Cotton’s opponent: ‘Not once’ has daylight savings come up on campaign trail

Sen. Tom Cotton’s (R-Ark.) Democratic opponent Hallie Shoffner said on Tuesday that “not once” has daylight savings come up on the campaign trail, after President Trump aired his frustration over stalled legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent.

In an interview on MS NOW , Shoffner stated that, “I’ll tell you, over the 450 days that I’ve been on the campaign trail, not once have I been asked about daylight savings time.”

“I mean, what Arkansans are talking about? They’re talking about gas prices and grocery prices. They’re talking about healthcare,” she added.

Cotton is opposed to making daylight savings time permanent, arguing it would force many in Arkansas to endure dark days in getting to school.

Trump on Saturday posted Cotton’s cellphone number on his Truth Social account while attacking the Arkansas senator over his position on the bill. Trump asked his Arkansas supporters to press Cotton, the third-ranking member of the Senate GOP leadership and the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, to drop his opposition to the Sunshine Protection Act.

Trump further blamed Cotton for the bill — which he called the “No More Changing of Clocks Act” — stalling in the Senate after it passed the House in a 308-117 vote in July.

Cotton defended his opposition to the legislation on social media , saying, “No one likes changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Savings Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter.”

“Arkansans don’t want their kids going to school in the pitch dark, and I’ll always put Arkansas first,” the senator concluded.

Other GOP senators backed Cotton’s position including Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) who believed “there’s more opposition to it than the president realizes,” referring to the bill.

The Arkansas Senate Race is designated as “solid Republican” by Cook Political Report . Decision Desk HQ also gives Cotton a 96 percent probability of keeping his seat for a third term over Shoffner.