Top GOP senator steps up efforts to protect Republican majority in 2026 midterms

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, the number three Republican in Senate leadership, is turning up the volume on his effort to protect and strengthen the GOP's majority in the chamber in next year's elections.A non-profit public advocacy group aligned with the senator on Tuesday launched an ad highlighting GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa, who's running in the 2026 race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst.The ad is the latest effort by Cotton, the Army veteran who served in combat in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars before becoming a rising GOP star, to support Republicans in key