Atlantic reporter Molly Ball reported Tuesday that Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran, 76, was unable to recall who she was less than 30 minutes after she interviewed him on the campaign trail. 

Ball claims that soon after she questioned the Senator, he “held out his hand to [her]” on his way out of the building, and said “Hello, I’m Thad Cochran.”

This isn't the first time reporters have raised questions about Cochran's state of mind. On Monday, Slate's Dave Weigel wrote a column about Cochran's "age issue" that referenced his refusal to participate in debates and a series of "poor" interviews. 

Cochran did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Ball's report. 

The article was published on the same day of the Mississippi Republican Senate primary between Cochran and Sen. Chris McDaniel, which ended with no outright winner.

The primary has been called the most vicious election fight in America, as 41-year Washington veteran Cochran continues to compete against much younger Tea Party-favorite, McDaniel, 41. 

The race will continue in three weeks with a runoff.

(h/t Daily Caller) 

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Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran's campaign was raging after the Atlantic’s Molly Ball published a story Tuesday that included an anecdote about the Republican senator having a memory lapse. Ball claimed Cochran failed to recognize her at an event less than 30 minutes after she interviewed him. However, in a phone call to Business Insider Wednesday, Cochran's communications director Jordan Russell, said Ball "should be embarrassed" about the story.

"Molly Ball’s article is the most unprofessional, ridiculous, hit piece thing I have ever seen," Russell said, "There were hundreds of people standing there. He did dozens of interviews…with people like MSNBC. I have no idea how he would have remembered who she was." 

Ball offered her own account of the incident to Business Insider after being informed of Russell's issues with her story.

"There were less than 100 audience members at the event in Meridian. After leaving the stage, Senator Cochran shook a few hands, then did three interviews — one with a local television station, one with me, and one with Jon Ward of the Huffington Post," Ball said. "He then proceeded directly to the diner where he greeted me. It sounds like the Cochran campaign does not dispute the facts of our encounter as I narrated them." 

Russell claimed he was “standing right there” during the event that Bell mentions in her article.

"Molly Ball, whoever that is … is a journalist trying to make a name for herself. She should be embarrassed."

In her email to Business Insider, Ball also addressed Russell's "attacks on my professionalism and motivations."

"They're entitled to believe whatever they want to. I will let my work speak for itself," she said.

Update (5:09 p.m.): Russell emailed Business Insider after this story was first published to clarify his initial comments.

"I didn't mean he did dozens of interviews that day...dozens over the course of a couple weeks," Russell wrote. "Molly was standing in a press gaggle with dozens of other people around and multiple reporters."

Additional reporting by Hunter Walker.

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The wild, mudslinging Mississippi Senate Republican primary is officially headed to a runoff, an outcome that sets up a potential doomsday scenario for the GOP's hopes of capturing a Senate majority this year. But Republican strategists who spoke to Business Insider said they were confident that won't happen. 

Neither incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran or Tea Party-aligned insurgent state Sen. Chris McDaniel received the required 50% threshold to avoid a June 24 runoff. The official results, which came in Tuesday afternoon, gave McDaniel a 49.5-49.0 lead over Cochran.

Most strategists privately fret this was the worst possible outcome for the Republican Party. 

For one, Cochran and McDaniel will slug it out for three more weeks, in a race both sides have called the most vicious in the country. Combined with a McDaniel win, there is a prevailing sense it could put a Senate seat in deep-red Mississippi in play, which would be a major hindrance to the GOP's majority ambitions. 

The consensus is that McDaniel will ride his momentum from Tuesday night to a runoff victory, according to multiple conversations with Republican strategists embedded in and/or familiar with the race.

McDaniel grabbing the plurality of votes was somewhat unexpected. Even supporters worry Cochran may not have the "energy" to give his all in an extra three weeks of campaigning. One strategist pointed to his decision not to address supporters on election night as particularly baffling, and perhaps a signal his heart was not really in the race. 

Furthermore, for Cochran, the path to victory was never through a runoff. There will be less turnout in three weeks, and it's likely only the most energized — traditionally, the more conservative — will turn out to vote. 

McDaniel's potential victory has Democrats privately talking up the possibility of putting the seat in play. Democrats haven't won a Senate seat in Mississippi since 1982, and the fundamentals in the state provide Democrats with an even more daunting challenge than past triumphs over Tea Party-aligned candidates in states like Indiana.

Democrats will run centrist former Rep. Travis Childers in Mississippi in the general election, and they reportedly have conducted private polling showing a Childers-McDaniel race in a dead heat.

Democrats theorize Childers, who is popular among Independents and even some Republicans, could grab some of those votes against McDaniel. That wouldn't happen against Cochran, who himself is broadly popular with Independents and some Democrats.

"Voters even in a red state will reject what he is, which is an extremist," one Democratic strategist told Business Insider of McDaniel. 

The comparison that has started popping up is between Mississippi and Indiana — where, in 2012, Tea Party-aligned Richard Mourdock made a controversial statement about abortion, starting a media firestorm and opening up a path for Democrat Joe Donnelly to win.

McDaniel, some GOP strategists worry, is prone to a mistake that could land him in hot water. He has made controversial remarks in his past about immigration and gay marriage, and made critical comments of hurricane relief.

However, many Republicans question that narrative, pointing to the fact Mississippi is an extremely polarized state and to differences between Mississippi and Democratic triumphs over Tea Party-aligned candidates in past elections. For one thing, Mississippi's past electoral results make it a unique obstacle. President Barack Obama won 44% of the vote in the state in 2012, but the polarization was evident. Almost 90% of the state's white vote went to Mitt Romney, far higher than the national 60%.

There's also a significantly different political climate. Obama is much less popular than he was in 2012, as is his signature healthcare law, and Republicans have a fundamental advantage in non-presidential years.

"The idea that a Senate seat in Mississippi would be up for grabs, I think, is one hell of a stretch," Republican strategist Matt Mackowiak told Business Insider. 

The only way that could change, he added, is if the establishment Republicans who have pushed hard against a McDaniel nomination make it a "self-fulfilling prophecy." That is, if the National Republican Senatorial Committee refuses to endorse McDaniel, something to which it has not committed, would be a boon for Democrats.

"It's just such a red state," Mackowiak said. "And it's even more red in this kind of environment."

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Another brewing scandal in the wild, mudslinging Mississippi Senate Republican primary is roiling both campaigns as they begin to prepare for a June 24 runoff election. 

The Hinds County Sheriff's Department on Thursday concluded an investigation into why three people, including a high-ranking official on the campaign of state Sen. Chris McDaniel, were found locked in the county's courthouse late into election night earlier this week.

Hinds County Sheriff's Department spokesman Othor Cain said Janis Lane, Scott Brewster, and Rob Chambers entered the courthouse after it had closed for the night, through a side door marked for employees that was either propped open or malfunctioning.

Brewster serves as McDaniel's campaign coalition coordinator in his race against incumbent GOP Sen. Thad Cochran, and the other two are more loosely affiliated with the campaign.

Cain told Business Insider the courthouse — where primary ballots are counted — was open later than usual Tuesday night because of the election. But officers locked the building around 11:30 p.m., he said. The three allegedly gained access to the building after 2 a.m. and called a state Republican Party official to let them out.

Cain said there was no reason to believe the three engaged in any criminal activity, and no charges will be filed. But he said the three people have offered "conflicting stories" about the incident. 

Cain's comments call into question the McDaniel campaign's official explanation as to why the three people were at the courthouse. The campaign issued a statement Wednesday explaining the three entered the courthouse through an open door after being directed there by "uniformed personnel." However, Cain said no uniformed personnel or any employee of the department helped the three gain access.

"Based on our findings the door in question closed behind them upon entry and they proceeded to look for individuals that were counting ballots in an effort to assist," Cain said. "After not finding anyone in the building they called for assistance to get out."

Cochran campaign spokesman Jordan Russell said the latest controversy was part of a "pattern of out-of-control behavior" by the McDaniel campaign that includes a scandal where four people were arrested in conjunction with an alleged scheme to break into a nursing home to obtain a photograph of Cochran's wife. The picture was subsequently used on a blog as part of a story suggesting Cochran had an affair with a staffer. 

"Brewster's name came up in the photo scandal, as he initially said he had knowledge of the video posted to activist Clayton Kelly's blog while McDaniel disavowed any knowledge of it," Russell told Business Insider, adding, "I don’t know what they were doing there but I cannot think of a single logical reason for a campaign staffer to break into a courthouse after hours for anything other than something highly suspicious, if not illegal." 

The McDaniel campaign placed some of the blame for the burgeoning controversy on Hinds County Republican Executive Chairman Pete Perry, who let the three out of the courthouse. In his statement, McDaniel campaign spokesman Noel Fritsch referred to Perry as a "close Cochran ally."

The new controversy comes after the primary entered into a runoff phase due to the fact neither candidate passed the 50% threshold for an outright victory in Tuesday's election. The final weeks of the primary were marked by the campaigns' sparring over another scandal in which four officials were arrested as part of a conspiracy to photograph Cochran's unsuspecting wife, and the final months of the campaign have taken a largely personal tone. Though the criminal investigation has concluded, Russell said the presence of the trio in the courthouse where the votes were being counted was quite incriminating. 

"It makes them look very very guilty of something potentially very serious," Russell said. "The staffer involved, Scott Brewster, also was involved with the nursing home break in scandal. At some point Chris McDaniel has to be held accountable for the actions of his staff and top campaign activists. Who you surround yourself with matters. It is long past time for Chris McDaniel to address all of these questions directly."

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U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) blasted intra-party opponent and state Sen. Chris McDaniel on Tuesday, calling him an "extremist" and "dangerous," according to local affiliate WDAM.

"He’s an extremist. He said he wouldn’t vote for disaster assistance for Mississippi. That is the most outrageous thing I’ve heard from a public official in Mississippi," Cochran said, according to a transcript provided by a spokesman.

"I can’t believe that he is serious but apparently he is serious. He doesn’t want any federal money to be used to help out Mississippi after a hurricane has struck the Gulf Coast. Katrina. Did he go down there and look to see what happened and how much money was going to be required to restore all of that? I’m the one that got the money appropriated, through the Senate, and others of course in our delegation worked hard to do that and he is indicting that kind of use of power and influence in Washington. It would be dangerous to have somebody like him elected." 

Cochran's comments come in the midst of an increasingly intensecampaign leading up to a June 24 runoff election. The stop at USM was part of his runoff strategy to call attention to federal funding he has provided the region. The Cochran campaign and its supporters have branded McDaniel as someone who would deeply cut federal education funding. At the USM stop, Cochran said Mississippi would be hit "hardest" from McDaniel's supported cuts to federal projects.

In response, McDaniel campaign spokesman Noel Fritsch told Business Insider Cochran's comments prove he is "out of touch."

"Sen. Cochran's claims show how out of touch he is with conservative, hardworking Mississippians. There is nothing extreme about fighting to repeal Obamacare, fighting for fiscal responsibility in Washington, and fighting to protect our conservative Mississippi values," Fritsch said.

"The only thing that is extreme is Sen. Cochran’s record of voting with the Democrats to raise taxes, increase spending, and even voting to fund Obamacare with taxpayer dollars over his 41 years in Washington. Mississippians deserve a senator who represents their conservative values – not Washington's values." 

A source close to McDaniel also pointed to 2012 comments from former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, a staunch supporter of Cochran. Barbour said then he thought the Department of Education should be abolished. McDaniel has said the Department of Education is "unconstitutional," and he would work to abolish it if he were elected to the Senate.

The Mississippi Senate primary, which has been called the nastiest campaign fight in the nation, proceeded to a runoff after neither Cochran nor McDaniel garnered the required 50% of votes in last Tuesday's primary election. Since then, establishment Republicans have made clear their concern a McDaniel nomination would potentially make it easier for a Democrat to take the state's Senate seat.

If Democrats do end up facing off with McDaniel in the general election Cochran's remarks may have provided a preview of their strategy. On Democratic strategist also used the word "extremist" to describe how national Democrats would look to defeat McDaniel.

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U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) doesn't seem to know about the news that rocked Washington this week.

In an interview Thursday, Cochran, who is locked in a tight runoff-election campaign with state Sen. Chris McDaniel, appeared to be completely unaware of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's loss to a Tea Party-aligned challenger two days earlier.

The interviewer asked Cochran if Cantor's loss made him more concerned for his own chances. McDaniel, who has the support of many high-profile Tea Party-aligned politicians and groups, has claimed momentum in the wake of Cantor's stunning defeat.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Cochran told the interviewer in a video posted on Fox News' website. "What happened in Virginia?"

"With Eric Cantor losing his seat," the interviewer replied.

"Well, I haven't really followed that race very closely at all," Cochran said.

"Really?" the interviewer said, bewildered.

"Really," Cochran said.

When the interviewer went on to explain the situation and its importance — the majority leader and No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives being knocked off by an unknown, underfunded challenger— Cochran said, "It happens."

"Members of Congress — some win, some lose," Cochran said. "It's not an automatic proposition."

Cochran has been criticized in the final months of the campaign for what seems to be his general lack of awareness on the trail. Last week, his campaign blasted a reporter who wrote a story that accused Cochran of a rather embarrassing memory lapse on the trail.

The runoff election is June 24.

Here's the clip of Cochran:

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Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an outspoken advocate for gun control, recently gave $250,000 to help re-elect a Mississippi Republican with an A+ rating from the NRA.

According to the latest campaign finance filings, Bloomberg gave $250,000 to Mississippi Conservatives PAC, a group aiming to re-elect veteran Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran, who is in the fight of his political life against his primary rival, Chris McDaniel.

Bloomberg, a billionaire, has contributed heavily to groups pushing for more firearm regulations. In April, Bloomberg launched a $50-million campaign to counter the NRA. As a result, Bloomberg's political brand has become synonymous with gun control.

However, Cochran is a gun control opponent with an A+ rating from the NRA who has specifically been branded as a Bloomberg opponent. When the NRA endorsed Cochran for his current campaign in March they specifically thanked him for standing strong against "Michael Bloomberg's gun control agenda."

A Bloomberg spokesman declined to comment about the reason for the donation. But Bloomberg has several other causes he has put his financial muscle behind, including immigration reform, where he and Cochran may have more common ground. 

McDaniel and his supporters quickly jumped on Bloomberg's contribution as evidence of Cochran's insufficient conservative credentials. 

"Gun Grabber Michael Bloomberg Spends $250,000.00 to Get Thad Cochran Re-Elected," RedState's Erick Erickson wrote in a blog post blasted out by the McDaniel campaign. "Hey Mississippi. You know Michael Bloomberg right? He’s the guy who wants to take your guns away."

A Cochran spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Cochran released a statement disavowing any link between Bloomberg and his campaign. 

"Since entering Congress, I have fought against every effort to undermine the rights of law abiding Mississippi gun owners. In every election that I have run, I have proudly been the NRA’s candidate," said Cochran. "A group that I have no control over solicited money from someone who I fundamentally disagree with on many issues, including his dangerous stance on gun control. I adamantly disagree with Michael Bloomberg’s anti-gun agenda. In my campaign, I have never received a contribution from Michael Bloomberg. My opponent has received millions of dollars from DC-based groups that support candidates throughout the country who do not agree with the NRA on our fundamental constitutional rights."

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Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre is weighing in on the hotly-contested Mississippi U.S. Senate race.

In a new ad from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Favre, a Mississippi native who once played at the University of Southern Mississippi, strongly backs Republican Senator Thad Cochran for re-election, Politico reported Wednesday.

"I've learned through football that strong leadership can be the difference between winning and losing. And when it comes to our state's future, trust me, Mississippi can win and win big with Thad Cochran as our strong voice in Washington," Favre declares in the ad.

"I encourage you stand with a proven and respected leader: Thad Cochran," he concludes. "Please tell your family and friends, 'Let's stand with Thad.'"

Cochran is facing off against GOP State Senator Chris McDaniel in a June 24 primary runoff.

View the ad below.

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After three weeks of mudslinging that followed a grueling primary campaign, what's been called the nastiest election fight in the U.S. will officially come to a close Tuesday night. 

Mississippi voters are heading to the polls Tuesday to officially choose a Republican nominee for U.S. Senate. Incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran, who has held office since 1978, is hanging on for his political life against state Sen. Chris McDaniel, a Tea Party-aligned candidate who the GOP establishment worries could put deep-red Mississippi into play for moderate Democratic candidate and former U.S. Rep. Travis Childers.

Cochran, who lost a plurality of the votes in the early-June primary, is considered the clear underdog in the runoff. According to a Real Clear Politics average of three runoff polls, McDaniel enjoys a 6.3-point advantage heading into runoff day. In the most recent of those polls, conducted last Friday, McDaniel led Cochran by 8. 

A source close to the Cochran campaign said they were "cautiously optimistic" despite the poll deficit. 

"We have out worked them in this run-off. We’ll see if it overcomes their rabid enthusiasm," the source said. 

Typically, runoffs benefit insurgent candidates whose supporters are more likely to show up and vote a second time on an atypical election day. The most recent prominent example came in Texas in 2012, when current Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) knocked off Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in a runoff. 

However, the Mississippi primary has been unusual in a variety of ways. According to the Sunlight Foundation, spending on the Republican primary and runoff has exceeded $17 million, despite the fact Mississippi does not contain a single top-50 television market.

And voting patterns are shaping up to be another odd element of this race. According to Chism Strategies, requests for absentee ballots in the runoff election have increased 6% from the primary election, suggesting turnout will actually increase on Tuesday. According to multiple sources, such a phenomenon hasn't happened in a runoff election since at least 1984. Chism estimated turnout would increase about 10% from primary day, an unusual spike the firm said was "indication of more substantial field operations in the runoff."

The Cochran campaign has been working to bring non-traditional voters to the polls in an attempt to save his seat — including high-profile voter targeting of African-American voters who are mostly Democrats.

Outside groups supporting McDaniel have responded by sending poll watchers to election spots as part of "voter integrity projects." The McDaniel campaign warned on Tuesday that "liberal Democrats" were trying to decide who would be the Republican nominee.

However he gets there, increased turnout would benefit Cochran, who has stepped up his presence in the state after running what one Republican said was a "detached" primary campaign. The Cochran campaign has spent the last three weeks traversing the state, boasting of the federal money he's brought to the state and cautioning that a McDaniel tenure wouldn't be the same. 

In one particularly scathing rant during a campaign stop, Cochran called McDaniel "an extremist" and "dangerous" because of some of his statements criticizing federal-spending levels

"He’s an extremist. He said he wouldn’t vote for disaster assistance for Mississippi. That is the most outrageous thing I’ve heard from a public official in Mississippi," Cochran said, according to a transcript provided by a spokesman.

It served as another moment of tension between the two campaigns in a race that has featured conspiracies, investigations, and arrests of people tied to both teams. The nastiness has continued to its final day. 

On Monday, Cochran's daughter, Kate, posted a lengthy note to her Facebook page decrying what she described as her father's record being "snookered" by outside groups like the Club for Growth and Senate Conservatives Fund, which are both supporting McDaniel. 

Here's an excerpt of her note:

I think this is the reason that so many seem swayed by my father's opponent: he is valued for his lack," she wrote. Lack of experience (he is not a "career politician.") Lack of wisdom (he relies solely on Jesus, the Constitution, and common sense* — combined in the veneer of 'goodness'). Lack of judgment (he vows to refuse federal monies and to try to impede legislation). Lack of specificity (what are 'Mississippi values'?). Lack of perspective (how does he believe for one moment that a junior Senator from the poorest state will have any influence in Washington? How can he believe that he will not want his family to live with him in the D.C. area?). 

The McDaniel campaign seized on the "Jesus, the Constitution, and common sense" line, though Kate Cochran later clarified that she doesn't agree with McDaniel's version of common sense. The McDaniel campaign posted a photo of Kate Cochran with the quote, adding the curious hashtag, "#Who'sYaDaddy?" which, in turn, prompted a response from Cochran's campaign.

Said Cochran campaign spokesman Jordan Russell: "McDaniel's latest appalling attack on Sen. Cochran's family is further proof that he is unfit for office."

The attacks will come to an end tonight, one way or the other. 

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A furious Chris McDaniel refused to concede the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate to incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran on Tuesday night, casting a pall of illegitimacy on Cochran's win in a heated runoff battle.

In an approximately nine-minute long speech after multiple news outlets had handed victory to Cochran, McDaniel accused his intra-party opponents of "abandoning the conservative movement" to win — without ever mentioning Cochran by name.

"There’s something strange about a Republican primary that’s decided by liberal Democrats," McDaniel said, after he was introduced by a supporter as "the Republican nominee" for Senate.

"It's our job to make sure the sanctity of the vote is upheld."

The possible next steps for the McDaniel campaign are unclear, but spokesman for McDaniel said to "stay tuned."

McDaniel said in his speech there were "dozens of irregularities" reported at polls. 

"You've heard the stories," he said, when supporters began shouting, "Tell us!"

The final three weeks of the nasty campaign the race featured a back-and-forth, racially charged battle over the state's voting laws.

Cochran had sought to save his Senate seat by expanding the electorate, particularly by turning out non-traditional GOP primary voters including black Democrats. Mailers supporting Cochran accused the Tea Party of trying to suppress the black vote on Tuesday by, among other things, sending so-called poll watchers to election spots.

"Before this race ends, we have to be certain that the Republican primary was won by Republican voters," McDaniel said.

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The Club for Growth, the conservative group that prominently backed Senator Thad Cochran's (R-Mississippi) primary foe, State Senator Chris McDaniel, was ready to congratulate Cochran on his surprising Tuesday night victory even as McDaniel himself refuses to concede. 

"We are proud of the effort we made in Mississippi’s Senate race and we congratulate the winner," the group's president, Chris Chocola, said in a statement Wednesday morning.

Chocola's group threw more than $3.1 million into the effort to defeat Cochran, according to U.S. News. Support from CFG and other conservative groups helped propel McDaniel to a narrow lead in the primary election earlier this month. But since he did not earn the 50% of the vote necessary to avoid the runoff, he faced Cochran again last night in a race where he was the favorite.

The Club was poised to use Cochran's expected loss in the runoff as a warning sign to more moderate Republicans across the country. However, with Cochran earning a victory after soliciting support from Democrats and other unusual elements of the electorate in the open runoff, Chocola was left hoping the 76-year-old Cochran "gained a new appreciation of voter frustration" as he serves another six years in office.

"We expect that Senator Cochran and others gained a new appreciation of voter frustration about the threats to economic freedom and national solvency. In light of our experience of the last ten years, we move forward even more confidently than we did the day after the 2004 Pennsylvania primary," Chocola said.

Chocola then pivoted to draw parallels between McDaniel's race and another Club defeat in 2004. The defeated candidate, now U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pennsylvania), ultimately won in the end.

"Ten years ago, Club for Growth PAC endorsed and funded a challenge against a long-time U.S. Senator in that Republican primary," he continued. "The GOP Establishment, from the President of the United States [George W. Bush] on down, came in heavily against our candidate, and he very narrowly lost that election. The state was Pennsylvania. The challenger was Pat Toomey. The incumbent was Arlen Specter. Six years later, Specter switched to the Democratic Party, and Toomey was elected to the U.S. Senate where he now serves with great distinction."

Chocola finished by touting other conservative victories, "including U.S. Senators Tom Coburn, Jim DeMint, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Mike Lee, Ron Johnson, Ted Cruz, Jeff Flake, and Tim Scott."

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Conservative supporters of Republican Chris McDaniel were up in arms Tuesday night after McDaniel lost in Mississippi's Republican Senate primary runoff election. These conservatives were particularly furious that incumbent U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran had sought Democratic votes to push him over the top.

McDaniel led the charge, in a speech that quickly became anything but a concession late Tuesday night. He pointedly refused to concede or even mention Cochran's name in the speech but charged his opponent and supporters had decided the primary through "the help of liberal Democrats."

"There’s something strange about a Republican primary that’s decided by liberal Democrats," McDaniel said, after he was introduced by a supporter as "the Republican nominee" for Senate.

The conservative groups and others supporting McDaniel did not go as far as their preferred candidate, however. They acknowledged Cochran had come out on top, but they charged he did so at the expense of the party as a whole. Some threatened to leave the party. Others said establishment Republicans had lost support from their conservative base.

"This race was establishment versus Tea Party and when the GOP has to turn to Democrats to retain power, they have no principles," Amy Kremer, the former chair of the Tea Party Express and a supporter of McDaniel, told Business Insider. "If Cochran wins this race, the GOP establishment won, not with the support of the base, but by teaming up with Democrats. That means they have more in common with Dems than conservatives. 

"Conservatives have principles and are tired of the GOP ruling class elite that tax and spend like Democrats.  The GOP cannot win on their own, so what will they do in the general when they don't have the base and are running against Democrats? That is a losing ticket. Seems they didn't learn anything in 2012."

The old-school Cochran employed an unusual strategy in the runoff, courting black voters — the vast majority of whom are Democrats — and Democratic voters in general, who feared McDaniel would do damage if he emerged victorious in November.

It appears the strategy worked. In the 10 counties where Cochran's vote total improved most, blacks make up 69% or more of the population, according to FiveThirtyEight's Harry Enten. 

FreedomWorks, one of the conservative groups backing McDaniel, called Cochran's runoff strategy "disgraceful."

"If the only way the K Street wing of the GOP establishment can win is by courting Democrats to vote in GOP primaries, then we've already won," FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe said in a statement. "Tonight is proof that the K Street establishment is intellectually bankrupt, and we are going to have to clean it up."

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Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh on Wednesday blamed U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran's (R-Mississippi) upset primary win on "black Uncle Toms voters."

"I wonder what the campaign slogan was in Mississippi the past couple days. Uncle Toms for Thad?" Limbaugh, no stranger to racial controversies, said on his radio show, according to a recording from the liberal group Media Matters for America.

Limbaugh was referencing Cochran's unique strategy of reaching out to African-American Democrats, many of whom were allowed to vote in the Republican primary runoff.

"Because I thought it was the worst thing you can do, as an African-American, to vote for a Republican — the absolute worst thing that you could do! But somehow they were made to believe that votin' for 'ole Thad ... would be fine and dandy. And why? Well, 'cause they were told that Thad's done a lot for black people in Mississippi. It must be the first time that they've been told that," Limbaugh continued.

Limbaugh then turned his fire on the GOP establishment, which backed the incumbent's efforts.

"Insider Republicans in the Senate bought ... 8% or 9% from the black Uncle Tom voters in Mississippi," he said.

The radio host did not immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider.

Listen to the Media Matters recording below.

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The mood in the war room of Sen. Thad Cochran's (R-Mississippi) re-election campaign was "pretty dark" on the night of June 3.

Cochran, who has represented Mississippi in the Senate since 1978, was facing his toughest challenge yet. And he had failed to shake off his challenger, the Tea Party-aligned state Sen. Chris McDaniel, in the Republican primary that night.

Cochran was not in great shape heading into a runoff election. He had lost a plurality of the votes, barely avoiding outright elimination that night. And runoffs have typically benefitted the insurgent candidate in the race, whose supporters are more likely to show up and vote a second time on an atypical election day.

"It was a tough night," one Cochran campaign adviser told Business Insider. "We've all been in politics. We all know. Incumbents don't win runoffs. It was very gloomy. Everyone was saying, 'What do we do?'"

Up stepped Stuart Stevens, the former Mitt Romney aide who worked in an advising capacity on the Cochran campaign. He gave what the Cochran campaign adviser said was a simple "pep talk." 

"OK, we're in a runoff," Stevens said, according to the adviser. "So let's go out and win the damn runoff."

That was easier said than done, considering the circumstances. But in the end, it was mission accomplished. Cochran pulled off a somewhat unprecedented and rather unthinkable victory over McDaniel in the Mississippi Senate primary runoff. He won by a little more than 6,500 votes, and he grabbed almost 51% of the vote.

Cochran won by pulling off a historic feat — for the first time in 30 years, the turnout in a Senate primary runoff actually increased. Cochran increased his vote total by almost 40,000. His campaign went about winning through a combination of support and circumstances that made up the "perfect storm," as one campaign adviser put it.

Most of the donors and groups that supported him in the primary continued to do so when it appeared all hope was lost. The Chamber of Commerce went with an ad featuring former NFL quarterback Brett Favre, part of what the Chamber's national political director Rob Engstrom said is a recurring history of employing "local messages from trusted messengers."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has made it a priority to defend incumbent Republican senators from primary challengers this year, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee refused to give up on Cochran even after he was forced into a runoff. Just a week after the primary, McConnell headlined a fundraiser that netted Cochran nearly $1 million. 

At the fundraiser, McConnell made a bold statement: "We're going to win," he said, according to a GOP source with knowledge of McConnell's efforts on behalf of Cochran. 

"It's a moment that shows what's possible when you keep your focus," the GOP source said.

At the same time, Cochran altered his own campaign strategy, which one Republican called "detached" during the primary. He spent the last three weeks traversing the state, boasting of the federal money he's brought back to one of the poorest states in America and cautioning that a McDaniel tenure wouldn't be the same.

He focused on the fact that about 15% of Mississippi's education budget comes from the federal government. He contrasted it with McDaniel's comments that the word "education" wasn't in the U.S. Constitution — and therefore, Washington shouldn't be involved in education. 

Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour — who remains one of the most influential political voices in the state and who backed his nephew's pro-Cochran super PAC, Mississippi Conservatives — told Business Insider he saw a change from a "complacent" Cochran campaign during the primary to an energetic one during the runoff. He said issues came back to the forefront — like education, like military spending in the state.

"Almost everyone who voted in our primary thinks the country's going to hell in a handbasket at warp speed," Barbour told Business Insider in an interview Wednesday. "People did not have a particular recognition of what he had done for the state and what he could do for the state in his next six-year term, when he'll be chairman of the Appropriations Committee for four years.

"Everybody who was of that mindset voted for change."

Immediately following the runoff, the Cochran campaign and many of its allied groups turned their attention away from television and radio ads and toward an "old-school" approach toward campaigning — get-out-the-vote operations. 

The Cochran campaign also tried to expand its umbrella of support by reaching out to non-traditional Republican primary voters in Mississippi. That included black voters — the vast majority of whom are Democrats — and Democrats in general, a strategy about which the Cochran campaign made no qualms. 

It was a strategy that earned Cochran criticism from McDaniel, who claimed in a fiery speech Cochran had allowed "liberal Democrats" to decide the Republican primary. McDaniel still refused to concede on Wednesday, and said his campaign is looking into whether it can challenge the election results. 

But the Cochran campaign argues its strategy wouldn't have worked for every Republican politician. It comes from the reputation Cochran has built during 40-plus years in Congress. 

"They know he's a Republican. They know he's conservative. Hell, he's voted more than 100 times against Obamacare," the Cochran adviser said. "But African-Americans in Mississippi also know that Sen. Cochran has always treated them fairly, even back in the 70s when everybody was still demagoguing on race issues. They know he's a fair guy."

The strategy worked. Cochran won 22 of 25 Mississippi counties that had an African-American population of above 50%. And voter turnout in those 25 counties increased by almost 40%, up from about a 17% turnout increase overall. 

The rest is history.

"When you see things like that," the Cochran adviser said, "it is pretty remarkable."

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A Mississippi Tea Party official arrested as part of a U.S. Senate campaign scandal is dead in an apparent suicide, police said Friday. 

Ridgeland, Mississippi, police said in a statement that they received a call shortly after 9 a.m. Friday morning from the wife of the official, Mark Mayfield. Upon entering the residence, they found Mayfield dead with a single gunshot wound to his head. 

The death is still under investigation, but police said they do not expect foul play.

Mayfield was one of three people arrested in connection with an investigation into an alleged break-in at a nursing home to film the unsuspecting wife of Mississippi Republican Sen. Thad Cochran.

The arrest of Mayfield, the Mississippi Tea Party's vice chair, came days after the arrest of Clayton Thomas Kelly, a local activist and blogger who allegedly snuck into Rose Cochran's nursing home and videotaped her. 

"Regardless of recent allegations made against his character, Mark Mayfield was a fine Christian man who was always respectful and kind," McDaniel said in a statement Friday afternoon. "He was one of the most polite and humble men I've ever met in politics. He was a loving husband, father, a pillar of his community, and he will be missed. We are saddened by his loss, and we send our thoughts and prayers to his wife, his family and friends."

John Reeves, an attorney representing Mayfield, on the day of the arrest that Mayfield "maintains his innocence." He also said Mayfield had "no connection whatsoever" to Kelly.

"This is politics at its worst," Reeves told Business Insider then.

The nursing home scandal stunned the state's political world weeks before the heated Republican primary between Cochran and Mississippi state Sen. Chris McDaniel. Mayfield was an ardent supporter of McDaniel, who ended up losing to Cochran in a runoff earlier this week.

Roy Nicholson, the former chair of the Mississippi Tea Party, told Business Insider Mayfield's death is a "terrible moment for all of us."

This post has been updated with new details from police and with a statement from McDaniel.

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State Senator Chris McDaniel, who was narrowly defeated by incumbent U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi) last Tuesday in a heated primary runoff, is soldiering on. 

In an email sent to supporters Friday night, McDaniel emphasized he won the "Republican" primary — an apparent reference to Cochran openly soliciting many Democrats to vote in the runoff.

"Thank you for all your help. You've done some amazing things. On June 3rd we won the popular vote. On June 24th we won the Republican primary election. As you might have heard, we're not quite done," McDaniel wrote.

McDaniel then asked his supporters to reach out to a law firm, which he said was in need of volunteers.

"We are in the process of trying to ensure a fair and accurate election took place on Tuesday. And we need your help," he continued. "Our team will ... direct you on what you can do to help us in this battle to ensure the integrity of our election process here in Mississippi."

However, McDaniel's efforts are widely viewed as a long-shot at best. Mississippi Democrats who don't vote in their party's initial primary contest are allowed to participate in the Republican primary runoff.

"Saying that the McDaniel camp has a slim chance of overturning the election overstates his chances," Matt Steffey, professor of law at the Mississippi College School of Law, told the Washington Post. 

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More than one week after the polls closed in Mississippi's hotly contested Republican U.S. Senate primary, the campaign many have called this year's nastiest political fight shows no signs of letting up. 

Chris McDaniel, the Tea Party-aligned candidate in Mississippi who refused to concede after losing in last week's GOP primary runoff against incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran, is digging in further. In an email to supporters Wednesday, McDaniel announced he is building an "Election Challenge Fund" to contest what he called a "corrupt" election. 

A source on the Cochran campaign fired back in a conversation with Business Insider Wednesday, in which the source dismissed McDaniel as a "clinically diagnosable narcissist" and a scam artist.

"The guy is basically Joel Osteen," the source said of McDaniel in a phone interview Wednesday morning. "He's such a phony, and he's taking advantage of these people to stay in the spotlight. This is such a publicity stunt. He can't stand the fact that he lost."

McDaniel, who is a state senator, surprised many local and national political observers when he refused to concede in a blistering, election night speech last Tuesday. More were surprised McDaniel, who many view as having a bright political future in Mississippi and potentially beyond the state's borders, is mounting this challenge amid the risk of losing support of the national Republican Party.

Official results after last week's election showed McDaniel lost to Cochran by 1.6 percentage points. But McDaniel, who won a plurality of votes in the initial primary on June 3, has contended Cochran ultimately came out ahead after courting Democratic and African-American votes — suggesting everything from illegal vote-buying schemes to illegitimate voter targeting.

Mississippi election law, which mandates runoffs between the top two candidates if no candidate in a primary earns over 50% of the vote, bars people from voting in one party's primary and then crossing over to vote in another party's runoff. Though there are few procedures to enforce this, the law says only people who voted in the Republican primary or didn't vote at all were eligible to vote in the June 24 runoff.

Though he has produced no hard evidence thus far, McDaniel has argued Cochran took advantage of the lax enforcement and encouraged Democrats, whether they voted in their own primary or not, to enter the GOP fray and deliver his slim margin of victory.

The Cochran campaign source attributed these concerns to McDaniel being what they described as "the sorest loser I've ever seen." 

"What he's mad about is the fact that he got outsmarted and outworked," the source added. "What happened is, he's been doing a victory lap since June 3, and he thought he was going to be coronated. We went back to work. We kicked his ass, and he's mad about it. He's the sorest loser I've ever seen."

The Cochran campaign may not be taking him seriously, but McDaniel clearly intends to press on with his election challenge. He outlined his plans in a fundraising email to supporters Wednesday.

"We have a long fight ahead of us. I know exactly how long and frustrating court battles can be, but I believe this will be worth it. There is too much at stake to back down from this fight," McDaniel said.

"The problem is that court cases are expensive, and we don’t currently have the resources to mount the legal challenge that this case deserves. Please, take a moment to contribute to the Election Challenge Fund to help me contest this corrupt election."

McDaniel's campaign has also detailed some specific allegations. Team McDaniel has claimed it has found more than 3,300 voting "irregularities" by examining voter rolls in 38 of Mississippi's 82 counties. Cochran's margin of victory was about 6,700.

"That’s just not true," the source in the Cochran campaign told Business Insider of the supposed number of "irregularities.""Chris McDaniel is a trial lawyer, and he’s acting like one. He’s throwing out false flags and things that just aren’t true, and trying to get them into the news stream."

Indeed, some of McDaniel's claims do appear questionable. For example, at one polling location, the Fondren Presbyterian Church, the McDaniel campaign claimed it found about 200 "irregularities." However, only 37 people voted there in the Democratic primary, meaning the maximum possible number of illegal votes would be 37. 

The Cochran campaign has no problem conceding there could be a handful of mistakes and clerical errors on both sides. But the Cochran campaign source said the "idea there is some sort of widespread fraud is just not true."

Still, many Tea Party-aligned groups and conservatives clearly think McDaniel was robbed. Conservative blogger Charles Johnson fueled that impression when he posted an interview Monday night with an African-American man who described himself as pastor in Mississippi. The pastor claimed he bribed black voters to turn out and vote for Cochran. But the interview came with the disclosure that the pastor was paid for his participation, which raised doubts about his claims. 

Still, conservative groups latched on to Johnson's interview. FreedomWorks responded to the report by calling on the Justice Department and FBI to investigate the pastor's claims. On Wednesday, the conservative, "anti-voter fraud" group True the Vote filed a lawsuit in federal court against Mississippi's secretary of state and the Mississippi Republican Party.

The Cochran campaign has accused McDaniel of egging on these groups and their supporters. And on Wednesday, the Cochran campaign is holding a press conference in Mississippi to respond to what it called a "meltdown" from McDaniel.

"All this is is a candidate who's a total egomaniac — I really believe he is a clinically diagnosable narcissist," the Cochran campaign source told Business Insider. "This is all about him and his 15 minutes in the spotlight. The second he concedes, the circus moves on." 

CORRECTION: An initial version of this story said the McDaniel campaign didn't respond to a request for comment. An email seeking comment bounced back to Business Insider after this story had been published.

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A Thad Cochran campaign call Wednesday afternoon tumbled into disaster when a questioner asked why the Cochran campaign was "harvesting black people" for votes.

The call was held to push back against claims from the campaign of Mississippi state Sen. Chris McDaniel, Cochran's intra-party challenger who contends Cochran won last week's Republican primary runoff election illegitimately by courting the votes of Democrats and African-Americans.

But the call was quickly hijacked by callers who later referred to themselves as supporters of McDaniel. One repeatedly interrupted Cochran campaign adviser Austin Barbour.

"Quick question," said the caller, who did not identify himself. "Since black people harvested cotton, why is it OK to harvest their votes? Why is it OK to harvest the votes of black people?"

After Barbour largely ignored the question, the questioner asked again: "If black people were harvesting cotton, why do you think it's OK to harvest their votes?"

This finally triggered a response from Barbour.

"Sir, I don't know where you're calling from, but I'm happy to address any question, no matter the lunacy of it," Barbour said.

But the questioner continued to press, insistent on derailing the call.

"Why did you use black people? Why did you use black people to try to get Cochran elected when they're not even Republicans? You're treating them as if they're just idiots, that they'll just vote for Cochran just because they're black. Why did you harvest black votes?"

This was when Barbour decided to end the call — or at least end his participation. He urged members of the national media to call or email him or Cochran campaign spokesman Jordan Russell. Another questioner butted in to attempt to ask a "legitimate question," as he called it. Barbour, though, hung up in the process of him asking the question, even as a woman shouted, "Let him talk!"

Charles C. Johnson, the conservative blogger who has launched accusations against the Cochran campaign and other Mississippi Republicans, tweeted the call's details to his nearly 6,000 followers about 15 minutes before it was scheduled to start.

On Monday, Johnson posted an interview with an African-American man who described himself as pastor in Mississippi who claimed he bribed black voters to turn out and vote for Cochran. But the interview came with the disclosure that the pastor was paid for his participation, which raised doubts about his claims. 

It wasn't clear if Johnson was the one who actually asked the question on the call.

The call didn't end when Barbour hung up. Callers lingered, chatting with each other. Some wondered if the Cochran campaign had planted the interruption to make McDaniel supporters appear racist. Others wondered if it was President Barack Obama's doing. At one point, callers played Obama soundboards back and forth at each other. One person noted how it was blowing up on Twitter, because "BuzzFeed retweeted this!"

The call went on for at least another half hour after Barbour ended the Cochran campaign's participation.

McDaniel announced Wednesday he was forming an "Election Challenge Fund" to contest what he considered a "corrupt" election. His campaign claims they have already found more than 3,300 voting "irregularities," but it has produced no hard evidence.

"Put up or shut up. If they have hard evidence, bring it forward," Barbour said on the conference call before it descended into chaos.

Barbour had told reporters in an earlier press conference that the campaign was "exploring all options," when asked about the possibility of a lawsuit against people making the allegations.

Here's some of the audio from the call: 

This post has been updated.

Here's audio of some of the callers suggesting the original questioner was a plant:

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A lawyer for the campaign of Mississippi Republican state Sen. Chris McDaniel hinted the campaign was preparing a legal challenge to contest the results of a June 24 Republican primary runoff election. 

Mitch Tyner, the lawyer, said at a press conference Monday the McDaniel campaign would seek a new election between McDaniel and U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, who prevailed over McDaniel in the June 24 runoff.

"The correct remedy is a new election," Tyner told reporters Monday afternoon outside the Hinds County Courthouse in Raymond, Mississippi. 

Tyner said it was "very likely" an official challenge to the runoff election results would be filed in the "coming days." McDaniel has refused to concede in the wake of the runoff election, refusing to put out the flame on what has been called the nastiest election fight in America. 

The McDaniel campaign has claimed it has found thousands of voter "irregularities," as well as a number of illegal "crossover" votes from Democrats who shouldn't have been allowed to vote in the June 24 Republican primary runoff. The Cochran campaign has said that McDaniel's team has yet to provide any hard evidence of illegitimate votes — and that its claims of large numbers of "voter irregularities" are largely exaggerated.

Tyner said Monday he didn't "know the exact number" of voting irregularities the McDaniel campaign had found. But he said the campaign didn't necessarily need to come forward with 6,700 such votes — the approximate margin of victory for Cochran in the runoff.

"I would be surprised if we don't" find that amount, he said.

According to Mississippi law, voters do not have to register with a political party. Any person who doesn't case a vote in a primary election can cast a ballot in either party's runoff.

Cochran campaign spokesman Jordan Russell released a preemptive statement ahead of Tyner's press conference, saying the campaign had dispatched representatives to all 82 counties and Mississippi. Russell said the results reported revealed an "extremely low number of crossover votes."

"As the process moves forward, the conversation is shifting from wild, baseless accusations to hard facts. As we have said from the beginning, the run-off results are clear: the majority of Mississippians voted for Senator Thad Cochran," Russell said.

McDaniel's campaign has been weighing a legal challenge since the June 24 runoff. Last week, he announced he was forming an "election challenge fund" to contest what he called a "corrupt" election. And last Thursday, his campaign announced rewards of $1,000 each to individuals providing "evidence leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in voter fraud," a move Russell told Business Insider was a "frivolous, baseless stunt."

SEE ALSO: 'We Kicked His Ass, And He's Mad About That' — The Nastiest Election In America Is Still Going Strong

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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called for a thorough investigation into allegations of voter fraud in the heated Republican Senate primary runoff election between U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran and his intraparty challenger, state Sen. Chris McDaniel.

In an interview with conservative radio host Mark Levin, Cruz criticized the Cochran campaign and his allies for their "conduct" in last month's runoff election, which he called "appalling." 

"What happened in Mississippi was appalling," said Cruz, the vice chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. "Primaries are always rough and tumble. But the conduct of the Washington, D.C., machine in the Mississippi runoff was incredibly disappointing."

After losing a plurality of votes in the initial Republican primary, Cochran defeated the Tea Party-aligned McDaniel by about 7,600 votes, according to official certified results finalized late Monday night. Cochran employed an unusual strategy on the path to victory, courting the votes of many traditional Democrats, including African-Americans. 

McDaniel's campaign has claimed to find thousands of voting "irregularities," and it is preparing a legal challenge it hopes will eventually lead to a new election. Cochran's campaign on Monday night released a detailed list of votes in question in each county, and the total did not come close to the McDaniel campaign's claims — though the examination is still ongoing.

Cruz said in the interview it was clear McDaniel had won a "sizable majority" of votes from Mississippi Republican voters, and he accused Cochran's allies of "racially charged" ads and conduct that tipped the balance in Cochran's favor. He said the McDaniel campaign's claims of voter fraud should be "vigorously investigated."

"But even more troubling, in the past week or so, we've seen serious allegations of voter fraud, and I very much hope that no Republican was involved in voter fraud," Cruz said. "But these allegations need to be vigorously investigated, and anyone involved in criminal conduct should be prosecuted. The voters of Mississippi deserve to know the truth."

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