Freshman Congressman Tom Cotton (R-AR) has announced that he’s already raised $525,000 in the first quarter of the year; quite a haul for the young Congressman from Dardanelle, Arkansas.

“The campaign has over $560,000 cash on hand and no debt,” Cotton’s campaign said in a statement. “As I keep my campaign promises to promote economic opportunity for all, fight wasteful spending, and defend America against all enemies, I’m grateful for the continued generosity and confidence of my supporters,” Rep. Cotton said.

Tom Cotton was elected to Arkansas’ 4th District after five-term Rep. Mike Ross retired. He won office in 2012 and is now serving his first term.

Cotton is viewed as one of the up-and-coming conservative leaders in the House of Representatives. Scott Johnson of Powerline, for instance, recently sang the praises of Rep. Cotton, saying, “One of the newly elected members helping to defray GOP losses in the House will be our friend Tom Cotton in Arkansas’ Fourth Congressional District. Tom will go on to become one of the GOP’s shining stars.”

Being a decorated member of 101st Airborne Division and an Iraq and Afghanistan War veteran, Cotton is quite interested in military and foreign policy issues. He is assuredly worried about the ongoing budget cuts at the Pentagon. “You can’t cut 11 percent of an aircraft carrier,” he told the Washington Post in December.

Moreover, he worried, “The biggest impact will be on personnel. Like any big corporation, the biggest cost [in the military] is people.” This is especially true in the current military environment, where we have “low-platform, high-personnel” engagement, making well-trained and -equipped forces on the ground more vital than ever.

Cotton had a warning for his supporters and for the American people during his election campaign, too. “You may be tired of war, but war is not tired of you. There are evil people in the world who would do evil things,” he said.

The Arkansan has a lot of Conservatives excited; even though he just barely took office in the House, the Club For Growth is already suggesting he should run for Senate against Arkansas Democrat Mark Pryor.

Rep. Cotton has downplayed any thoughts that he will run against Pryor in 2014.