ELLISVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi State Sen. Chris McDaniel is vowing to “reclaim Washington, D.C., one race at a time.” He spoke as he voted today in his hometown of Ellisville, in his Senate primary runoff against six-term incumbent Republican Thad Cochran.
McDaniel, whose challenge is fueled by tea party support, edged Cochran by only about 1,400 votes in the three-candidate primary earlier this month. Neither candidate had a majority, setting the stage for today’s runoff.
In an email message, Cochran urged supporters to go to the polls. He said, “I’m asking for your vote so I can keep fighting for you in the United States Senate.”
Cochran, a former Senate Appropriations Committee chairman, has steered billions of federal dollars back home. His supporters point to his experience, and call him a reliable ally for veterans and the military. One woman who said she voted for Cochran today in Morton said he’s “the one we need for right not.” But a man who voted for McDaniel in Jackson said, “We need new spirit, new people in Washington.”
Outside groups, from tea party organizations to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have spent about $12 million on the race.
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079-a-18-(Chris McDaniel, R-Miss., running for Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, in interview Monday)-“of us conservatives”-Chris McDaniel, who is running for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate from Mississippi, says he’s worried about incumbent Senator Thad Cochran’s efforts to persuade Democrats to cast ballots in the Republican primary. COURTESY: WTOK TV ((mandatory on-air credit)) (24 Jun 2014)
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078-a-12-(U.S. Senator Thad Cochran, R-Miss., running for re-election, in interview Monday)-“of all Mississippians”-U.S. Senator Thad Cochran, a six-term Republican, says Mississippi Democrats should join Republicans in voting to get him re-elected. COURTESY: WTOK TV ((mandatory on-air credit)) (24 Jun 2014)
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APPHOTO MSGC101: State Sen. Chris McDaniel, joined by his son Cambridge, 7, casts his ballot in his GOP primary runoff election against incumbent U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, Tuesday, June 24, 2014, at the George Harrison Building in Ellisville, Miss. (AP Photo/George Clark) (24 Jun 2014)
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APPHOTO MSRS101: Wesley Murray, left, and Joshua Mitchell, both of Jackson, Miss., take a break from waving support signs for U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., to admire a “selfie” on Murray’s smart phone, near a west Jackson, Miss., poll, Tuesday, June 24, 2014. Cochran is in a runoff against state Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville, for the GOP nomination for senate. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) (24 Jun 2014)
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