The conservative Club for Growth continued its assault on incumbent senators Wednesday, releasing an ad buy that paints Republican Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi as a “liberal” who needs to give way to primary challenger Chris McDaniel.
The six-figure buy paints Mr. Cochran, a 76-year-old who’s seeking a seventh term, as a someone who has been in Washington for too long and too willing to go along with the Democrats’ agenda.
“It’s time for Mississippi Republicans to make a choice: liberal six-term incumbent Thad Cochran or next generation conservative leader Chris McDaniel,” Club for Growth President Chris Chocola said. “Thad Cochran has been in Washington for five decades, and has voted for tax hikes, bailouts, and liberal Supreme Court justices. Chris McDaniel is a fighter for conservative principles and he’ll never vote for higher taxes or to put liberals on the Supreme Court. The choice for Mississippi Republicans is clear: conservative Chris McDaniel for Senate.”
Mr. McDaniel, 41, a lawyer and state lawmaker, has run to the right of the incumbent, picking up support from outside conservative groups such as the Club for Growth.
Mr. Cochran, meanwhile, has touted endorsements from the likes of National Federation of Independent Businesses.
The bitter primary has veered into strange territory of late.
A blogger who backs Mr. McDaniel was accused of the taking photos of Mr. Cochran’s wife, who suffers from dementia and lives in a nursing home. The incident has led to arrests.
Mr. Cochran’s children released a statement on the incident that says they “are shocked by someone trying to use our mother’s illness for political purposes, and our family is unified in doing everything we can to protect her safety, privacy and security.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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