Issue Spotlight: Where Arkansas’ U.S. Senate candidates stand on the Iran war

The war that began in February when the United States and Israel struck Iran has led to rising gas and fertilizer prices, effects that could hit close to home for voters in Arkansas’ U.S. Senate race this fall.

The race pits Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, an outspoken supporter of the war, against Democratic challenger Hallie Shoffner, who said the military action is hurting the state’s farmers.

Cotton, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, has repeatedly said Iran has been an “imminent threat” to the U.S. for 47 years and praised President Donald Trump for the strikes. He did not respond to the Arkansas Advocate’s request for an interview.

Trump on Tuesday announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran, hours after escalating his rhetoric with threats of broader attacks on the country.

Shoffner has said the argument in favor of striking Iran contradicted the claim that it has been an imminent threat for decades.

The war has cost U.S. troops’ lives, rattled financial markets and sparked tension between the United States and NATO allies. Here’s what else Cotton and Shoffner had to say about the ongoing conflict:

Cotton: ‘America has finally put our foot down’

In a March 29 interview with Fox News, Cotton said he believes the war is nearly over and that the U.S. should “see it through to the end” instead of risking reciprocal aggression from Iran by backing off too soon.

He has also disputed claims that the war could become another “forever war” like the yearslong conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“No one has a crystal ball to predict how long military operations might last,” Cotton said on the Senate floor in March.

“For 47 years, Iran’s outlaw regime has waged a war of death, destruction and terror on the United States, our friends, our allies, and indeed the civilized world,” Cotton said on the Senate floor. “And now, after 47 years of indecision and timidity, America has finally put our foot down.”

Cotton was among the Senate Republicans to vote against limiting Trump’s war powers. Republicans have said the war powers in Article II of the U.S. Constitution justify Trump’s actions, while Democrats have said Trump violated the Constitution’s Article I power given to Congress to declare war.

Cotton’s support for military action against Iran is not new. In May 2019, he told PBS News that the U.S. should respond with force if Iran attacked an ally of the U.S.

“Ultimately, if you have people like Ayatollah Khamenei in charge in Iran, it’s hard to see how the United States and allies like Israel can live in peace,” he said at the time.

Shoffner: ‘We have real problems right here at home’

Shoffner said she would have supported Congress’ effort to rein in Trump’s war powers. She also said the United States spending billions of dollars per week on the Iran war is distasteful not only to her but to the Arkansans she has met while campaigning statewide.

“There is not the appetite for an expensive, prolonged foreign conflict because we have real problems right here at home,” she said, noting that one in four Arkansas children face food insecurity.

Shoffner also noted the downstream effect of the war on Arkansas farmers. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz in response to the U.S. and Israeli strikes has disrupted the flow of commerce in the oil and gas industry, causing gasoline and fertilizer prices to spike. Trump has said he will bomb Iran’s energy infrastructure if Iran does not reopen the strait by Tuesday.

War in Middle East causes further stress on US farmers

The price of urea fertilizer for rice and corn, two of Arkansas farmers’ major crops, rose by 35% in the past month. The price of diesel fuel has not only increased but also rises and falls between 40 and 50 cents per gallon every day, adding another challenge to farmers’ budgets at a time when one in three Arkansas farmers are likely to leave the industry without federal financial aid.

“Farmers put everything on the line every single year in order to get their crop loan,” Shoffner said. “Especially in bad years, you’ve got to put your house up, you’ve got to put your land up, you have to put your retirement accounts up, and right now it just feels like you’re going to Vegas and you’re gambling.”

Last week, Cotton asked the U.S. Treasury Department to allow farmers to use tax-exempt off-road diesel fuel on roads in order to save money. Shoffner called this request a gimmick that would save farmers very little money and could void the warranty on their vehicles.

“He fundamentally does not understand how farming works, nor has he obviously bothered to ask anybody,” Shoffner said.