Thad Cochran

16 Stories

One of the Longest-Serving Senators Is Dead
One of the Longest-Serving
Senators Is Dead
obituary
May 30, 2019 1:26 PM CDT

One of the Longest-Serving Senators Is Dead

Mississippi's Thad Cochran served 39 years in chamber before retiring last year

(Newser) - He lived 81 years and spent more than half of them serving in Washington. Mississippi's Thad Cochran has died after retiring from the Senate last year because of health issues. The Republican Cochran was elected to the House in 1972, and then the Senate in 1978. His 39 years...

New Wrinkle in Miss. Senate Race: 'Public Hanging' Joke

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith calls criticism 'ridiculous' ahead of Nov. 27 runoff with Mike Espy

(Newser) - One of the big contests still undecided after election night is the race for senator in Mississippi, and a controversial new video is getting a lot of attention ahead of the Nov. 27 runoff. In the video , GOP incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith is seen campaigning with a supporter in Tupelo, and...

A GOP Senator's Resignation, a Bitter Battle for His Seat

Mississippi's Thad Cochran cites health issues as reason for his departure

(Newser) - Longtime Republican Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi said Monday he'll resign because of health problems—triggering what could be a chaotic special election to fill the seat he has held for a generation. Cochran, who turned 80 in December and has been in poor health, has been a sporadic...

Key Senator Appears 'Disoriented' Upon Return
Key Senator
Appears
'Disoriented'
Upon Return
the rundown
Oct 19, 2017 8:37 AM CDT

Key Senator Appears 'Disoriented' Upon Return

Thad Cochran, 79, seen as 'frail' by Politico, which could mean trouble for GOP

(Newser) - Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran returned to Washington this week after missing about a month over what aides have called a "urological issue" and, later, a urinary tract infection. The Republican's return, however, has done little to ease speculation about his health, especially after a shaky interview with Politico...

Senator Marries Aide a Year After Denying Affair

Kay Webber a common sight on Thad Cochran's taxpayer-funded trips

(Newser) - Thad Cochran's camp batted down rumors last year of a romance between the senator and longtime aide Kay Webber, the New York Times reports, amid criticism that Webber had joined Cochran on 28 taxpayer-funded trips to 45 countries costing more than $150,000. Now, in a one-sentence statement, his...

Pro-Cochran Super PAC Paid for Black Voter Drive

Mississippi Conservatives was the group's only source of money

(Newser) - In the run-up to Mississippi's Republican Senate primary, a group called All Citizens for Mississippi worked to get out the black vote. But the only donor to All Citizens for Mississippi was Mississippi Conservatives, a super PAC devoted to reelecting Republican incumbent Thad Cochran, the AP reports based on...

Thad Cochran Opponent: We'll Challenge Results

Chris McDaniel says he's found 5K voting irregularities

(Newser) - The man who lost a Mississippi primary challenge to Republican Sen. Thad Cochran—but hasn't conceded—has confirmed reports he'll challenge the results. "We believe on that night of June 24 there were thousands of irregularities," State Sen. Chris McDaniel tells CNN , noting that his legal...

Mississippi Tea Party Figure in Controversy Found Dead

Attorney Mark Mayfield apparently shot himself

(Newser) - One sad coda to Mississippi's brutal Senate seat fight : A state Tea Party leader facing conspiracy charges over campaign tactics has been found dead in an apparent suicide, reports the Clarion-Ledger . Mark Mayfield was vice chairman of the Mississippi Tea Party and a respected attorney in the state, but...

We Saw a Political 'Perfect Game' Last Night
We Saw a Political 'Perfect Game' Last Night
OPINION
Jun 25, 2014 1:47 PM CDT

We Saw a Political 'Perfect Game' Last Night

Thad Cochran pulled off a remarkable win, say pundits

(Newser) - Political pundits are buzzing about Thad Cochran's primary win last night, because it "broke almost every rule of politics," writes Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post . Cochran overcame a more naturally politically talented opponent, grew the electorate in his favor by recruiting African-American voters, and managed to...

Cochran Edges Tea Party Challenger, Rangel Leads in NY

McDaniel eyes legal challenge in Mississippi

(Newser) - Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi has edged out Tea Party challenger Chris McDaniel in an extremely tight run-off election, according to the AP , which gives the six-term GOP veteran 51% to McDaniel's 49% with 99% of precincts reporting. The heated three-week race saw Cochran take the unusual step of...

Tough GOP-Tea Party Primary Heads for Runoff

Mississippi's Cochran-McDaniel duel not over yet

(Newser) - Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran and Tea Party-backed challenger Chris McDaniel pointed toward a possible June 24 run-off after battling to a near-draw yesterday in a primary that underscored Republican differences. Unofficial returns from 98% of the state's precincts showed McDaniel with slightly more than 49% of the vote in...

Mississippi's Crazy Election Scandal Just Got Crazier

Tea party official arrested in connection with video of Sen. Cochran's bedridden wife

(Newser) - GOP Sen. Thad Cochran is in a dogfight to keep his seat in Mississippi ahead of next month's primary, but as crunch time nears, what's the big topic in his race against Tea Party challenger Chris McDaniel? A secretly made video of Cochran's bedridden wife in a...

Blogger Accused of Photographing Senator's Wife in Nursing Home

Opponent's knowledge of incident raises questions: Thad Cochran campaign

(Newser) - A political blogger has been arrested for allegedly sneaking into a nursing home and photographing a "vulnerable resident," the Washington Post reports. The victim: the bedridden wife of Sen. Thad Cochran, says a family lawyer. Blogger Clayton Kelly, 28, is said to have posted his photo in a...

Senators Fight to Keep Sending Pork Home

Upper chamber unlikely to follow House's lead on earmarks

(Newser) - House members may be pushing earmark reform, but many of their Senate colleagues refuse to let go without a fight—in fact, Politico notes, it may be the one issue on which senators from both parties can agree on. Lawmakers from both sides argue that the money would be spent...

Senate Sends Obama $1.1T Spending Bill

3 Republicans vote yea, 3 Dems vote nay

(Newser) - Working on a second consecutive weekend, the Senate passed a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill today, with the support of three Republicans but the opposition of three Democrats. The measure has already cleared the House and now advances to President Obama, who is expected to sign it. With pressing...

McCain Denies '87 Sandinista Tussle

Candidate doesn't know what colleague is talking about

(Newser) - John McCain denies colleague Thad Cochran's recollection that he physically assaulted a Nicaraguan official in 1987, the New York Times reports, saying “it’s simply not true.” The Mississippi Republican remembers that McCain “reached over and grabbed this guy by the shirt collar and…snatched him up...

16 Stories