Politician
Tom Cotton
Republican · Arkansas · ran 2 times since 2020, won 2 · incumbent
FEC candidate S4AR00103
Tom Cotton (Republican) raised $7.1M for the 2026 Arkansas Senate race, $1.3M of it from PACs, and outside groups spent $0 for and $0 against them (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Oct 14, 2026). They won.
Raised, all cycles
$16M
2026, 2020; counted once per cycle
From PAC checks
15%
$2.5M from corporations, trade groups, unions and politicians
Outside money for
$2K
Super PACs and party groups helping
Outside money against
$0
Spent attacking them
Every run
Each election and its result. Campaign receipts cover the whole cycle and can appear in both regular and special contests; they count once in the totals above.
| Cycle | Race | Raised | PAC share | Outside for / against | Google ads | All money | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Arkansas Senate | $7.1M | 19% | $0 / $0 | – | $7.1M | ✓ Won |
| 2020 | Arkansas Senate | $9.1M | 13% | $2K / $0 | – | $9.1M | ✓ Won |
Who wrote the checks
The PACs that gave the most across every run, and what kind of money it is.
Corporate $1.1MLeadership PAC $610KTrade group $387KOther $201KMembership $142KSuper PAC $67KParty $62KUnion $6K
- NRSCParty$62K
- WinredSuper PAC$45K
- Oorah! Political Action CommitteeLeadership PAC$10K
- Altria Group, Inc. Political Action Committee (Altriapac)CorporateLobbyist PAC$10K
- Boots Political Action CommitteeLeadership PAC$10K
- American Bankers Association PAC (Bankpac)Trade groupLobbyist PAC$10K
- Common Sense for America PACLeadership PAC$10K
- Walmart Inc. PAC for Responsible GovernmentCorporateLobbyist PAC$10K
- Jobs, Freedom, and Security PACLeadership PAC$10K
- Bbva USA Bancshares, Inc. PACCorporateLobbyist PAC$10K
- Experian North America, Inc Political Action Committee (Experian PAC)CorporateLobbyist PAC$10K
- Acpac Aca International Political Action CommitteeTrade groupLobbyist PAC$10K
Outside money, for and against
Super PACs and party groups that spent the most on these races.
Funding and votes
How their votes align with industry funding
Across 14 industry-vote comparisons with at least $10K in traced funding, they voted the industry's way 12 times (86%). This is a retrospective comparison using covered 2020–2026 runs; some money arrived after the vote. A vote can appear for multiple industries. Unknown coverage is excluded. “With industry” means its stated preferred side, and does not establish causation.
| Vote | Industry | Their money from it | Voted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most-favored-nation drug pricingSenate · 2026 · 49–49 | Pharma and health care wanted nay | $32K | Nay · with industry |
| Block Israel arms sale (Apr 2026)Senate · 2026 · 40–59 | Pro-Israel groups wanted nay | $5K | Nay · with industry |
| ACA enhanced premium tax creditsSenate · 2025 · 51–48 | Insurance wanted yea | $54K | Nay · against |
| ANWR coastal plain leasingSenate · 2025 · 49–45 | Oil, gas and coal wanted yea | $47K | Yea · with industry |
| Block Israel arms sale (Jul 2025)Senate · 2025 · 24–73 | Pro-Israel groups wanted nay | $5K | Nay · with industry |
| One Big Beautiful Bill ActSenate · 2025 · 50–50 | Oil, gas and coal wanted yeaWall Street and hedge funds wanted yea | $47K$126K | Yea · with industryYea · with industry |
| Halve Medicare drug prices (Sanders)Senate · 2025 · 47–53 | Pharma and health care wanted nay | $32K | Nay · with industry |
| Strike the AI moratoriumSenate · 2025 · 99–1 | Tech and AI wanted nay | $22K | Yea · against |
| Crypto corruption amendmentSenate · 2025 · 47–53 | Crypto wanted nay | $0 | Nay · with industry |
| GENIUS Act (stablecoins)Senate · 2025 · 68–30 | Crypto wanted yea | $0 | Present / not voting |
| California clean cars waiver repealSenate · 2025 · 51–44 | Oil, gas and coal wanted yea | $47K | Yea · with industry |
| OCC bank merger rule repealSenate · 2025 · 52–47 | Wall Street and hedge funds wanted yea | $126K | Present / not voting |
| CFPB overdraft rule repealSenate · 2025 · 52–48 | Wall Street and hedge funds wanted yea | $126K | Yea · with industry |
| IRS DeFi broker rule repealSenate · 2025 · 70–28 | Crypto wanted yea | $0 | Yea · with industry |
| Methane waste emissions charge repealSenate · 2025 · 52–47 | Oil, gas and coal wanted yea | $47K | Yea · with industry |
| Block Israel arms sale (Nov 2024)Senate · 2024 · 18–79 | Pro-Israel groups wanted nay | $5K | Nay · with industry |
| SAB 121 repealSenate · 2024 · 60–38 | Crypto wanted yea | $0 | Yea · with industry |
| Joint-employer rule repealSenate · 2024 · 50–48 | Labor unions wanted nay | $6K | Yea · against |
| NDAA FY2024Senate · 2023 · 87–13 | Defense contractors wanted yea | $42K | Yea · with industry |
| Pistol brace rule repealSenate · 2023 · 49–50 | Gun lobby wanted yea | $5K | Yea · with industry |
| Inflation Reduction ActSenate · 2022 · 50–50 | Oil, gas and coal wanted nayPharma and health care wanted nayWall Street and hedge funds wanted nay | $47K$32K$126K | Nay · with industryNay · with industryNay · with industry |
| Safer Communities Act (post-Uvalde)Senate · 2022 · 65–33 | Gun lobby wanted nay | $5K | Present / not voting |
Constituents vs. funders
Voted the way most of their constituents wanted on 2 of 5 key votes (40%)
On 3 votes, industries that gave them $10K+ before the vote wanted the opposite of what most of their constituents wanted. They sided with the funders 3 times and with their constituents 0. Constituent views come from the Cooperative Election Study, a survey of about 60,000 adults a year. A side counts as what constituents wanted only when it leads by more than the margin of error; closer results are shown as split. Party explains most votes, and none of this shows that money changed a vote.
| Vote | Their constituents | Their funders | Voted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Most-favored-nation drug pricingSenate · 2026 | 87% support ±5Arkansas · wanted Yea · CES 2022 | $32K Pharma and health care wanted nay | NayFunders over voters |
| ACA enhanced premium tax creditsSenate · 2025 | 45% support ±8Arkansas · split · CES 2024 · related question | $54K Insurance wanted yea | NayVoters split |
| ANWR coastal plain leasingSenate · 2025 | 38% support ±7Arkansas · wanted Yea · CES 2024 · related question | $47K Oil, gas and coal wanted yea | YeaWith voters |
| One Big Beautiful Bill ActSenate · 2025 | 72% support ±7Arkansas · wanted Yea · CES 2024 · related question | $47K Oil, gas and coal wanted yea$126K Wall Street and hedge funds wanted yea | YeaWith voters |
| Halve Medicare drug prices (Sanders)Senate · 2025 | 87% support ±5Arkansas · wanted Yea · CES 2022 · related question | $32K Pharma and health care wanted nay | NayFunders over voters |
| Inflation Reduction ActSenate · 2022 | 68% support ±6Arkansas · wanted Yea · CES 2022 | $47K Oil, gas and coal wanted nay$32K Pharma and health care wanted nay$126K Wall Street and hedge funds wanted nay | NayFunders over voters |
| Safer Communities Act (post-Uvalde)Senate · 2022 | 80% support ±6Arkansas · wanted Yea · CES 2024 | No industry with a side gave $10K+ | Present / not votingDid not vote |
The revolving door
3 former aides now lobbying
Lobbyists who list a job in Tom Cotton's office among the government positions they held, and who they now work for. A listed former position does not establish contact with that office.
Jonathan HilerFormer congressional staff
Director of Legislative Affairs, Office of the Vice President, Mike Pence; Legislative Director, Senator Tom Cotton; Legislative Director, Rep. Tom Cotton; P…
Now lobbies for Apple INC., American Bankers Association, Amazon Web Services, INC., Altria Client Services LLC · via Miller Strategies, LLC
John NoonanFormer congressional staff
Professional Staff Member, House Armed Services Committee; National Security Advisor, Senator Tom Cotton
Now lobbies for Cx2, INC., Gallatin AI, Icebreaker Strategies LLC On Behalf Of Vorbeck Materials Corp. · via Anchor & Arrow Strategies
Nicholas LisowskiFormer congressional staff
Intern - Sen. Tom Cotton; Legislative Correspondent, Legislative Aide, Legislative Assistant - Rep. Bruce Westerman; Health Policy Advisor - Rep. Earl L. "Bu…
Now lobbies for Pharmaceutical Research And Manufacturers Of America, Takeda Pharmaceuticals America INC
Figures are the candidate's principal committees as filed with the FEC, cycle by cycle. See About the data.
Questions people ask
- Who funded Tom Cotton's 2026 campaign?
- Tom Cotton (Republican) raised $7.1M for the 2026 Arkansas Senate race, $1.3M of it from PACs, and outside groups spent $0 for and $0 against them (FEC filings with varying coverage dates; the most common larger-campaign cutoff is Oct 14, 2026). They won.
- Which PACs gave the most to Tom Cotton?
- NRSC ($62K), Oorah! Political Action Committee ($10K), Altria Group, Inc. Political Action Committee (Altriapac) ($10K), Boots Political Action Committee ($10K), American Bankers Association PAC (Bankpac) ($10K) in 2026.
- How much has Tom Cotton raised across elections?
- $7.1M in 2026, $9.1M in 2020. Receipts are counted once per candidate and cycle.