Goblin House
Goblin House
Area: Full Workup (one official, all sections) (eo_full_workup)
Filed: 2026-04-21T23:58:05.824Z
Source: External LLM via /handoff/congress
Resolved official: Tom Cotton (entity #3226)
Ingest result: 28 facts · 29 sources · 1 connections · 1 silences · 2 contradictions · 4 voting_records · 5 skipped
Single super-prompt covering every per-official research area in one LLM call: donor mapping, silences, contradictions, telling votes, and constituency baseline. The LLM returns ONE JSON object; the ingest pipeline dispatches each section to its typed table independently, so a malformed or no-data section never blocks the rest.
{ "target_official": { "name": "Tom Cotton", "bioguide_id": "C001095" }, "donor_mapping": { "facts": [ { "fact_text": "Sen. Tom Cotton's campaign raised $36.3 million over his career (2011-2024), with $4.6 million from the 'Retired' industry and $4.0 million from 'Securities & Investment'.", "date_occurred": "2024-12-31", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/tom-cotton/summary?cid=N00033363&cycle=CAREER" }, { "fact_text": "Cotton's top career contributor is the Club for Growth at $707,857, all from individuals.", "date_occurred": "2024-12-31", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/tom-cotton/summary?cid=N00033363&cycle=CAREER" }, { "fact_text": "Cotton's leadership PAC, Republican Majority Fund, contributed $0 to Democrats and 100% to Republicans in the 2023-2024 cycle.", "date_occurred": "2024-12-31", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/tom-cotton/summary?cid=N00033363&cycle=CAREER" }, { "fact_text": "Cotton's campaign paid Cambridge Analytica $20,000 for data services during his 2014 Senate campaign.", "date_occurred": "2014-06-01", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.5newsonline.com/2022/01/01/arkansas-sen-tom-cotton-on-list-republicans-who-gave-cambridge-analytica-money/" }, { "fact_text": "A 'dark money' group tied to Cotton's allies spent on digital attack ads targeting Democrats in Trump-won districts in 2020.", "date_occurred": "2020-07-01", "confidence": "secondary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/07/dark-money-tied-tom-cotton-targets-dems" } ], "connections": [ { "donor_entity_name": "Club for Growth", "relationship_type": "major_donor", "description": "2011-2024: $707,857 via Cotton for Senate", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/tom-cotton/summary?cid=N00033363&cycle=CAREER" }, { "donor_entity_name": "Stephens Inc", "relationship_type": "major_donor", "description": "2011-2024: $219,751 via Cotton for Senate", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/tom-cotton/summary?cid=N00033363&cycle=CAREER" }, { "donor_entity_name": "Elliott Management", "relationship_type": "major_donor", "description": "2011-2024: $193,500 via Cotton for Senate", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/tom-cotton/summary?cid=N00033363&cycle=CAREER" }, { "donor_entity_name": "Goldman Sachs", "relationship_type": "major_donor", "description": "2011-2024: $185,314 via Cotton for Senate", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/tom-cotton/summary?cid=N00033363&cycle=CAREER" }, { "donor_entity_name": "Apollo Global Management", "relationship_type": "major_donor", "description": "2011-2024: $114,488 via Cotton for Senate", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/tom-cotton/summary?cid=N00033363&cycle=CAREER" }, { "donor_entity_name": "Cambridge Analytica", "relationship_type": "contractor", "description": "2014: $20,000 for data services", "confidence": "primary", "source_url": "https://www.5newsonline.com/2022/01/01/arkansas-sen-tom-cotton-on-list-republicans-who-gave-cambridge-analytica-money/" } ] }, "silences": [ { "topic": "In-Person Town Halls and Direct Constituent Engagement", "expected_position": "As a U.S. Senator, Cotton is expected to hold open, in-person town halls to engage with constituents of all political views, especially given the controversy over his absence.", "window_start": "2017-02-23", "window_end": "2025-03-18", "evidence_summary": "Cotton has not held an in-person town hall since at least 2017, instead opting for telephone town halls. In March 2025, he and Sen. John Boozman were invited to a Little Rock town hall of 800 constituents but did not show up, instead attending a $7,000-a-plate fundraiser for Cotton. During this period, Cotton's office remained active on social media and in issuing press releases.", "primary_url": "https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2025/mar/23/letters/?opinion" } ], "contradictions": { "claims": [ { "claim_text": "I support a commission to study the election and propose reforms to protect election integrity.", "claim_date": "2021-01-04", "claim_type": "statement", "source_url": "https://www.ktbs.com/news/ar-sen-tom-cotton-says-he-wont-oppose-electoral-vote-count/article_486baab2-4efe-11eb-89f7-3363366f4f6e.html" }, { "claim_text": "Cotton voted to certify the 2020 election results.", "claim_date": "2021-01-06", "claim_type": "vote", "source_url": "https://www.ktbs.com/news/ar-sen-tom-cotton-says-he-wont-oppose-electoral-vote-count/article_486baab2-4efe-11eb-89f7-3363366f4f6e.html" }, { "claim_text": "Shutdowns can cause a lot of pain.", "claim_date": "2023-09-29", "claim_type": "statement", "source_url": "https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2023/sep/29/arkansas-federal-lawmakers-no-fans-of-shutdowns/" }, { "claim_text": "Cotton voted against a bipartisan budget agreement that avoided a government shutdown in 2015.", "claim_date": "2015-10-30", "claim_type": "vote", "source_url": "https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/post/senators-boozman-cotton-buck-tide-vote-against-budget-bill" } ], "contradictions": [ { "claim_a_idx": 0, "claim_b_idx": 1, "type": "statement_vs_vote", "severity": "medium", "narrative": "Cotton expressed concerns about election irregularities and supported a commission, yet ultimately voted to certify the results, creating a tension between his rhetoric and his official action." }, { "claim_a_idx": 2, "claim_b_idx": 3, "type": "statement_vs_vote", "severity": "low", "narrative": "Cotton acknowledged the 'pain' of shutdowns, but his vote against a bipartisan budget deal in 2015 increased the risk of such an outcome, showing a willingness to prioritize ideological goals over practical concerns." } ] }, "telling_votes": [ { "bill_id": "H.R. 2642", "title": "Agricultural Act of 2014 (Farm Bill)", "vote": "nay", "vote_date": "2014-01-29", "roll_call_url": "https://canary.washtimes.com/news/2014/jan/29/cotton-says-hell-vote-against-farm-bill/", "why_it_matters": "Cotton was the only member of Arkansas' House delegation to vote against the farm bill, which provided crucial support to the state's largest industry. He cited insufficient food stamp cuts as the reason.", "category": "against_constituent" }, { "bill_id": "H.R. 152", "title": "Hurricane Sandy relief bill", "vote": "nay", "vote_date": "2013-01-04", "roll_call_url": "https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2013/jan/08/ideology-trumps-sense-20130108/", "why_it_matters": "Cotton voted against $9.7 billion in federal flood insurance aid for Hurricane Sandy victims, citing concerns about the national debt. This vote aligned with the Club for Growth's anti-spending stance rather than the needs of disaster victims.", "category": "donor_aligned" }, { "bill_id": "S. 316", "title": "Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024", "vote": "yea", "vote_date": "2024-04-23", "roll_call_url": "https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/04/23/congress/ukraine-aid-senate-republicans-flip-vote-00153885", "why_it_matters": "Cotton flipped his vote from 'nay' to 'yea' on Ukraine aid, a reversal that could be seen as aligning with defense industry donors and hawkish foreign policy interests, while some of his constituents might prefer a more isolationist approach.", "category": "donor_aligned" }, { "bill_id": "H.R. 4250", "title": "PRESS Act (journalist shield law)", "vote": "blocked", "vote_date": "2024-12-10", "roll_call_url": "https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2024/12/11/tom-cotton-does-trumps-bidding-blocks-bipartisan-press-shield-bill", "why_it_matters": "Cotton single-handedly blocked a bipartisan bill to protect journalists, citing national security concerns. This action pleased conservative media critics but angered press freedom advocates.", "category": "party_defection" } ], "constituency_baseline": { "baseline": { "district_summary": "Arkansas is a predominantly rural, Deep South state with a population of 3.05 million. It is 67.4% White (Non-Hispanic), 15.5% Black, and 8.1% Hispanic. The median household income is $60,773, below the national median, and the poverty rate is 16%, the fifth highest in the nation. The economy is driven by agriculture (poultry, rice, soybeans), manufacturing, and a growing service sector. The state leans heavily Republican, with a Cook PVI of R+16, and has been represented in the Senate by Tom Cotton since 2015.", "top_employers": [ { "name": "Walmart Inc.", "employees": 15000, "source_url": "https://corporate.walmart.com/about" }, { "name": "Tyson Foods", "employees": 24000, "source_url": "https://www.tysonfoods.com/who-we-are/our-story" }, { "name": "University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences", "employees": 10000, "source_url": "https://uams.edu/about/" } ], "dominant_industries": [ { "naics": "112000 - Animal Production and Aquaculture", "share": 0.15, "source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/arkansas" }, { "naics": "622110 - General Medical and Surgical Hospitals", "share": 0.12, "source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/arkansas" }, { "naics": "452000 - General Merchandise Stores", "share": 0.08, "source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/arkansas" } ], "recent_ballot_measures": [ { "name": "Arkansas Issue 1 (2024) - Vocational School Funding", "year": 2024, "result": "passed", "margin": "89% Yes - 11% No", "source_url": "https://www.swtimes.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/11/06/arkansas-ballot-issues-on-education-funding-casino-licenses-pass/75965824007/" }, { "name": "Arkansas Issue 2 (2024) - Casino License Repeal", "year": 2024, "result": "passed", "margin": "56% Yes - 44% No", "source_url": "https://www.swtimes.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/11/06/arkansas-ballot-issues-on-education-funding-casino-licenses-pass/75965824007/" } ], "demographic_anchors": [ { "label": "Median Household Income", "value": "$60,773", "source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/arkansas" }, { "label": "Population", "value": "3,049,391", "source_url": "https://veritasx.us/united-states/arkansas/" }, { "label": "Poverty Rate", "value": "16%", "source_url": "https://datausa.io/profile/geo/arkansas" }, { "label": "Racial/Ethnic Composition", "value": "67.4% White, 15.5% Black, 8.1% Hispanic", "source_url": "https://veritasx.us/united-states/arkansas/" }, { "label": "Unemployment Rate", "value": "3.3% (Dec 2025)", "source_url": "https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.ar.htm" }, { "label": "Cook Partisan Voting Index", "value": "R+16", "source_url": "https://www.cookpolitical.com/cook-pvi/2022-partisan-voting-index/state-map-and-list" } ] } } }