McDaniel: MS GOP ‘Prohibited’ From Giving Cochran Nomination By Its Own Rules

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
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The legal team for state Sen. Chris McDaniel (R-MS) is arguing that the Mississippi Republican Party is “prohibited” from designating Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) as the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate because doing so would have to accept “30,000 to 40,000” Democratic votes.

“Republican Chris McDaniel’s legal team announced today that the Mississippi Republican Party is prohibited from recognizing Thad Cochran as their nominee for U.S. Senate in accordance with the rules of the Republican National Committee (RNC),” a McDaniel campaign press release read. “The state party is bound by the rules adopted by the RNC at their 2012 National Convention in Tampa Florida.”

“Thad Cochran’s acceptance of the nomination requires him to accept the 30,000 to 40,000 Democrat votes he received on June 24th,” McDaniel attorney Mitch Tyner said. “Accepting the nomination under such circumstances clearly disqualifies Sen. Cochran from eligibility as the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate.”

The McDaniel team cited “Rule 11b of Republican National Committee rules:

Rule 11(b) states:

No state Republican Party rule or state law shall be observed that allows persons who have participated or are participating in the selection of any nominee of a party other than the Republican Party, including, but not limited to, through the use of a multiparty primary or similar type ballot, to participate in the selection of a nominee of the Republican Party for that general election. No person nominated in violation of this rule shall be recognized by the Republican National Committee as the nominee of the Republican Party from that state.

Since the runoff between McDaniel and Cochran (which Cochran won), McDaniel has argued that he is in fact the rightful Republican nominee for U.S. Senate and Cochran only won through getting Democrats to vote for him. McDaniel has said he plans to mount a legal challenge to the election results, arguing that there are over 8,300 “questionable” ballots out there that helped Cochran win the runoff.

Reached for a response, Cochran campaign spokesman Jordan Russell responded with one word in an email: “laughable.”

(H/t: Y’all Politics)

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