Sen. Tom Cotton's Democratic challenger in Arkansas, Hallie Shoffner, pushed back on President Trump's focus on daylight saving time, saying the issue has barely registered with voters during her campaign. In an interview on Tuesday, Shoffner said that in her 450 days on the trail, "not once" has anyone asked her about the time-change debate.
"What Arkansans are talking about? They're talking about gas prices and grocery prices. They're talking about healthcare," Shoffner told MS NOW. Her comments come as Trump publicly berates Cotton for blocking legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent.
Trump took to Truth Social over the weekend, posting Cotton's cellphone number and urging Arkansas supporters to pressure the senator to drop his opposition to the Sunshine Protection Act. The bill, which Trump dubbed the "No More Changing of Clocks Act," passed the House in a 308-117 vote in July but has stalled in the Senate, where Cotton is a key holdout.
Cotton, who serves as the third-ranking Republican in Senate leadership and chairs the Intelligence Committee, has defended his stance, arguing that permanent daylight saving time would mean dark winter mornings for Arkansas families. "No one likes changing the clock, me included, but Congress has enacted permanent Daylight Savings Time multiple times before and repealed it each time once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter," he wrote on social media. "Arkansans don't want their kids going to school in the pitch dark, and I'll always put Arkansas first."
The clash has rattled Senate Republicans, with some privately questioning Trump's tactics. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) suggested that there is no clear consensus in the chamber on the issue, saying "there's more opposition to it than the president realizes." Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) also fired back at Trump, noting that he too had received a call from the president over the matter.
Shoffner, a farmer and businesswoman, has tried to keep her campaign focused on kitchen-table issues, but the daylight saving spat has injected a national drama into the race. She said the controversy highlights a disconnect between Washington and Arkansas. "I think folks in Washington are focused on things that don't matter to everyday Arkansans," she said.
Despite the attention, the race remains a long shot for Shoffner. Cook Political Report rates the Arkansas Senate seat as "solid Republican," and Decision Desk HQ gives Cotton a 96 percent probability of winning a third term. Still, Shoffner's campaign has drawn some national interest, with figures like former President Barack Obama recently campaigning for Democratic candidates in other states, though not yet in Arkansas.
The daylight saving fight is unlikely to change the outcome in Arkansas, but it has exposed fissures in the GOP over how to handle Trump's pressure campaigns. Cotton remains a loyal ally on most issues, but this break has put him in the spotlight. As the Senate returns to session, the clock on the Sunshine Protection Act remains stalled, and the political fallout continues to tick.
