U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton begins a four-day campaign swing through Iowa today, with eight stops scheduled in the Hawkeye State.
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The Republican from Dardanelle is the featured speaker at tonight's 2016 Reagan Dinner in Des Moines. Organizers say roughly 500 people are expected to attend the $100-per-plate event, which raises funds for the Republican Party of Iowa.
On Tuesday, he will speak at another Reagan Dinner, this one 170 miles to the east near Davenport.
In between, he'll campaign for six-term U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, first-term U.S. Rep. David Young and three candidates for the Iowa state Senate.
He will also make an appearance with U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, Iowa's junior U.S. senator.
While some details were still being finalized, it appeared that Cotton would be traveling along a 300-mile-wide swath of the state, hitting districts as far west as suburbs of Omaha, Neb., and as far east as the Mississippi River.
A Wall Street Journal article posted Friday afternoon said Cotton's Iowa itinerary is "raising eyebrows even in a state used to attention long before presidential campaigns begin."
Noting that Cotton won't be making appearances on behalf of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, the Journal said the trip "is widely seen as a sign the 39-year-old senator is exploring a 2020 bid."
A Cotton spokesman reiterated Friday that the focus is on helping the party and on sending Iowa Republicans to Capitol Hill.
Former U.S. Rep. Jim Leach, R-Iowa, said Cotton's four-day Iowa tour is noteworthy.
"I have never met Tom that I recall, so I don't mean to speak for him, but I do think it is a significant step," Leach said.
"I assume it means that he considers himself a key figure in the future of the Republican Party," he added.
This isn't the first time Cotton has shown interest in Iowa, the state with the first-in-the-nation presidential caucus.
Last year, he attended Ernst's Roast and Ride, a fundraiser featuring motorbikes and barbecue that sponsors plan to hold annually.
And in July, he spoke to Iowa's Republican National Convention delegates in Cleveland.
Asked by The Des Moines Register in July about a possible Cotton presidential bid, Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said the Arkansan "hasn't said anything overtly ..."
"The fact that he's coming here, the fact that he's getting these speaking engagements, I think it's safe to say he's thinking about it, he's exploring," Kaufmann added.
In previous interviews with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and other outlets, Cotton has dismissed talk of a 2020 bid, saying his focus is on helping Republicans to keep control of the U.S. House and Senate in the fall.
Taylor Mason, a spokesman for the Iowa Republican Party, said tonight's dinner is highly anticipated.
"Here in Iowa, it's huge," he said.
"We're excited to hear Sen. Tom Cotton," he added.
Tim Hagle, a political science professor at the University of Iowa, said Cotton's visit isn't a rarity -- plenty of out-of-state politicians visit the state.
"The thing that's surprising is that he's hitting so many places, but at least among Republicans, he's getting a national reputation. He's been on the news a number of times, so I think a lot of people know who he is," Hagle said.
A Section on 10/08/2016