Tea Party Challenge in Mississippi G.O.P. Primary Goes to the Wire
There was no clear winner early Wednesday in the most hard-fought Republican Senate primary race this year, with the six-term incumbent Thad Cochran of Mississippi and his Tea Party-backed challenger, State Senator Chris McDaniel, running neck and neck after a night of lead changes.
At 2 a.m., with 99 percent of the vote counted, Mr. Cochran and Mr. McDaniel each had about 49 percent, with a third candidate pulling in less than 2 percent. Campaign officials said it might take until Thursday for final results, given the need to count absentee votes and sort through contested ballots.
Mr. McDaniel sounded confident in an address about 12:30 a.m. “For too long we let them have their way with us,” he said. “Tonight in Mississippi, they heard us.” At that point, Mr. Cochran had still not made an appearance before his supporters.
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