U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, waves to supporters and volunteers at his runoff election victory party Tuesday at the Mississippi Children’s Museum in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
JACKSON, Miss. — Six-term Sen. Thad Cochran defeated challenger Chris McDaniel in Mississippi’s Republican primary runoff Tuesday, successfully expanding the original primary electorate to deal another blow to tea party conservatives in a midterm election year dominated mostly by traditional Republican powers.
Unofficial returns showed Cochran, a 76-year-old first elected to Congress in 1972, with a lead of about 6,600 votes, holding 50.9 percent of the vote to McDaniel’s 49.1 percent with 99 percent of precincts reporting.
The race attracted about $12 million in spending from outside groups, as the matchup became a proxy for the internal Republican struggle between tea party conservatives and the party establishment.
In brief remarks Tuesday night, Cochran told supporters in Jackson that it was a “great victory” and a “consensus for more and better jobs for Mississippi.”
“You are the ones who helped,” Cochran told supporters. “It’s a group effort. It’s not a solo. And so we all have a right to be proud of our state tonight.”
McDaniel, a 41-year-old state senator, spoke defiantly to supporters in Hattiesburg.
“There is nothing dangerous or extreme about wanting to balance a budget, about defending the constitution and the civil liberties therein or for standing as people of faith for a country we built, that we believe in,” he said.
An Ellisville attorney and tea party favorite, McDaniel had once been viewed as archconservatives’ best shot at knocking off a high-ranking Republican lawmaker, and the 41-year-old state senator appeared to have momentum after leading the first round and then watching little-known tea party challenger David Bart defeat House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in Virginia’s Republican primary.
But Cochran, who ran unabashedly on his record of steering federal money back home and a promise to secure more of it, reached out beyond conservative Republicans and sought support from all Mississippvoters — including black and union Democrats.
McDaniel made clear his disdain for that strategy, telling supporters “we will ensure that the Republican primary was won by Republican voters.” He did not elaborate on how he would do that.
Returns suggest that strategy worked, with turnout increasing by more than 65,000 votes over the June 3 electorate that gave McDaniel a slim lead.
Cochran improved his totals by about 7,000 votes in Hinds County, the seat of state government; more than 1,000 in Harrison County; and 1,248 votes in Jackson County.
The improvement on the Gulf Coast was critical for Cochran, given McDaniel’s surprising strength there despite Cochran’s years of influence in securing money for military bases, Stennis Space Center and recovery after Hurricane Katrina.
National groups that played in the race reacted quickly Tuesday evening.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has focused on squashing tea party challengers this year, praised Cochran. “He has an impeccable record,” said Rob Engstrom, the lobbying titan’s national political director. “We were proud to stand with Sen. Cochran.”
On the other side, FreedomWorks chief Matt Kibbe called the result “disgraceful” because so many Republican leaders and organizations “would champion a campaign platform of pork-barrel spending and insider deal-making, while recruiting Democrats to show up at the polls.”
Kibbe specifically named the chamber, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Republican Party’s Senate campaign committee and Arizona Sen. John McCain, who campaigned for Cochran in Jackson on Monday.
Cochran will face former Democratic congressman Travis Childers and Shawn O’Hara of the Reform Party in November.
