/kiichiro Sato)
He doesn't expect Democrats to come to power anytime soon. “We are confident that we will not only maintain a majority in the Senate, but also increase our majority next year,” he said in relation to the 2026 Senate election map.
Click here to get the Fox News app
Cotton's latest venture is his newly released book, “Seven Things I Can't Say About China,” which became just No. 1 New York Times bestseller. “Most Americans have a totally low opinion about communist China, but it's a bad thing to think that the Chinese Communist Party is dangerous to America, but it's actually much worse,” he said.
“I think the success of the book in the first week since it was published reflects the number of Americans, the number of Arkansans who are concerned about communist China,” the senator said, adding that it “is at the heart of my campaign.”
