Establishment Republicans and allies of Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) have scoffed at state Sen. Chris McDaniel’s (R) claims of rampant voter fraud in the runoff election between the two for U.S. Senate. But, ahead of a press conference on Wednesday where McDaniel plans to discuss the evidence he’s found, Cochran’s campaign and the Mississippi Republican Party have also taken steps to prepare for some kind of lawsuit. Since the runoff, McDaniel and his supporters have been poring over poll books in search of proof that Cochran only won the runoff through Democratic votes. McDaniel’s lawyers claim that if the state senator can prove that Cochran’s margin of victory was only through votes that shouldn’t have been counted in a Republican primary, a new election is automatically triggered (legal experts are skeptical of this). McDaniel, according to Mississippi College School of Law Professor Matthew Steffey, needs the state Supreme Court to order a new election so a legal challenge seems to be the next step.
“Ultimately for the McDaniel campaign to get another runoff the Mississippi Supreme Court’s going to have to order it,” Steffey told TPM. A ruling would first be issued by a trial judge and then its likely that either side would challenge the outcome to the state’s Supreme Court.
Cochran’s campaign has strongly argued that McDaniel’s claim that there are 8,300 “questionable” ballots is dubious but they’re also lawyering up. “We have counsel on this,” Cochran campaign spokesman Jordan Russell told TPM. “We’re preparing for any and all circumstances.”
Specifically, the Cochran campaign has lawyers from the Butler Snow law firm (where former Gov. Haley Barbour (R), a close Cochran ally, works).
Full Article: GOPers Prep For McDaniel Lawsuit To Contest Mississippi Race.