Jackson Free Press

State Sen. Chris McDaniel's campaign for U.S. Senate told press today that McDaniel has made a challenge to the election results of the June 24 runoff against U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran.

McDaniel campaign lawyer Mitch Tyner said they filed the challenge with the state executive committee of the Republican Party.

"This is it," Tyner said holding up a large binder of evidence he later supplied the media. "And we're not done yet. We've got a couple courthouses (where) we still don't have their information. But we'll supplement it."

McDaniel said Republicans supporting Cochran moved more than 40,000 Democrats into the Republican primary, some of whom admitted they would not support the Republican candidate in the general election.

"What we're going to show is a pattern of conduct on the part of a number of people that demonstrates a problem with this election. The evidence is clear," McDaniel said.

McDaniel expressed distaste in how the Republican Party used race to sway votes in the primary. "There is no place in the Republican Party for race-baiting," McDaniel said.

McDaniel also acknowledged the frustration he and his supporters have felt throughout the process of challenging the election and said he was able to leave his emotions out of the investigation by hiring objective lawyers like Tyner. McDaniel said the evidence has supported his claims.

"The facts, they're on our side," McDaniel said. "This is an opportunity for our party to take the lead on honest, good and transparent government."

Tyner said they found 3,500 crossover votes, 9,500 irregular votes and 2,275 problematic absentee ballots, which total over 15,000 votes that should not have been cast.

Additionally, Tyner said McDaniel won the Republican primary runoff by 25,000 votes.

"Chris McDaniel clearly won the Republican vote," Tyner said. "I say that very assuredly because that's what the mathematics show."

From here, the Republican Executive Committee will only hear the challenge for ten days, after which the law requires the McDaniel campaign to seek judicial review. Tyner said he anticipates the committee will grant a hearing in a public forum and that they will not grant a new election, but name McDaniel the winner.

"They will see that they have no choice but to recognize Chris McDaniel as the nominee of the Republican Party for the state of Mississippi for the United States senate," Tyner said.

The JFP is currently reviewing copies of the evidence gathered by the McDaniel campaign.