Posted on 08/04/2014 2:00:31 PM PDT by Rennes Templar
The tea party-backed lawmaker defeated by U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran in Mississippi's Republican primary said Monday that he has formally challenged the election's outcome with the state GOP.
State Sen. Chris McDaniel filed the challenge with the Mississippi GOP state executive committee over Cochran's June 24 runoff victory, McDaniel attorney Mitch Tyner said during a news conference.
McDaniel will have to prove there were enough illegally cast votes to change the outcome or that the election was so sloppily handled its result is in doubt.
Mississippi voters don't register by party, but state law makes so-called crossover voting — casting a ballot in one party's primary and another party's runoff in the same cycle — a misdemeanor. Tyner said the campaign had found 3,500 instances of crossover votes, along with the 9,500 "irregular votes" and 2,275 "improperly cast" absentee ballots. It was not immediately clear what made the votes irregular, or how the absentee ballots may have been improperly cast.
Certified results show Cochran won by 7,667 votes, or 51 percent.
"They asked us to put up or shut up, and here we are with the evidence," McDaniel said.
McDaniel has called the June 24 runoff a "sham" and excoriated Cochran for seeking votes from "liberal Democrats." While McDaniel stops short of mentioning race, Mississippi is a state where Democrat is often synonymous with black. Cochran says there's nothing wrong with seeking support from Democrats and independents — it's something he's done for decades.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Oh good. Hope Chris McDaniel wins.
About time! Hope he has some real evidence.
I don’t know how these things work, but why does this go to the state GOP instead of a court of law?
Hope the quintessential RINO Cochran loses the next one.
Because this (a Primary) is something that is handled by a political Party. It is a fundamental rule of procedure that you have to exhaust your Administrative appeals before you can file suit in Court. If he were to file suit court before that, it would get tossed.
Under Mississippi law, he has to file his challenge first with the party Executive Committee. If (when) they turn him down, he can go to court.
The last paragraph is, of course, a slanderous lie. No one has any problem with going after “black votes.” The problem is with libeling his opponent, and all tea partiers, as a KKK racist.
McDaniel-Cochran ping.
Don’t know, I’m not from Mississippi...
McDaniel has to exhaust his options within the GOP apparatus first.
It won't be long now until the cries of "RACISM!!" are heard by either the Cochran camp or the NAACP. But then won't it be funny watching the NAACP defend blacks who voted in the Republican primary?
It's gonna be a hoot! Get the popcorn ready!!
If Sen. Thad Cochran had a clue, with 15,275 irregular votes, he ought to admit challenger Chris McDaniel won and bow out gracefully by retiring. By my antiquated math, 15,275 irregular votes for Cochran takes a might big chunk out of the certified 7,667. If McDaniel’s count is correct, I see a 7,608 vote discrepancy on raw numbers. Say good bye, Thad.
I notice how Yahoo News uses “Cochran Foe...” in the item’s headline instead of “McDaniel...”.
Well here’s hoping the Mississippi GOP state executive committee (the challenge process requires that that be the initial step) renders its decision PROMPTLY so that the challenge can go to courts where the REAL decision will be made.
Of course it is likely that the RINO Barbour controlled Mississippi GOP state executive committee will drag on their “deliberations” as long as possible to help run out the clock.
Doesn’t look good, but worth the try.
Well, they are claimed to be irregular. I hope they are but McDaniel will need to prove it AND prove that enough votes should be taken from Cochran to swing the election. While I hope he can, that is one HUGE mountain to climb.
why does this go to the state GOP instead of a court of law?
The Mississippi Republican party Executive Committee certified the primary, they have an opportunity to re-evaluate. Last chance at resolution before going to court.
McDaniel has gone from farce to 1950s embarassment to the state.
I’ve noticed that the msm always uses “foe” to describe the entity to whom they themselves are opposed. I suppose they have studies to show that the word has subconscious negative connotations.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.