COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton was meeting Friday with Republican activists in the early presidential testing ground of Iowa, walking a delicate path by raising his national political profile at a time of turmoil for Donald Trump’s White House.
The 40-year-old freshman Republican senator was attending the Pottawattamie County Republican Party’s annual fundraiser in Council Bluffs in conservative western Iowa. It’s a role thick with presidential implications despite Trump’s solid standing among Iowa Republicans less than four months into his term.
However, Cotton offered a simple “no” when asked if he was laying the groundwork for a 2020 presidential campaign, or hedging his bets should the Republican Trump not seek re-election.
“I’m up for re-election in Arkansas” in 2020, Cotton told The Associated Press before the fundraising dinner at an event center.
Trump’s hosts were standing by the president and calling Cotton’s appearance an opportunity for Republican activists to meet a potential future leader.