McDaniel’s Legal Challenge Now Rejected By Mississippi High Court

State Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville, speaks at a rally on his behalf in Flowood, Miss., Monday, June 23, 2014. McDaniel is in a runoff against long-time U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran for the GOP nomination for senate. (... State Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville, speaks at a rally on his behalf in Flowood, Miss., Monday, June 23, 2014. McDaniel is in a runoff against long-time U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran for the GOP nomination for senate. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Chris McDaniel’s months-long quest to overturn the results of the Mississippi Republican Senate primary appeared to reach its end when the state supreme court rejected his legal challenge Friday.

McDaniel lost to Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) in the June primary, but he has been using the legal system ever since to undermine the election. Allegations of voter fraud and illegal crossover voters have abounded, and the case eventually made its way to the Mississippi Supreme Court.

But the court dismissed McDaniel’s challenge on Friday, citing timing and political considerations, according to election law expert Rick Hasen’s analysis.

“Sometimes these rulings are a mercy killing. McDaniel’s evidence of fraud seemed weak, and his legal theories about crossover voting even weaker,” Hasen wrote. “This timing ruling was a way for the courts to end the process without going through a long drawn out trial. Not that the courts would ever admit they were doing that, but I guess this was in the back of at least some Justices’ minds.”

According to the Clarion Ledger, neither McDaniel or his attorney would definitively ruled out any further legal action. Hasen wrote that the U.S. Supreme Court or U.S. Senate, the two bodies to which he might appeal, don’t seem likely to take up the case.

Cochran, meanwhile, is expected to cruise to re-election in a little more than a week.

Latest Livewire
34
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for mantan mantan says:

    McDaniel should take his case to Czar Putie’s Russian courts…

  2. That does it!!!

    #TeaPartiersBoycott2014

  3. Avatar for fgs fgs says:

    I guess a 49 state strategy is better than nothing, but still what disturbs me most is what a sad sack the Democratic Party must be in Mississippi. The least-bad Republican allegedly turned out more Democratic votes than the Democrat, just by asking.

  4. McDaniel was endorsed by the Brawler of the Klondike. She has such a success rate.

  5. This guy is STILL whining?!?!?!

    GOOD GOD!

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

28 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for the_scarlet_pimpernel Avatar for fgs Avatar for dolono Avatar for Diogenes67 Avatar for pickwick Avatar for Patriott Avatar for leftflank Avatar for fargo116 Avatar for cwazycajun Avatar for rollinnolan Avatar for jimtoday Avatar for semiotix Avatar for mantan Avatar for maxi2013 Avatar for frankly_my_dear Avatar for cpinva Avatar for magical_panda Avatar for fitley Avatar for mrf Avatar for fiftygigs Avatar for dnl Avatar for meta Avatar for antisachetdethe

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: