Arkansas lawmaker unveils bill allowing Tom Cotton to run for White House and Senate

A lawmaker back in Tom Cotton’s home state of Arkansas who wants to make sure the freshman Republican senator can run for reelection and the presidency at the same time in 2020 has introduced a bill that would allow House and Senate candidates to also appear on the ballot for president or vice president.

“Tom Cotton would be my current idea of someone who should be afforded this opportunity. Politics, if I’ve learned anything, it changes every day and there could be the great next hope show up tomorrow,” Republican state Sen. Bart Hester told reporters Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. “But I don’t think it’s reasonable to say I wouldn’t be looking at Tom Cotton to have that opportunity.”

Hester told AP that neither Cotton nor any other politician had asked him to propose changing the state law, adding that he had told the freshman senator only after the bill was filed. Cotton’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AP.

“He didn’t wave me off, but certainly didn’t say ‘go pass this bill,’” Hester told reporters.

AP reports that the measure could come up in the GOP-majority state Senate as early as Wednesday.