Tom Cotton

by George Jared ([email protected]) 12 hours ago 201 views

A public, televised debate for the open U.S. Senate seat in Arkansas was held Monday (Oct. 12) at Arkansas TV in Conway, but two-term incumbent U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton R-Ark., didn’t participate.

His opponents, Hallie Shoffner, D-Ark., and Jeff Wadlin, L-Ark., immediately seized on Cotton’s absence.

“I think Tom Cotton is a coward and a hypocrite,” Wadlin said. “He wanted to debate (Hallie) Shoffner but not me.”

Shoffner echoed Wadlin’s sentiments. She noted that the war with Iran, started on Feb. 28 by President Donald Trump is a war Cotton has sought for years.

“He got the war he wanted … and now we are paying for it at the pump,” she said.

Both candidates blamed high inflation on Trump’s trade wars, tariffs and the ongoing war with Iran. Consumer prices have spiked due to trade conflicts with countries worldwide and Iran shutting down the Strait of Hormuz has caused a 40% spike in fuel prices this year and record diesel prices. It was noted that Cotton has been steadfast with the president on his trade and war policies.

One of the biggest concerns for Wadlin is the national debt. He noted that the interest on the debt is now $1.4 trillion a year – larger than the defense budget.

Shoffner, a former farmer, said if she was elected, passing a comprehensive Farm Bill would be one of her top priorities. A Farm Bill has not been passed since 2018, and Cotton has voted against previous versions twice.

Arkansas leads the country in farm bankruptcies and farmer suicide, she added. At least 25% of farms in the state have been shuttered in the last year and a half, and more are expected after this year. Shoffner said we need to grow more crops in the state that people actually eat. The state’s top crop, soybeans, is used to feed livestock, primarily.

Wadlin said tariffs have had a significantly negative impact on the farm sector, and he doesn’t think the federal government should be subsidizing farmers. Expanded export markets are one of the keys to unlocking the farm sector’s economy. Targeted tariffs in some sectors can be effective, he added.

Both candidates would support some form of manufacturing expansion in the agriculture sector. Often, crops and livestock produced here have to be sent to processors in other parts of the state or other states, and it’s costly.

Blanket tariffs don’t work as an economic development tool, but targeted tariffs can be useful in certain circumstances, Shoffner said. She said the war and trade policies have led to wildly fluctuating markets, and “Tom Cotton supports the chaos.” She also noted that the federal government, under Trump, spent $20 billion to prop up Argentina’s economy at a time when the country is emerging as a significant ag competitor in international markets.

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, has come up on the campaign trail numerous times, Shoffner said. Many voters in the state are concerned about data centers and the energy they use along with the noise and other pollution they produce. How this will impact local utility rates is a concern, she added. Wadlin said there should be some oversight in the AI industry, but major regulations are not the answer. The federal government needs to install some guardrails in the sector, he added.

Another issue that the candidates agreed on was immigration. Both said they wanted it to be legal, that violent criminals should be deported, and the legal immigration process needs to be reformed.

Wadlin said he doesn’t approve of the way ICE officers have been operating. Numerous people have been shot and killed by ICE officers, and he noted that under President Barack Obama many more immigrants were deported than under Trump. He said law enforcement officers should have a badge and shouldn’t be wearing masks.

“They shouldn’t operate with cruelty,” he said.

Shoffner agreed. During campaign stops, she said she’s encountered citizens who now carry their passports with them because they are afraid of being deported.

“People are afraid to call law enforcement. … I would reign in the violence,” she said.