Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) hopes Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) will be “responsive” to the black voters who voted for him in the runoff election for U.S. Senate —which Cochran won by defeating a strong challenge by Mississippi state Sen. Chris McDaniel (R).
“My hat is off to Sen. Cochran for being as desperate as he was, to actually go out and up front got out and ask for those votes,” Johnson, who is African-American, said according to Politico. “Those votes were delivered and I’m hopeful he will be responsible and responsive to the voters that pushed him over the top.”
Johnson’s comments came in a report on how members of the Congressional Black Caucus feel that Cochran should do something — perhaps in terms of legislation — to thank black voters for helping Cochran win to Republican primary for U.S. Senate.
“What I hope happens is that he comes to the realization that African-Americans are the reason I have this final six years and therefore I’m going to try and be more responsible than I have been,” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) also said.
The Plum Line’s Greg Sargent reached out to Cochran’s office to see if he would sign on to legislation reinstating a key provision of the Voting Rights Act that was gutted by the Supreme Court. That provision required certain states with a history of racial bias to seek permission from the federal government before changing voting laws. Cochran’s office said only that he is “listening” about that fix.
