MISSISSIPPI
      Nov. 4, 2014 U.S. Senate                                      

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+Thad Cochran (R) i
 		378,481
 		59.90%
Travis Childers (D)
 		239,439
 		37.89%
Shawn O'Hara (Ref.) 13,938
 		2.21%

631,858
Plurality: 139,042 votes (22.01 percentage points)
 MS Secretary of State



Notes:  U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R), 76, first elected to the Senate in 1978, won a seventh term, surviving a strong primary challenge from Chris McDaniel, then defeating former U.S. Rep. Travis Childers (D). 

Primaries were held on June 3.  Tea Party backed State Sen. Chris McDaniel and Cochran engaged in a very contentious campaign in which a lot of outside money flowed through.  McDaniel finished ahead of Cochran by 157,733 votes (49.5%) to 156,315 (49.0%) and 1.5% to Thomas Carey, forcing a June 24 runoff (>).  Cochran then won the runoff by 194,932 votes (51.00%) to 187,265 (49.00%) (>). 

McDaniel did not accept the result; on Aug. 4 he filed a complaint with the Mississippi Republican Party executive committee, and he followed with a lawsuit.  On Oct, 24, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that McDaniel had not filed his challenge within 20 days of the election.

There was no such drama on the Democratic side, where Childers won the primary with 73.9% of the vote against three other candidates.

Cochran refused to debate Childers. 

According to Open Secrets (>), the Cochran campaign spent $7.9 million compared to $668,975 for the Childers campaign.


Campaign Managers:
Thad Cochran:  Brad Davis
(reported July 9, 2014, taking over from Kirk Sims)  On leave from position as state office director and general counsel; started in that role in 2008, after serving as legislative aide and counsel, 2005-07; started with Cochran as an intern in 2000.  Undergraduate and law degrees from University of Mississippi. Native of Ripley. 

Kirk Sims
(Dec. 2013-July 2014, continuing as advisor)  Chief of staff to Gov. Phil Bryant; campaign manager to Bryant.  Campaign manager on Roger Wicker's run for Congress, 2006.  Policy director to Lt. Gov. Bryant.  Worked for Stratacomm, a strategic communications and public affairs company in Washington, DC.
Travis Childers:  Dustin Todd
(reported Aug. 4, 2014, replacing Trish Reilly)  Government affairs at the Semiconductor Industry Association from Jan. 2013.  Chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko (NY), Jan. 2009-Jan. 2013; campaign manager to Tonko and PAUL PAC, 2010-12.  Deputy campaign manager on Ronnie Musgrove's 2008 U.S. Senate campaign.  M.A. in political science and government from Johns Hopkins University Advanced Academic Programs, 2011; B.A. in political science, history from University of Mississippi, 2007.  Tupelo native.

Trish Reilly
(to early Aug. 2014)  Worked for U.S. Rep. Tim Holden (PA) as communications director, then chief of staff, Jan. 1993-Jan. 2003.


See also:
McDaniel v. Cochran. No. 214-EC-01247-SCT.  Decided: Oct. 24, 2014.

AP.  "Chris McDaniel lawsuit challenges loss to Sen. Thad Cochran."  The Mississippi Link, Aug. 15, 2014.

Denver Nicks.  "Thad Cochran Beats Back Tea Party Challenger in Mississippi."  Time, June 24, 2014.

Dana Bash.  "Nasty Senate race digs deeper in the mud."  CNN, May 28, 2014.

Abby Livingston.  "Multiple Outside Groups Launch Ads in Mississippi Senate Primary (Updated)."  Roll Call, Apr. 7, 2014.





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