Tag: thad cochran

The Story: Though Mississippi has long been considered one of the most reliably Republican states in the United States, this year polls indicate a tight...

View more opinion articles on CNN. In the November 6 election, none of the candidates -- Hyde-Smith, Democrat Mike Espy or Republican Chris McDaniel -- received a majority of the vote. When the runoff takes place this Tuesday, Mississippi voters will offer the nation evidence as to whether "moderate white voters" still exist in the Deep South. These voters may signal if Democrats or moderate Republicans can be viable future candidates in red states, and in rural areas in otherwise purple states. Senator Hyde-Smith is an ultra-conservative politician. Espy, a moderate African-American who has devoted a good deal of his campaign trying to engage the state's business community and white suburban voters who don't like to see Mississippi's image tarnished, is hoping to put together the same kind of coalition as Jones. His goal is to win over a combination of African Americans and moderate suburban whites. The outcome in Mississippi is particularly important since the midterm results in the Senate were much more mixed than in the House. Trump's ability to hold white Republican voters in those states will be crucial to his chances for re-election in 2020, where he will aim to recreate the same narrow Electoral College victory that hinged on the support of Republican voters while making small inroads into Democratic constituencies. It would mean that moderate white voters are not really a major presence in these parts of the country.

The Story: Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R - MS) is defending her seat in a run-off election November 27 against former US Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy...

The Story: Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R - MS) is defending her seat in a run-off election November 27 against former US Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy...

Mike Espy is running for Senate in a Mississippi special election against two Republicans to fill the final two years of a term started by Sen. Thad Cochran. Espy joins Morning Joe to discuss. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc About:…

Thad Cochran of Mississippi announced on Monday that he would step down from the US Senate on 1 April. The octogenarian Republican was first elected to the Senate in 1978 but has long been plagued by ill health and has not played an active role on Capitol Hill in recent years. Cochran’s decision to step down means that the state’s Republican governor, Phil Bryant, will appoint a replacement who will serve until November. Then a special election will be held to fill the remaining two years of Cochran’s term. Mississippi senator Thad Cochran marries long-time aide Kay Webber Read more The decision by Cochran to resign will shake up the ranks of Republican leadership. Cochran currently serves as chair of the powerful appropriations committee and was poised to succeed Orrin Hatch of Utah to be third in line for the presidency as president pro tempore if Republicans maintained control of the Senate in the 2018 midterm elections. Cochran’s most recent race for re-election in 2014 was marked by a ferocious Republican primary, which was a harbinger of Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign as a showdown between Republican elites and insurgents. The Tea Partier Chris McDaniel mounted a primary challenge to Cochran and outpolled the incumbent in the first round of voting but Cochran ended up winning a narrow majority in the runoff during a campaign marred by scandal.

Seth takes a closer look at how President Trump is outright lying about the fate of his health care bill and his new tax plan. » Subscribe to Late Night: http://bit.ly/LateNightSeth » Get more Late Night with Seth Meyers: http://www.nbc.com/late-night-with-seth-meyers/ » Watch…