According to a recent report from the New York Times, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) has emerged as a top contender to be former President Donald Trump’s running mate this year. Cotton would be an excellent choice for numerous reasons, as his foreign policy expertise, relative distance from Mar-a-Lago, and credibility among Reaganite Republicans would have a unifying effect for the ticket, especially when compared to other potential picks such as Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH).
As it stands right now, voters who supported former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in the presidential primary remain sought after by both the Biden and Trump campaigns. Haley’s voting bloc remained resilient well after she dropped out of the race, mostly due to anti-Trump protest votes. Even after Haley’s recent (semi-)endorsement of the Republican nominee, many of her supporters remain wary of supporting either Trump or Biden. While Haley would probably be the single best vice presidential pick to win these voters, neither she nor Trump seem interested in this possibility.
Therefore, another candidate who can bring in Haley’s core supporters without angering Trump’s base should be selected. Cotton seems uniquely positioned to appeal to both.
As one of the leading foreign policy hawks in the Senate, Cotton has remained unapologetic in his belief that defeating Russia in Ukraine is in America’s interest. In fact, he has even criticized the Biden administration for “engaging in half-measures while Ukraine has been half-succeeding” and said the administration “took too long” to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine’s military. Cotton has remained similarly steadfast on the Israel-Hamas war, rebuking more isolationist wings of the GOP.
Moreover, while he has remained supportive of the former president, he has not simply kissed the ring. Cotton kept his distance from Trump before it became clear that he would be the Republican nominee for president and earlier criticized his colleagues who attempted to overturn the 2020 election.
Cotton is perhaps the leading Reaganite in the Senate and understands that the best way to promote Reaganite policies in the modern GOP is to bridge the divide between Reagan and Trump rather than simply complain that Trump is not Reagan. His record of success in the Senate is proof of this.
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While these factors all could appeal to Haley voters, Cotton also has culture warrior status that would please Trump’s base. He recently stirred up controversy by suggesting that drivers stuck behind pro-Hamas protesters blocking traffic should “take matters into your own hands.” Cotton similarly angered the Left in 2020 when he wrote in a New York Times column that the U.S. military should shut down the Black Lives Matter riots. In the aftermath of that meltdown, the New York Times opinion editor resigned after the paper said the column “did not meet our standards” and apologized to staff for running the piece.
While Trump is still considering a wide range of possible running mates and could surprise everyone with his choice, the biggest mistake he could make would be to choose a candidate such as Vance or Vivek Ramaswamy, who have a considerable following among those who already support Trump but add nothing substantial to the ticket. There are many good choices from whom to choose, including Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), but Cotton easily rises above the rest.