I was glad to see this Aug. 29 article Chris McDaniel challenge tossed in Mississippi. However Chris McDaniel will take the long weekend to assess whether to appeal to the state Supreme Court. This is extreme Tea Party mentality: politico/story/2014/08/chris-mcdaniel-challenge-dismissed-mississippi-110453.html?ml=tb Chris McDaniel challenge tossed in Mississippi By KATIE GLUECK | 8/29/14 3:28 PM EDT Updated: 8/29/14 5:00 PM EDT A Mississippi judge on Friday dismissed state Sen. Chris McDaniel’s challenge of longtime Sen. Thad Cochran’s June Republican primary runoff victory. The McDaniel camp had asserted that Cochran’s winning margin came from ineligible Democratic voters — evidence of which they intended to prove at a trial beginning on Sept. 16. But attorneys for Cochran’s campaign said McDaniel waited too long after the June 24 runoff to file the lawsuit, and a judge granted their motion to dismiss the case. McDaniel waited 41 days after the election to file his challenge, but Judge Hollis McGehee noted that “the law requires 20 days,” according to The Clarion-Ledger of Jackson, Miss. clarionledger/story/news/2014/08/29/mcdaniel-lawsuit-dismissed/14810485/ (Full election results here) politico/2014-election/results/map/senate/ McDaniel spokesman Noel Fritsch said the team would take the long weekend to assess whether to appeal to the state Supreme Court. “While we were intent on seeing the challenge through, as provided for by law, we certainly disagreed on this point of law,” Fritsch said, adding, “We’re disappointed that the facts of this case right now [without being appealed] will not be heard in a public forum. That’s certainly what it’s all about.” The state senator is expected to hold a news conference next Tuesday. But assuming the ruling stands, Cochran will be a heavy favorite to win a seventh term in the general election. Cochran’s lawyers released a statement arguing that McDaniel’s challenge was faulty, both on timing and on substance. “We also want to continue to re-emphasize that regardless of the timeliness of the challenge, a careful review of Chris McDaniel’s filing shows this case to be baseless,” the statement read. “The voters made their decision on June 24 that Thad Cochran is the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate.” Both the runoff and the primary contests were hotly contested. McDaniel enjoyed national tea party support while establishment forces fought hard for Cochran. After a very narrow primary, Cochran edged ahead of McDaniel, which some credited to votes from some demographics that typically support Democrats, including African-American voters. “Not only did McDaniel file his complaint too late, but it was without merit,” said Henry Barbour, a Cochran ally who was deeply involved in the senator’s campaign. “And his complaint about African-Americans voting in a GOP primary is beyond unacceptable.” Earlier this week, the McDaniel camp sent out a fundraising missive tied to what they billed at the time as their upcoming trial. “The fact that we are going to trial is great news because as many as 40,000 illegal Democratic votes were cast in the Republican primary runoff,” read the email, sent on Tuesday. A spokesman for the Cochran campaign directed further requests for comment back to the statement from the Cochran lawyers. According to The Clarion-Ledger, “Cochran lawyer Mark Garriga said he hopes ‘this is the end, not just the beginning of the end.’” Author: Katie Glueck (@katie_glueck) Read more about: Thad Cochran, Chris McDaniel, Elections, 2014 Elections, Mississippi Short URL: politi.co/VTpe51
Posted on: Sat, 30 Aug 2014 11:38:23 +0000
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