Cook: Tom Cotton’s Vote Against Violence Against Women Act Haunts Him

Tom Cotton’s vote against the Violence Against Women Act is coming back to haunt him again.

You may recall, Cotton was the only Arkansas Congressman to vote against this act that was designed to safeguard women and families from domestic violence and strengthen law enforcement protections.

Mark Pryor’s campaign today released two new online ads highlighting Cotton’s reckless vote against the act. The ads will run statewide over the next few weeks and target women voters online.

The new online ads feature Linda and Courtney who’ve appeared in previous Pryor ads. Both ads are entitled “Domestic Violence” and you can view Linda’s version here and Courtney’s version here.

The toughest line was from the ad featuring Courtney:

“First he’s against equal pay for women, now Cotton won’t protect us from domestic abuse. Who is this guy, and what’s he got against women?”

Ouch.

Cotton was the only member of Arkansas’ six-person federal delegation to vote against the Violence Against Women Act, making his vote basically impossible to defend. Pryor’s campaign hammering of Cotton on this issue is another way they’re expanding the gender gap with women voters.

Finally, today the Democratic Party of Arkansas released an open letter to country music star Jo Dee Messina who is performing at a Cotton fundraiser in El Dorado tomorrow. The letter is from the DPA’s Executive Director Candace Martin and politely brings to Messina’s attention Tom Cotton’s reckless opposition to legislation designed to protect women.

Here’s an excerpt:

It is precisely because of our respect for your anti-violence charity work that I am surprised and concerned that you plan to appear at a fundraiser and concert with Congressman Tom Cotton tomorrow in El Dorado, Arkansas. I urge you to reconsider. Congressman Cotton’s record of opposition to the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act represents an appalling disregard for the safety and well-being of women. His election to the United States Senate would be detrimental to women in Arkansas and indeed the entire country.

Congressman Cotton was one of only a few members of Congress to vote against every version of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). In Arkansas, Mr. Cotton was the only member of the state’s congressional delegation to oppose not only the inclusive, bipartisan version of VAWA that passed into law, but even the much weaker substitute Republican proposal. His irresponsible votes against any form of VAWA sets him apart from the vast majority of Arkansans, and places him well outside the mainstream in the Republican Party when it comes to protecting women from domestic violence.