Arkansas Republican U.S. Senator Tom Cotton and his Democratic challenger Hallie Shoffner will not participate in a debate ahead of the November 3 election, both campaigns confirmed on Wednesday.
The event, which was to be hosted by Salem Media Group, a conservative Christian news outlet, was canceled after the organization retracted its invitation. James Arnold, a spokesperson for Cotton’s campaign, expressed disappointment in a statement. “We offered multiple dates to Salem and are disappointed Salem is no longer offering the debate,” Arnold said. This was the only debate Cotton, who was first elected to the Senate in 2014, had agreed to join.
Cotton declined other debate invitations, including one from Arkansas TV, which would have featured Shoffner and Libertarian candidate Jeff Wadlin. Instead, Cotton attended a birthday celebration on Monday for Jock Davis, a World War II veteran and long-time family friend, according to Arnold.
Shoffner and Wadlin debated on Monday in Cotton’s absence, where the senator's refusal to participate took center stage. During the event, Shoffner criticized Cotton, suggesting he “either thinks he’s too good or he’s too scared” to face his opponents. Anna-Lee Pittman, Shoffner’s campaign manager, echoed the criticism, stating, “A senator who can’t defend his record in front of Arkansans is a senator Arkansas doesn’t need.”
Libertarian candidate Wadlin noted that Salem Media Group had not invited him to the proposed debate between Cotton and Shoffner. Salem Media did not provide a comment when contacted on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Cook Political Report rates the Arkansas Senate race as solidly Republican. However, some local polling from August showed Shoffner slightly ahead of Cotton, though the results were within the margin of error. Cotton’s campaign has repeatedly criticized Shoffner on issues such as immigration and her past donations to prominent national Democratic candidates. Arnold indicated that Cotton had anticipated addressing these matters during the now-canceled Salem debate.
Cotton has also opted out of an upcoming televised debate on October 22 in Jonesboro. That debate, hosted by ASU-TV, Arkansas State University’s student-led broadcast station, will feature Shoffner and Wadlin.