Shoffner officially announces US Senate bid at England Democratic club

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Hallie Shoffner spoke Monday evening (July 14) to the England Area Democrats and declared her official candidacy to challenge incumbent GOP U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton.

Shoffner, a sixth-generation farmer from Jackson County, said Cotton had failed Arkansas with his votes and lack of concern for farmers.

“As a farmer, I have been traveling around talking to farmers, obviously, but lots of people in rural communities. I’ve been all over the state,” said Shoffner. “I think there are two trends that I’m hearing. One, my story is resonating with people. This idea that working hard doesn’t mean a good life anymore. You work hard, you do everything right, and you still can’t get by. And that is not because we failed, but it’s because the system’s rigged against us.

“Me having to close my farm is a story that resonates not just with farmers, but with everybody. That’s farmers, auto mechanics, the single mom working two shifts just to get by. When I talk to people, we all agree it is Tom Cotton that’s doing the rigging. It’s people like him. It’s these politicians that go to D.C. and they dig themselves in behind corporate PAC money and lobbyists, and they push everybody else to the back of the line, and that’s real Arkansans.”

Shoffner has been traveling the state for weeks since declaring her interest in the seat. She said there has been significant positive feedback for her candidacy.

“I think Arkansans now are hungry for real representation, for somebody who comes to this state and sits down at tables with them and opens their ears to listen,” she said. “That is what Arkansans want, and they want somebody across the table that knows what it feels like to suffer and struggle. And that’s me. That’s not Tom Cotton.

“Tom Cotton hasn’t had a town hall since 2017. The last town hall I was at in March when I told the story of my farm closing, he was a few miles away having a fundraising dinner at $7,000 a plate. That is a stark contrast between what Arkansas has and what Arkansas needs. I just want to go to D.C. and do the work that he’s not willing to do, because I believe that Arkansas deserves a better chance than what we’re getting.”

Cotton is seeking a third term to the Senate. He was first elected to the upper chamber in 2014 when he defeated Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor. Shoffner said some of her legislative priorities include bringing down the cost of everyday goods, protecting health care, and finding a way to help parents with the rising costs of child care.

“Medicaid serves one in every three Arkansans, so we have to be mindful,” she said. “We do not want to cut Medicaid and make our workforce sicker. That’s just not a good economic policy.

“My dad has dementia, so we are now navigating the senior care environment and it’s becoming very apparent. Seniors are not able to age in dignity in this state, and that’s wrong. I want to talk about the care economy, not just senior care, but child care as well. We want mothers to be able to enter the workforce, and having good child care allows them to do that.”

Shoffner is a graduate of Newport High School, Vanderbilt University, and the Clinton School of Public Service. In addition to running her family farm, she is also the founder and CEO of Delta Harvest, which works to build local food infrastructure.

Shoffner released a two-minute online campaign ad on Tuesday morning. You can view it in the video below.