U.S. Senator
Tom Cotton
Arkansas
RepublicanConservative
Contact
Voting Profile
Legislative Record
Most Active Policy Areas
#1 healthcare#2 environment energy#3 other#4 defense#5 banking finance
207
Votes Analyzed
Data sources: voteview, congress.gov
Political Position
Ideology Spectrum
0.58Conservative
Senator Tom Cotton is a conservative Republican whose voting record places him to the right of his party's average in the Senate. His NOMINATE score of 0.579 indicates he consistently supports conservative positions across most policy areas, positioning him among the more ideologically firm members of the Republican caucus.
LiberalModerateConservative
Republican avg
Near the average for Republicans (0.52)
Data source: VoteView NOMINATE scores (UCLA/UC San Diego)
Policy Positions
Category Breakdown
207
total votes analyzed
Overview
Tom Cotton has served Arkansas in the U.S. Senate with a voting pattern that reflects traditional conservative priorities. His record shows strong support for defense-related measures and budget proposals, with high affirmative voting rates in agriculture and taxation matters. His healthcare voting record, which comprises the largest portion of his documented votes, shows a relatively even split with 55% yea votes, suggesting engagement with various healthcare-related legislation during his tenure. On environmental and energy issues, he has voted affirmatively 61% of the time. Cotton's approach to banking, finance, and social security matters shows more selective support, with lower affirmative voting rates (43% each) in these categories. This pattern suggests he takes a more cautious approach to legislation in these policy areas, potentially reflecting concerns about government intervention in financial markets or entitlement programs.
Key Positions
- •Strong supporter of defense and national security legislation
- •Consistent support for budget measures (100% yea rate)
- •High support for agriculture-related bills affecting his rural state
- •Generally favorable toward tax-related legislation
- •More selective approach to banking and social security measures
By Policy Area
Healthcare109
55% yea45% nay
Environment & Energy23
61% yea39% nay
Other22
64% yea36% nay
Defense21
52% yea48% nay
Banking & Finance7
43% yea57% nay
Social Security7
43% yea57% nay
Agriculture5
80% yea20% nay
Analysis updated: January 9, 2026
Voting Record
Congressional Votes
146 votes across 13 categories