LITTLE ROCK — A person who has spoken with Arkansas' U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton says the freshman Republican congressman will announce next week that he's challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor.
Cotton scheduled an event with supporters next Tuesday in his hometown of Dardanelle. A person who's spoken with Cotton says the congressman intends to enter the race against Pryor, a two-term incumbent who faces re-election next year.
The person who spoke to The Associated Press was not authorized to speak publicly about the planned announcement and spoke on a condition of anonymity.
Cotton, 36, was elected to the U.S. House in 2012, to the open seat formerly held by Democrat Mike Ross. Ross is now running for Arkansas governor.
On Wednesday, Pryor's campaign wasted no time in hitting back, accusing Cotton of alienating constituents on issues ranging from farming to Social Security.
"Instead of putting Arkansas first, he has put his own political career ahead of the people of Arkansas and sided with Washington insiders and special interests," Pryor's campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, said in a statement. "When the people of our state review Tom Cotton's record, they won't like what they see."
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