This Is Where Chris McDaniel's Camp Will Look For Voter Fraud

The Wire ^ | June 25, 2014 | By ARIT JOHN

[Oldeconomybuyer]

After last night's defiant not-a-concession speech, the Tea Party's Chris McDaniel doesn't seem willing to let his Mississippi Senate seat dreams go. If he does decide to go the legal route, he'll likely start with Hinds County, the majority black county where Cochran gained thousands of votes.

In 24 mostly black counties voter turnout increased by 39.4 percent, but none of those counties gave Sen. Thad Cochran as many votes as Hinds, which is 69.8 percent black. There, voter turnout increased by 49.57 percent according to the Clarion Ledger's Sam Hall.

But in the chart above you can see that Hinds is an outlier, the same way DeSoto County (73.4 percent white) is for McDaniel. Given Sen. Cochran's outreach to the black and heavily Democratic community, and McDaniel's complaint about "a Republican primary that's decided by liberal Democrats," he'll likely start there.

[OldRanchHand]

For better or worse, bringing home pork is the name of the game in Washington. If Cochran isn’t the chair of appropriations, whoever is will simply steer money to his or her state. Every representative and senator tries to do it. Bringing home the pork also means (at least to me) protecting military bases and other federal facilities in your state from closure. And in Mississippi, the largest private employer is Ingalls Shipyard, which lives or dies on commissions from the Navy. Cochran can keep those commission coming. I’m sure McDaniels is a principled man who believes in smaller government, but his voice would be drowned out by other members of Congress who want to continue playing the game as it is. According to Mississippi news sources, McDaniels introduced 38 bills in the state senate. None passed. There’s nothing to make me think he would be more effective in Washington.

[Praxeologue]

Write in votes aren’t counted per Mississippi code unless it’s a replacement candidate.

And independent candidates must present by March 1.

Title 23, Chapter 15, Article 13, Part B of the Mississippi Code

...

MS Code § 23-15-365 (2013)

(1) There shall be left on each ballot one (1) blank space under the title of each office to be voted for, and in the event of the death, resignation, withdrawal or removal of any candidate whose name shall have been printed on the official ballot, the name of the candidate duly substituted in the place of such candidate may be written in such blank space by the voter.

That provision doesn't exclude writing-in any other eligible person's name. It merely provides an example of a permitted name, IMO.

[nascarnation]

So is McDaniel “eligible” to be counted?

Murkowski won Alaska on a write-in with a plurality but the D candidate only got 24%.

In the previous MS senate race, the D candidate (named Al Gore, but not the former VP) got 41%, just slightly above the black demographic. It may be very difficult to beat 41% on a write-in.

[Praxeologue]

In the previous MS senate race, the D candidate (named Al Gore, but not the former VP) got 41%, just slightly above the black demographic. It may be very difficult to beat 41% on a write-in.

No problem; Thad Cochran has that vote cornered this time with his race baiting and the support of the New York Times. Steele and Powell might even show up to help him communicate with the people.