Lawmaker who nearly beat Cochran to run for his seat again
JACKSON, Miss. — An insurgent Mississippi Republican on Wednesday once again jumped into the race for a U.S. Senate seat he sought in 2014, catching flak anew from fellow party members even though the seat will be open this time with the retirement of U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran.
State Sen. Chris McDaniel, who earlier filed to challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, announced instead that he’ll run for Cochran’s seat after the elder senator announced his April 1 retirement.
Memories of the bitter 2014 McDaniel-Cochran primary had already surfaced Wednesday, as tea party stalwarts rallied at the Mississippi Capitol for their heartthrob McDaniel, even before he had announced the switch. They said that Gov. Phil Bryant should appoint McDaniel to the vacancy, arguing McDaniel should have won the seat anyway.
But Bryant, who already faces daily questions about who he will name to replace Cochran, instead attacked McDaniel.