<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1655234500667,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"0000017d-00b6-db7d-abfd-7cb766d10000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1655234500667,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"0000017d-00b6-db7d-abfd-7cb766d10000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_54882912", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"1030046"} }); rn","_id":"00000181-63aa-d702-a3cf-6feb16b60000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video EmbedSen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) is reportedly keeping the door open to a 2024 White House run, even if former President Donald Trump enters the fray.
Speaking to roughly two dozen top advisers and donors Tuesday, Cotton detailed some of the groundwork he has laid for a presidential bid, emphasizing that no contender would scare him off from running while teasing that he will make a final decision whether to run after the midterm elections, Politico reported Tuesday.
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Cotton said he has fostered goodwill with both the populist and establishment wings of the party and touted that he is flush with $8 million in cash from his Senate campaign that could easily be moved to a presidential bid, according to the report.
The Harvard-educated senator has long positioned himself as a Trump-friendly politician, only publicly breaking with the former president on a few occasions, such as his opposition to the Trump-backed criminal justice reform legislation and support for certifying the 2020 election results. He has remained in contact with Trump since his departure from the White House, per the report.
Since 2020, Cotton has made numerous trips to New Hampshire and Iowa, the first two states in the Republican presidential primary, and has worked to cultivate a robust donor base and network with local activists, according to the report. This includes six trips to Iowa and four to New Hampshire.
His top political adviser, Brian Colas, gave a presentation Tuesday during the session with donors detailing research Cotton and his advisers conducted into previous Republican presidential bids, the report said. Colas reportedly stressed that those two battleground states were “determinative” in the success of candidates clinching to party nod.
Cotton has long sought to brandish his conservative bona fides by championing issues such as combating “wokeness,” backing law enforcement, advocating for a Reagan-esque approach to foreign policy, and adhering to fiscal conservatism.
Looming over his presidential aspirations is Trump. Alongside Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump is widely seen as a top contender for the Republican nod, crushing the competition in poll after poll.
The former president has hinted but not declared his presidential ambitions, and behind the scenes, he is mulling the prospects of announcing his campaign before the midterm election cycle to deter any stiff competition and bring some excitement back into his life, NBC News reported.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The Washington Examiner reached out to one of Cotton’s representatives for comment. At least two Republican strategists, Danny Diaz and Steven Law, and five donors — Jim Brennan, Paul Horvath, Kevin Dretzka, Thomas Lehrman, and attorney Keith Noreika — attended Cotton’s meeting on Tuesday, per Politico.
Cotton is one of a handful of big-name Republicans eyeing a presidential run in 2024. Others include DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, Biden has sought to quell Democratic unease about him pursuing another term, with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterating his plans to pursue reelection Monday.
