The Mississippi primary

[takoma]

Thad Cochran won the Republican primary by about 7600 votes. His tea party opponent Chris McDaniel claimes that 8300 votes were illegally cast by black Democrats. Assuming he's right (although I don't see why their race is relevant), do you think illegal crossovers are more likely to do so because they are so enamored of the very conservative Cochran or because they think the unlraconservative McDaniel is more likely to lose to Democratic candidate Travis Childers? Note that even if only 5% were of the second type it would mean that Cochran had less than a 7500 vote advantage among them, which would not account for his 7600 vote margin.

[Anonymous]

There are reports--and audio--that frightening phone calls were made to African American Mississippians that told them to vote because McDaniel would work against their African American President.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:There are reports--and audio--that frightening phone calls were made to African American Mississippians that told them to vote because McDaniel would work against their African American President.

Isn't it obvious to everyone that McDaniel would work against Obama? For that matter, hasn't and won't Cochran work against Obama? Is there any Senate Republican that doesn't work against Obama?

[Anonymous]

In Missisippi, crossover voting itself is not illegal. If they vote in both primaries, that would be a different story. But given that only 74,000 cast ballots in the Dem primary, it seems a stretch that this was the cause.

That said, I think the bigger issue is whether the Republican Party wants to actually say that they just don't believe black people would vote Republican.

[Anonymous]

Look McDaniel openly associates with the council of conservative citizen. If you are black or white and live in Mississippi you know what these people are. They are the direct descendant of the citizens councils better known as the upper town klan. If people want to vote their interest in an open primery...well. So yes Mcdaniels is pissed, but Mississippi is a poor state and a lot of older folks/business/farmers like Cochran. He brought a lot of money to the state. So he got those people out to vote for him.

[Anonymous]

Same thing happened with Ollie North had to go to Primary instead of convention in VA...