Tom Cotton has set a new fundraising record for the state of Arkansas and is out with an ad highlighting his military service.
According to the Cotton campaign, the third quarter total set a new fundraising record for statewide candidates in Arkansas — overtaking the previous $2.65 million record set by former Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) in 2010. From July to September, the campaign said it received 32,199 contributions and added 20,444 new donors to its ranks.
Cotton is in a tight race to unseat Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR). He has been leading the incumbent slightly in most polls.
“In the Army, they trained us that leaders don’t sit quietly on the back bench and hope someone else solves their problems. Real leaders do their duty, they take responsibility, and they tackle problems head on,” Cotton says in his new ad, released Wednesday and titled “Head On.”
“Arkansans deserve a Senator who won’t just stand by and accept the status quo. I will do the right thing even when it’s the hard thing,” he continues. “And I will never forget how I was raised or where I come from.”
The new ad — which is set to be aired statewide, backed with a “six-figure ad buy” — comes as the Cotton campaign announces that he has raised $3.8 million in the third quarter of 2014.
Watch the ad: