Ailing Mississippi Sen. Cochran to resign, setting up 2018 special election

Citing his ailing health, Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., announced he will resign on April 1, setting up a special election this November.

“I regret my health has become an ongoing challenge,” Cochran said in a statement Monday. “I intend to fulfill my responsibilities and commitments to the people of Mississippi and the Senate through the completion of the 2018 appropriations cycle, after which I will formally retire from the U.S. Senate.”

Cochran, 80, chairs the Appropriations Committee and has been absent from the Senate for long stretches over the past year, and his resignation does not come as a surprise. However, it does mean that both of Mississippi’s Senate seats will be on the ballot come November.

According to state law, the remainder of Cochran’s term, which expires in 2020, will be filled by a non-partisan special election in conjunction with the regularly-scheduled general election. If no candidate, regardless of party, gets 50 percent, it would go to a runoff. In the interim, Republican Gov. Phil Bryant will appoint an interim senator.

The state’s other senator, Republican Roger Wicker, is also up for re-election this year. He drew a primary challenge last week from state Sen. Chris McDaniel, who previously challenged Cochran in a particularly nasty fight in 2014. McDaniel actually topped Cochran in the first primary election, but failed to get a majority. In the runoff, with the help of crossover Democratic and African-American voters, Cochran prevailed.

Cochran was first elected to the Senate in 1978, and had previously served three terms in the House.

“It has been a great honor to serve the people of Mississippi and our country. I’ve done my best to make decisions in the best interests of our nation, and my beloved state,” Cochran said in announcing his decision to step aside. “My top concern has always been my constituents in Mississippi. My hope is by making this announcement now, a smooth transition can be ensured so their voice will continue to be heard in Washington, D.C. My efforts, and those of my staff, to assist them will continue and transfer to my successor.”

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