trending Market Intelligence /marketintelligence/en/news-insights/trending/u3jlalnth-0syoxbmbch9a2 content esgSubNav
In This List

Mississippi's Thad Cochran to leave US Senate

Blog

Europe: 5 key OTT trends to watch in 2022

Podcast

Next in Tech | Episode 50: InfoSec spending up, again…

Blog

Broadcast deal market recap 2021

Podcast

Next in Tech | Episode 49: Carbon reduction in cloud


Mississippi's Thad Cochran to leave US Senate

Mississippi Republican Sen. Thad Cochran said he would resign effective April 1, giving the GOP another seat to defend in November.

"I regret my health has become an ongoing challenge," Cochran, 80, said in a statement March 5. The head of the powerful Appropriations Committee said he chose that date so as to fulfill his commitments to the 2018 appropriations cycle. Cochran has served in the Senate since 1978.

His departure will throw open another Senate seat at a time when Republicans are anxious about their prospects in the 2018 midterm elections. A special election to replace Cochran will be held at the same time as the midterms in November.

Roger Wicker, the other Mississippi senator, is up for re-election in November and was already facing a tough primary against Chris McDaniel, who has positioned himself as a more conservative alternative, and who almost defeated Cochran four years ago in a primary.

McDaniel said he had not ruled out trying again for Cochran's seat if Cochran decided to leave the Senate, according to The Washington Post.

Though Mississippi is reliably Republican, neighboring Alabama — another Republican stronghold — witnessed an upset when Democrat Doug Jones won a special election in December against Republican Roy Moore, after Moore was alleged to have dated teenagers when he was in his 30s. Moore has denied the allegations.

The Alabama election put the Senate closer to evenly split between the two main parties, with 51 seats held by Republicans, 47 occupied by Democrats and two held by Independents who caucus with the Democrats. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, a Republican, can make an interim appointment within 10 days.