The Latest: Actress Sela Ward’s husband running for Senate

ELLISVILLE, Miss. (AP) - The Latest on a U.S. Senate race in Mississippi (all times local):

4:30 p.m.

Actress Sela Ward’s husband is running as a Democrat for a U.S. Senate seat in Mississippi.

Howard Sherman is a businessman, and he and Ward are from Meridian, Mississippi.

State Rep. David Baria (BARE-ee-ah) of Bay St. Louis is also running in the Democratic primary for Senate. State party chairman Bobby Moak says both candidates filed qualifying papers Wednesday.

The Senate seat has been held for a decade by Republican Roger Wicker, who is seeking re-election and is endorsed by President Donald Trump. Wicker is being challenged in the Republican primary by state Sen. Chris McDaniel of Ellisville and businessman Richard Boyanton of Diamondhead.

Primaries are June 5.

____

4 p.m.

President Donald Trump is endorsing a U.S. senator from Mississippi who faces a challenge in the Republican primary.

Trump tweeted his support of Sen. Roger Wicker on Tuesday evening. The Trump campaign issued a longer statement of support Wednesday, saying Wicker was “a great supporter of President Trump’s historic Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and is the type of leader the President needs to support his agenda ahead to create more jobs and economic opportunities for all Americans.”

Wicker has been in the Senate for a decade.

State Sen. Chris McDaniel held a rally Wednesday in his hometown of Ellisville, Mississippi, to announce that he is challenging Wicker in the June 5 Republican primary. McDaniel lost the 2014 Republican primary runoff to Mississippi’s senior U.S. senator, Thad Cochran.

Speculation persists about whether Cochran, who is now 80, might retire because he has been in frail health. If that were to happen, the Republican governor would appoint someone to fill Cochran’s seat temporarily, and a special election would be held to fill the rest of the term, which ends in January 2021. Cochran’s staff has said he intends to remain in office.

____

3:05 p.m.

A Democratic state lawmaker says he running for U.S. Senate in Mississippi.

State Rep. David Baria (BARE-ee-ah) of Bay St. Louis announced his intentions Wednesday, a day before candidates’ qualifying deadline and the same day a Republican state lawmaker held an event to launch his own campaign for the Senate seat.

Mississippi has not had a Democrat in the U.S. Senate since January 1989. Baria says he wants to “give voters a true choice.”

Republican state Sen. Chris McDaniel says he is challenging U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker in the June 5 Republican primary. But McDaniel also says he might drop out of that race if the state’s other Senate seat comes open soon.

McDaniel lost a bitter Republican primary runoff in 2014 to the state’s senior U.S. senator, Thad Cochran. Speculation persists about whether Cochran, who is now 80, might retire because he has been in frail health. If that were to happen, the Republican governor would appoint someone to fill Cochran’s seat temporarily, and a special election would be held to fill the rest of the term, which ends in January 2021. Cochran’s staff has said he intends to remain in office.

____

2:40 p.m.

A state lawmaker says he will try to unseat one of Mississippi’s U.S. senators in the Republican primary - but he says he might also drop out of the race if the state’s other Senate seat comes open sometime soon.

Chris McDaniel announced Wednesday that he will challenge Sen. Roger Wicker in the June 5 primary.

McDaniel lost a bitter Republican primary runoff in 2014 to the state’s senior U.S. senator, Thad Cochran. Speculation persists about whether Cochran, who is now 80, might retire because he has been in frail health. If that were to happen, the Republican governor would appoint someone to fill Cochran’s seat temporarily, and a special election would be held to fill the rest of the term, which ends in January 2021. Cochran’s staff has said he intends to remain in office.

Asked Wednesday if he would drop out of the race against Wicker if Cochran were to retire, McDaniel said: “I’m not going to foreclose any options.”

Wicker says in a statement that he will defend his own record of working to “reduce job-killing regulations, confirm conservative judges, enact historic tax cuts, rebuild our military and honor our veterans.”

____

12:45 p.m.

A Republican state lawmaker who came close to unseating one of Mississippi’s U.S. senators during a bitter 2014 race says he will run against the state’s other U.S. senator this year.

Chris McDaniel announced Wednesday that he will challenge Sen. Roger Wicker in the June 5 GOP primary.

Wicker has been in the Senate a decade, and President Donald Trump had tweeted his support for Wicker on Tuesday.

McDaniel was backed by tea party groups when he tried to defeat Mississippi’s senior senator, Thad Cochran, in 2014. At the time, McDaniel positioned himself as the outsider trying to topple the political establishment. The same dynamic would be in play in any race against Wicker.

___

8 a.m.

A state lawmaker who tried to unseat one of Mississippi’s U.S. senators during a tough 2014 race is expected to announce whether he’ll run against the other one this year.

Republican Chris McDaniel is holding an event Wednesday in his hometown of Ellisville. He strongly hinted during a live presentation Monday on Facebook that he might challenge Republican Sen. Roger Wicker in the June 5 Republican primary.

Wicker has been in the Senate a decade. President Donald Trump tweeted his support of Wicker on Tuesday.

McDaniel was backed by tea party groups when he came close to unseating Sen. Thad Cochran in 2014. At the time, McDaniel positioned himself as the outsider trying to topple the political establishment. The same dynamic would be in play in any race against Wicker.