.svg) | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
 County results Congressional district resultsCochran: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Childers: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
The2014 United States Senate election in Mississippi was held on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of theUnited States Senate. IncumbentRepublican SenatorThad Cochran, first elected in 1978, ran for re-election to a seventh term.[1] Primary elections were held on June 3, 2014.
The election was notable for the contentious Republican primary between Cochran and a Tea Party-backed challenger,Chris McDaniel. After neither Cochran nor McDaniel received 50% of the vote in the primary, a runoff election was held on June 24, 2014. After narrowly defeating McDaniel in the runoff, Cochran defeatedDemocratic nomineeTravis Childers, a former congressman, with nearly 60% of the vote.
Thad Cochran was first elected to the Senate with a plurality of the vote in a three-way racein 1978. He was reelected with at least 61% of the vote in1984,1990,1996,2002, and2008.
Cochran was the last incumbent senator up for reelectionin 2014 to declare whether he would run, causing widespread speculation that he would retire.[2][3] Despite being urged to declare his intentions, Cochran said in August 2013, "I don't have a fixed date. But [I will decide] by the end of the year. You don't want to rush into these things."[2] On November 12, he announced that he would reveal his plans by the end of the month.[4] On December 6, he confirmed that he would run.[1]
Cochran's fundraising ability, powerful Senate committee assignments, and very high approval ratings meant that he was considered "unbeatable".[2]Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Rickey Cole said that "in the very likely event that he does [run], we don't foresee a major Democratic challenger emerging."[5] Had he chosen to retire, a "stampede" was predicted in the Republican primary[6] and Democrats believed that a "properly positioned" candidate could have been competitive in the general election.[2]
The United States Senate Republican primary election in Mississippi took place on June 3, 2014. IncumbentRepublican SenatorThad Cochran, who had served in the position since 1978, ran for reelection to a seventh term.[1] He was challenged for the nomination by State SenatorChris McDaniel, aTea Party supporter, and Thomas Carey. Cochran and McDaniel received 49.0% and 49.5% of the vote, respectively. Since no candidate won a majority, a June 24 runoff election ensued.
Cochran defeated McDaniel in the runoff, 51% to 49%.[7][8] Controversially, Cochran's campaign invited Democrats to vote in the runoff, and Cochran-affiliatedsuper PACs usedracist themes in their primary ads, particularly the super-PAC All Citizens for Mississippi, which was funded (according to F.E.C. filings)[9][10] by a super-PAC affiliated with former governorHaley Barbour.
Chris McDaniel declared his candidacy on October 17, 2013.[11] He was immediately endorsed by theClub for Growth andJim DeMint'sSenate Conservatives Fund. McDaniel was initially thought to have no chance of beating Cochran in the primary,[2] as summed up by theJackson Free Press, who remarked that if McDaniel challenged Cochran, it would be the "beginning of [the] end of [his] political career".[12] Republican lobbyistHenry Barbour, the nephew of formergovernorHaley Barbour, said: "I think he will get his head handed to him, and that will be what he deserves. [But] it's a free country."[13] Rather, McDaniel was believed to have declared his candidacy in the hope that Cochran wouldn't run, so that he could get "first crack" at the support of Tea Party groups and donors ahead of a competitive primary.[12]
Although the race was initially considered uncompetitive, McDaniel proved a serious challenger. Polling showed the lead swinging between the two and it eventually became a "50%-50% race".[14]
The race was considered a marquee establishment-versus-Tea Party fight and significant because Mississippi is the poorest state and Cochran's seniority and appropriating skills contrasted with the junior status of the rest of the state's congressional delegation.[15] McDaniel was endorsed by politicians includingSarah Palin andRick Santorum and organizations includingCitizens United,Club for Growth,FreedomWorks, Madison Project,National Association for Gun Rights,Senate Conservatives Fund andTea Party Express. By contrast, the Republican establishment rallied around Cochran, who was endorsed by theNRA Political Victory Fund andNational Right to Life.
The race was described as "nasty"[16] and full of "bizarre" twists.[17] McDaniel's campaign attacked Cochran for being "an out-of-touch, big-spending Washington insider" and Cochran's replied that "McDaniel's voting record in the state Senate does not match his conservative rhetoric." Each side accused the other of distortions and outright lies.[18]
Cochran ran on his incumbency, seniority and the fact that he would become the Chairman of theSenate Appropriations Committee if the Republicans retook control of the Senate.[19][20] In addition to ideological differences, the race also highlighted geographic divides in the state Republican Party.[21][22]
In May 2014, a scandal emerged when Clayton Thomas Kelly, a McDaniel supporter, allegedly entered a nursing home where Cochran's bedridden wife was living and took pictures of her.[16] Kelly posted the images as part of a video on his blog, intending to advance the rumor that Cochran was having affairs while his wife was receiving care.[18][23] Four people were arrested in connection with the incident.[18] The connection to the McDaniel campaign was disputed. One of the arrested included McDaniel ally Mark Mayfield, who was vice chairman of the state's Tea Party.[24] In response, McDaniel said, "the violation of the privacy of Mrs. Cochran [was] out of bounds for politics and reprehensible."[25]
| External image | |
|---|---|
 The Tea Party Intends To Prevent You From Voting. Several ads such as this one invoked or leveraged racist themes. Several ads of a similar nature were distributed via Twitter and resulted in a request for censure in front of the National GOP. Photo provided viaThe Hill (newspaper).[26][27] |
A second scandal emerged during the primary when pro-Cochran ads appealed to African American voters by suggesting that Tea Party efforts to prevent Democrats from voting were racially motivated.[28] Charges first surfaced[29] that a small group of elderly Democratic women activists calling themselves Citizens for Progress were behind the controversy, but later facts as well asmoney trails show that money exchanged hands multiple times between Citizens for Progress[30] and Mississippi Conservatives PAC.
After the fallout of the primary election,Missouri Republican Party chairmanEd Martin wrote an op-ed calling for the censure of Henry Barbour for his role in the funding[31] of racist advertisements. He also called for Barbour's censure at an RNC summer meeting in Chicago.[32]
SenatorTed Cruz appeared on theMark Levin Show to discuss the Mississippi primary. He called for an investigation,[33] saying, "the ads they ran were racially charged false attacks".[34]
The presence of a third candidate, Thomas Carey, opened the possibility that neither Cochran nor McDaniel would win a majority.[16] Indeed, no candidate did, so a runoff between McDaniel and Cochran was required, and was held on June 24.[35] The runoff was generally seen as advantageous to McDaniel.[36][37]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Chris McDaniel | 157,733 | 49.46% | |
| Republican | Thad Cochran (incumbent) | 156,315 | 49.02% | |
| Republican | Thomas Carey | 4,854 | 1.52% | |
| Total votes | 318,902 | 100.00% | ||
After the election, the Hinds County Sheriff's Office announced it was investigating three McDaniel supporters who were locked inside the local courthouse, where primary ballots were held, on election night.[39] It was later reported that the supporters would face no criminal charges.[40]
The runoff was scheduled for June 24, three weeks after the primary. Despite trailing in most of the polls,[41] Cochran won with 51% of the vote to McDaniel's 49%. McDaniel once again won big in his nativePine Belt and in the heavily populated suburban MemphisDeSoto County, but Cochran got a surge in votes from African Americans who took advantage of themixed primary. Many credited Cochran's win to the increase in black voters. Cochran won by 3,532 votes in the most Democratic, African-American precincts inHinds County (the state's largest county, and home toJackson). These precincts made up nearly half of Cochran's margin of victory.[42]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Thad Cochran (incumbent) | 194,932 | 51.00% | +1.98% | |
| Republican | Chris McDaniel | 187,265 | 49.00% | −0.46% | |
| Total votes | 382,197 | 100.00% | 0.00% | ||
U.S. senators
U.S. representatives
U.S. governors
Statewide officeholders
Organizations
U.S. senators
U.S. representatives
U.S. governors
Mississippi state legislators
Local officeholders
Individuals
Organizations
Media
Former CongressmanTravis Childers had stated that he was interested in running, particularly if Cochran retired.[65] With Cochran facing a competitive primary, Childers announced in February 2014 that he was running.[66] Childers won the Democratic primary with 74% of the vote.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Travis Childers | 63,548 | 73.9% | |
| Democratic | Bill Marcy | 10,361 | 12.1% | |
| Democratic | William Compton | 8,465 | 9.9% | |
| Democratic | Jonathan Rawl | 3,492 | 4.1% | |
| Total votes | 85,866 | 100.0% | ||
Childers described himself as a "moderate to conservative" Democrat, highlighting his vote against thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act and his opposition to new gun-control measures, abortion and same-sex marriage.[75]
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[76] | Likely R | November 3, 2014 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[77] | Safe R | November 3, 2014 |
| Rothenberg Political Report[78] | Safe R | November 3, 2014 |
| Real Clear Politics[79] | Likely R | November 3, 2014 |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Thad Cochran (R) | Travis Childers (D) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[80] | November 15–17, 2013 | 502 | ± 4.4% | 50% | 33% | — | 17% |
| Rasmussen Reports[81] | March 26–29, 2014 | 750 | ± 4% | 48% | 31% | 9% | 12% |
| Rasmussen Reports[81] | June 25–26, 2014 | 750 | ± 4% | 46% | 34% | 10% | 9% |
| Public Policy Polling[82] | July 10–13, 2014 | 691 | ± 3.7% | 40% | 24% | 5%[83] | 31% |
| 41% | 26% | — | 33% | ||||
| CBS News/NYT/YouGov[84] | July 5–24, 2014 | 850 | ± 5.7% | 47% | 32% | 17% | 5% |
| CBS News/NYT/YouGov[85] | August 18 – September 2, 2014 | 976 | ± 4% | 46% | 31% | 9% | 15% |
| CBS News/NYT/YouGov[86] | September 20 – October 1, 2014 | 826 | ± 4% | 46% | 35% | 3% | 16% |
| CBS News/NYT/YouGov[86] | October 16–23, 2014 | 654 | ± 7% | 50% | 28% | 2% | 20% |
With Cochran
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Thad Cochran (R) | Jim Hood (D) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[80] | November 15–17, 2013 | 502 | ± 4.4% | 45% | 43% | — | 12% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Thad Cochran (R) | Ronnie Musgrove (D) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[80] | November 15–17, 2013 | 502 | ± 4.4% | 50% | 37% | — | 13% |
With Hosemann
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Delbert Hosemann (R) | Travis Childers (D) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[80] | November 15–17, 2013 | 502 | ± 4.4% | 46% | 36% | — | 19% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Delbert Hosemann (R) | Jim Hood (D) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[80] | November 15–17, 2013 | 502 | ± 4.4% | 42% | 41% | — | 17% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Delbert Hosemann (R) | Ronnie Musgrove (D) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[80] | November 15–17, 2013 | 502 | ± 4.4% | 46% | 38% | — | 16% |
With McDaniel
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Chris McDaniel (R) | Travis Childers (D) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[80] | November 15–17, 2013 | 502 | ± 4.4% | 41% | 38% | — | 22% |
| Rasmussen Reports[81] | March 26–29, 2014 | 750 | ± 4% | 47% | 35% | — | 18% |
| Public Policy Polling[82] | July 10–13, 2014 | 691 | ± 3.7% | 36% | 37% | 4%[83] | 23% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Chris McDaniel (R) | Jim Hood (D) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[80] | November 15–17, 2013 | 502 | ± 4.4% | 41% | 43% | — | 16% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Chris McDaniel (R) | Ronnie Musgrove (D) | Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling[80] | November 15–17, 2013 | 502 | ± 4.4% | 44% | 41% | — | 15% |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Thad Cochran (incumbent) | 378,481 | 59.90% | −1.54% | |
| Democratic | Travis Childers | 239,439 | 37.89% | −0.67% | |
| Reform | Shawn O'Hara | 13,938 | 2.21% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 631,858 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| County[87] | Thad Cochran Republican | Travis Childers Democratic | Shawn O'Hara Reform | Margin | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Adams | 4,360 | 50.61% | 4,142 | 48.08% | 113 | 1.31% | 218 | 2.53% | 8,615 |
| Alcorn | 4,300 | 70.76% | 1,686 | 27.74% | 91 | 1.50% | 2,614 | 43.01% | 6,077 |
| Amite | 2,306 | 58.53% | 1,529 | 38.81% | 105 | 2.66% | 777 | 19.72% | 3,940 |
| Attala | 2,508 | 60.30% | 1,575 | 37.87% | 76 | 1.83% | 933 | 22.43% | 4,159 |
| Benton | 920 | 47.94% | 970 | 50.55% | 29 | 1.51% | -50 | -2.61% | 1,919 |
| Bolivar | 3,996 | 46.93% | 4,410 | 51.80% | 108 | 1.27% | -414 | -4.86% | 8,514 |
| Calhoun | 2,136 | 62.71% | 1,224 | 35.94% | 46 | 1.35% | 912 | 26.78% | 3,406 |
| Carroll | 2,127 | 68.88% | 902 | 29.21% | 59 | 1.91% | 1,225 | 39.67% | 3,088 |
| Chickasaw | 2,002 | 46.56% | 2,269 | 52.77% | 29 | 0.67% | -267 | -6.21% | 4,300 |
| Choctaw | 1,521 | 66.80% | 713 | 31.31% | 43 | 1.89% | 808 | 35.49% | 2,277 |
| Claiborne | 551 | 25.29% | 1,610 | 73.89% | 18 | 0.83% | -1,059 | -48.60% | 2,179 |
| Clarke | 2,760 | 66.78% | 1,275 | 30.85% | 98 | 2.37% | 1,485 | 35.93% | 4,133 |
| Clay | 2,797 | 43.90% | 3,522 | 55.28% | 52 | 0.82% | -725 | -11.38% | 6,371 |
| Coahoma | 2,218 | 44.71% | 2,670 | 53.82% | 73 | 1.47% | -452 | -9.11% | 4,961 |
| Copiah | 3,330 | 51.91% | 2,950 | 45.99% | 135 | 2.10% | 380 | 5.92% | 6,415 |
| Covington | 2,940 | 57.46% | 2,000 | 39.09% | 177 | 3.46% | 940 | 18.37% | 5,117 |
| DeSoto | 16,920 | 66.85% | 7,535 | 29.77% | 857 | 3.39% | 9,385 | 37.08% | 25,312 |
| Forrest | 9,196 | 64.10% | 4,766 | 33.22% | 384 | 2.68% | 4,430 | 30.88% | 14,346 |
| Franklin | 1,445 | 63.43% | 794 | 34.86% | 39 | 1.71% | 651 | 28.58% | 2,278 |
| George | 3,331 | 76.52% | 728 | 16.72% | 294 | 6.75% | 2,603 | 59.80% | 4,353 |
| Greene | 1,708 | 71.92% | 517 | 21.77% | 150 | 6.32% | 1,191 | 50.15% | 2,375 |
| Grenada | 3,111 | 55.83% | 2,377 | 42.66% | 84 | 1.51% | 734 | 13.17% | 5,572 |
| Hancock | 6,699 | 73.00% | 2,004 | 21.84% | 474 | 5.17% | 4,695 | 51.16% | 9,177 |
| Harrison | 22,113 | 65.80% | 10,269 | 30.56% | 1,222 | 3.64% | 11,844 | 35.25% | 33,604 |
| Hinds | 20,975 | 40.98% | 29,609 | 57.85% | 600 | 1.17% | -8,634 | -16.87% | 51,184 |
| Holmes | 1,313 | 29.69% | 3,069 | 69.40% | 40 | 0.90% | -1,756 | -39.71% | 4,422 |
| Humphreys | 990 | 43.65% | 1,262 | 55.64% | 16 | 0.71% | -272 | -11.99% | 2,268 |
| Issaquena | 196 | 51.72% | 181 | 47.76% | 2 | 0.53% | 15 | 3.96% | 379 |
| Itawamba | 3,259 | 67.92% | 1,452 | 30.26% | 87 | 1.81% | 1,807 | 37.66% | 4,798 |
| Jackson | 21,393 | 70.24% | 8,065 | 26.48% | 997 | 3.27% | 13,328 | 43.76% | 30,455 |
| Jasper | 2,073 | 44.29% | 2,493 | 53.27% | 114 | 2.44% | -420 | -8.97% | 4,680 |
| Jefferson | 444 | 23.19% | 1,455 | 75.98% | 16 | 0.84% | -1,011 | -52.79% | 1,915 |
| Jefferson Davis | 1,644 | 41.25% | 2,264 | 56.81% | 77 | 1.93% | -620 | -15.56% | 3,985 |
| Jones | 9,444 | 56.46% | 6,540 | 39.10% | 742 | 4.44% | 2,904 | 17.36% | 16,726 |
| Kemper | 1,043 | 45.05% | 1,244 | 53.74% | 28 | 1.21% | -201 | -8.68% | 2,315 |
| Lafayette | 6,311 | 64.87% | 3,278 | 33.70% | 139 | 1.43% | 3,033 | 31.18% | 9,728 |
| Lamar | 10,399 | 76.47% | 2,786 | 20.49% | 413 | 3.04% | 7,613 | 55.99% | 13,598 |
| Lauderdale | 10,359 | 70.46% | 4,109 | 27.95% | 234 | 1.59% | 6,250 | 42.51% | 14,702 |
| Lawrence | 2,142 | 63.17% | 1,183 | 34.89% | 66 | 1.95% | 959 | 28.28% | 3,391 |
| Leake | 2,667 | 56.91% | 1,923 | 41.04% | 96 | 2.05% | 744 | 15.88% | 4,686 |
| Lee | 11,792 | 62.51% | 6,790 | 35.99% | 283 | 1.50% | 5,002 | 26.51% | 18,865 |
| Leflore | 2,472 | 42.34% | 3,332 | 57.06% | 35 | 0.60% | -860 | -14.73% | 5,839 |
| Lincoln | 5,278 | 71.18% | 1,987 | 26.80% | 150 | 2.02% | 3,291 | 44.38% | 7,415 |
| Lowndes | 8,245 | 56.37% | 6,229 | 42.59% | 152 | 1.04% | 2,016 | 13.78% | 14,626 |
| Madison | 16,359 | 67.08% | 7,737 | 31.73% | 290 | 1.19% | 8,622 | 35.36% | 24,386 |
| Marion | 4,067 | 65.65% | 1,997 | 32.24% | 131 | 2.11% | 2,070 | 33.41% | 6,195 |
| Marshall | 3,130 | 42.98% | 4,007 | 55.02% | 146 | 2.00% | -877 | -12.04% | 7,283 |
| Monroe | 4,552 | 58.54% | 3,150 | 40.51% | 74 | 0.95% | 1,402 | 18.03% | 7,776 |
| Montgomery | 1,539 | 56.05% | 1,154 | 42.02% | 53 | 1.93% | 385 | 14.02% | 2,746 |
| Neshoba | 4,526 | 73.71% | 1,495 | 24.35% | 119 | 1.94% | 3,031 | 49.36% | 6,140 |
| Newton | 3,602 | 71.82% | 1,308 | 26.08% | 105 | 2.09% | 2,294 | 45.74% | 5,015 |
| Noxubee | 863 | 30.37% | 1,958 | 68.90% | 21 | 0.74% | -1,095 | -38.53% | 2,842 |
| Oktibbeha | 5,340 | 58.77% | 3,683 | 40.53% | 64 | 0.70% | 1,657 | 18.23% | 9,087 |
| Panola | 3,535 | 51.89% | 3,165 | 46.46% | 113 | 1.66% | 370 | 5.43% | 6,813 |
| Pearl River | 7,943 | 73.85% | 2,096 | 19.49% | 716 | 6.66% | 5,847 | 54.37% | 10,755 |
| Perry | 1,814 | 66.25% | 798 | 29.15% | 126 | 4.60% | 1,016 | 37.11% | 2,738 |
| Pike | 4,203 | 53.74% | 3,481 | 44.51% | 137 | 1.75% | 722 | 9.23% | 7,821 |
| Pontotoc | 4,539 | 69.71% | 1,830 | 28.11% | 142 | 2.18% | 2,709 | 41.61% | 6,511 |
| Prentiss | 2,588 | 49.00% | 2,635 | 49.89% | 59 | 1.12% | -47 | -0.89% | 5,282 |
| Quitman | 998 | 39.73% | 1,464 | 58.28% | 50 | 1.99% | -466 | -18.55% | 2,512 |
| Rankin | 24,552 | 76.44% | 6,840 | 21.30% | 728 | 2.27% | 17,712 | 55.14% | 32,120 |
| Scott | 3,117 | 62.19% | 1,803 | 35.97% | 92 | 1.84% | 1,314 | 26.22% | 5,012 |
| Sharkey | 539 | 48.51% | 560 | 50.41% | 12 | 1.08% | -21 | -1.89% | 1,111 |
| Simpson | 4,347 | 62.41% | 2,502 | 35.92% | 116 | 1.67% | 1,845 | 26.49% | 6,965 |
| Smith | 2,890 | 67.33% | 1,276 | 29.73% | 126 | 2.94% | 1,614 | 37.60% | 4,292 |
| Stone | 2,886 | 71.68% | 980 | 24.34% | 160 | 3.97% | 1,906 | 47.34% | 4,026 |
| Sunflower | 2,002 | 39.35% | 3,032 | 59.59% | 54 | 1.06% | -1,030 | -20.24% | 5,088 |
| Tallahatchie | 1,340 | 46.33% | 1,509 | 52.18% | 43 | 1.49% | -169 | -5.84% | 2,892 |
| Tate | 3,159 | 63.56% | 1,676 | 33.72% | 135 | 2.72% | 1,483 | 29.84% | 4,970 |
| Tippah | 3,243 | 66.99% | 1,513 | 31.25% | 85 | 1.76% | 1,730 | 35.74% | 4,841 |
| Tishomingo | 3,088 | 66.80% | 1,425 | 30.82% | 110 | 2.38% | 1,663 | 35.97% | 4,623 |
| Tunica | 642 | 38.60% | 995 | 59.83% | 26 | 1.56% | -353 | -21.23% | 1,663 |
| Union | 3,996 | 69.86% | 1,655 | 28.93% | 69 | 1.21% | 2,341 | 40.93% | 5,720 |
| Walthall | 2,289 | 57.50% | 1,598 | 40.14% | 94 | 2.36% | 691 | 17.36% | 3,981 |
| Warren | 6,480 | 58.22% | 4,448 | 39.96% | 202 | 1.81% | 2,032 | 18.26% | 11,130 |
| Washington | 3,987 | 45.93% | 4,586 | 52.83% | 107 | 1.23% | -599 | -6.90% | 8,680 |
| Wayne | 2,384 | 55.16% | 1,773 | 41.02% | 165 | 3.82% | 611 | 14.14% | 4,322 |
| Webster | 2,116 | 75.17% | 661 | 23.48% | 38 | 1.35% | 1,455 | 51.69% | 2,815 |
| Wilkinson | 841 | 39.43% | 1,267 | 59.40% | 25 | 1.17% | -426 | -19.97% | 2,133 |
| Winston | 2,783 | 55.72% | 2,155 | 43.14% | 57 | 1.14% | 628 | 12.57% | 4,995 |
| Yalobusha | 1,710 | 53.06% | 1,465 | 45.45% | 48 | 1.49% | 245 | 7.60% | 3,223 |
| Yazoo | 2,758 | 56.41% | 2,074 | 42.42% | 57 | 1.17% | 684 | 13.99% | 4,889 |
| Totals | 378,481 | 59.90% | 239,439 | 37.89% | 13,938 | 2.21% | 139,042 | 22.01% | 631,858 |
Cochran won three of four congressional districts.[88]
| District | Cochran | Childers | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 61% | 37% | Alan Nunnelee |
| 2nd | 45% | 54% | Bennie Thompson |
| 3rd | 65% | 33% | Gregg Harper |
| 4th | 68% | 28% | Steven Palazzo |
In the aftermath of the runoff, the McDaniel campaign claimed there were indications of voter fraud.[89] A day after the election results were certified by the state party, SenatorTed Cruz and some Tea Party groups backed an investigation of supposed voter fraud in the runoff election.[90] Cruz also told reporters that groups aligned with the Cochran campaign had run racially charged ads designed to persuade black voters to vote against McDaniel.[90][91]
McDaniel's legal challenge to the runoff election results failed.[92][93] He unsuccessfully ran in the 2018 special election triggered by Cochran's resignation.[94]
_(cropped)1.jpg)
.jpg)
