Republicans Already Freaking Out About Mississippi Special Election

Eric Boehlert
March 16, 2018 2:25 am

With a GOP civil war brewing in Mississippi, some Republicans are already worried about a looming special election there. They’re concerned that this year’s mounting blue wave could elect a Democrat to the U.S. Senate from one of the reddest states in the country.

After this week’s embarrassing special election loss in a previously pro-Trump district in Pennsylvania, it seems very few Republican races are safe in 2018. Not even one in the Deep South.

Under the headline, “Mississippi Is Now in Play for Democrats,” the conservative Weekly Standard started ringing the alarm bells for Republicans on Thursday.

Nerves are frayed because Republican state Sen. Chris McDaniel, a tea party favorite, announced he was dropping out of his previously announced plan to post a primary challenge against U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker.

Instead, McDaniel decided to jump over to the special election, which was created when Mississippi’s other Republican senator, Thad Cochran, announced he is retiring four years into his six-year term, because of health issues. Cochran steps down on April 1.

McDaniel’s flip-flop move was met with an angry rejoinder from the state’s Republican governor, Phil Bryant, who denounced McDaniel’s move. “This opportunistic behavior is a sad commentary for a young man who once had great potential,” Bryant said in a written statement on Wednesday

Bryant will appoint a temporary senator to fill Cochran’s vacant seat, and a special election will be held in November.

The concern for Republicans is that the at-times outlandish McDaniel could be seen as toxic by enough voters to open the door for Democrats. Especially if there’s a bruising war within the GOP during the run-up to the special elections.

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http://www.nationalmemo.com/republicans-already-freaking-mississippi-special-election/