Cotton put on list as ’24 contender

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., is one of the leading contenders for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, The

Washington Post prognosticators said Friday.

The lawmaker from Dardanelle tied for second with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, one spot behind U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri.

The Post Pundit 2020 Power Ranking placed Cotton ahead of Vice President Mike Pence and Donald Trump Jr.

The paper classified Cotton as a “Young Reformer,” along with Hawley, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.

“[W]hile each sounds a different note, all sing from similar hymnals,” The Post panel stated.

One of the panelists, Greg Sargent, suggested that Cotton would be well-suited to fill the void if the party suffers defeat in November.

“A Trump loss will unleash tremendous rage and lust for revenge among the Trump base. Cotton can step up as the hero who will purge the GOP of all the quislings and cowards who refused to fully implement Trump’s agenda of authoritarian nationalist militarism. Fun times!,” Sargent wrote.

The Post piece came the same week Cotton was unveiling digital ads that he’s running in Minnesota targeting Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

“Joe Biden won’t stand up for law and order,” it states. “He’s too liberal and too confused to lead.”

Cotton, who is up for reelection this year, has plenty of money to spend on outof-state ads. Arkansas Democrats didn’t field anyone to challenge him.