Cotton’s absence is at the center of debate among Arkansas candidates for U.S. Senate

Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton was not present during the debate between his Democratic and Libertarian opponents on Monday, but criticism of the Arkansas lawmaker’s record and his absence from the debate took center stage.

Cotton, who is seeking his third term in the Senate, did not participate in the televised Arkansas debate with Democrat Hallie Shoffner and Libertarian Jeff Wadlin. Cotton, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, instead attended a birthday party Monday for World War II veteran and family friend Jock Davis, campaign spokesman James Arnold said in an email.

Shoffner and Wadlin barely acknowledged each other during the debate, and their focus on Cotton was evident from the start.

“Where is Tom Cotton? He’s not here, either because he thinks he’s too good or because he’s too scared, and neither one works for Arkansas,” Shoffner said in his response to the first question.

The second question concerned Cotton’s absence. Jeff Wadlin, the Libertarian candidate, took the opportunity to describe the outgoing president as “cowardly and hypocritical”.

“Twelve years ago he badgered Senator (Mark) Pryor into not showing up for the debate. Well, where is Senator Tom Cotton today?” » said Wadlin. He said he traveled to all 75 counties in Arkansas as part of his campaign and the message he heard was consistent: “The consensus I’ve heard from Arkansans is that they want (Cotton) fired.”

Cotton has repeatedly criticized Shoffner on immigration issues and his campaign has far outspent his own. Shoffner and Cotton accepted an invitation to debate by the conservative Christian news outlet Salem Media. Wadlin said during the debate Monday that he was excluded.

THE Cook Political Report views Senate race as solidly Republican, albeit local vote found Shoffner with a slight edge over Cotton in August — although still within the poll’s margin of error.

The panelists’ questions covered topics ranging from the war in Iran and immigration to economic development and college athletics.

Shoffner, a sixth-generation farmer, often brought the conversation back to Cotton’s criticisms on issues such as his past votes against the bill. Agricultural bill which sets policy for a range of food and agricultural programs. Wadlin frequently joked that many of the problems plaguing Americans were the result of Democrats and Republicans “working in one way or another to generate terrible results.”

Both candidates also worked to differentiate themselves from their party. Shoffner said she would have voted to move the Farm Bill out of the Senate Agriculture Committee that Senate Democrats voted against because of cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Wadlin put distance between himself and the Libertarian Party’s preference for less economic regulation by answering a question about the Protect College Sports Act, which would grant the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption to enforce eligibility and transfer rules if it passes the House. It passed the Senate last month.

While Wadlin was opposed to the legislation, he said that in general “we must resist industry consolidation because monopolies and oligopolies cost Arkansas farmers dearly.”

The candidates also denounced the war in Iran, with Shoffner saying she would vote to end the war if elected and Wadlin saying Congress must exercise its authority under the Constitution to curb the war. Cotton defended the Trump administration in this war and voted against war powers resolutions aimed at blocking military action against Iran.

“When I travel around the state, people don’t ask me about the details of the war in Iran. They want to know why we are there,” Shoffner said. “Tom Cotton can’t give us a good answer.”