# If Thad Cochran is too sick to run for reelection in 2018, is Mississippis senate seat in play **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 16, 2017, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607 "2017-12-16T04:15:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607/21 "2018-02-28T21:33:59Z")
More than a rumor? [Democrat David Baria running for U.S. Senate; will face winner of Wicker, McDaniel primary](https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2018/02/28/democrat-david-baria-running-u-s-senate-face-winner-roger-wicker-chris-mcdaniel-gop-primary/382814002/) ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2018, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607/22 "2018-02-28T21:40:50Z")
Wasn’t up yet when I posted that. Pleased to see it confirmed 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607/23 "2018-03-01T01:03:20Z")
I’m really happy to see this news. I’m pretty sure Mississippi is out of reach, but I would have been pissed if no one even ran. This is a senate seat in a state where over 400k people voted Dem in 2016 (compared to over 600k for DJT). Sure it’s not close, but that many people deserve to have someone at least try to speak for them. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2018, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607/24 "2018-03-01T18:52:55Z")
It’s a longshot, but Chris McCrazypants is going to run a nasty campaign against Wicker, and if he wins the primary, there is a chance a good Democratic candidate could pull the upset. ---
**Author:** ![Ambrosio\_Spinola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de0a6/32.png) [@Ambrosio\_Spinola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambrosio_Spinola)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607/25 "2018-03-05T21:50:41Z")
Cochran [says that he can’t continue to serve due to his deteriorating health](https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/970777334960844800/photo/1) and will step down as of April 1. Does that mean two Senate elections in November for Mississippi? ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607/26 "2018-03-05T21:59:25Z")
Looks like two senate elections this fall if I’m reading [this](http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/vacancies-in-the-united-states-senate.aspx) correctly. > [@](#): > > Within 100 days of when governor receives official notice of vacancy, unless vacancy occurs in the year of a general state or congressional election, in which case the vacancy is filled in that election ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607/27 "2018-03-05T22:14:43Z")
Boom. I’m psychic. PM me where you can send me money so I can tell you about the winning lottery numbers to play. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607/28 "2018-03-06T00:20:39Z")
So we’ll be down to at worst 50-48 in the Senate, assuming McCain doesn’t fly in to vote. ---
**Author:** ![SantaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@SantaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SantaMan)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607/29 "2018-03-06T05:14:04Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Boom. I’m psychic. PM me where you can send me money so I can tell you about the winning lottery numbers to play. Of course, you already know:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607/30 "2018-03-06T05:20:17Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > So we’ll be down to at worst 50-48 in the Senate, assuming McCain doesn’t fly in to vote. So it would seem. bwaaaaaa-ha-ha-HAAAAAAA! ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607/31 "2018-03-06T14:20:31Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > So we’ll be down to at worst 50-48 in the Senate, assuming McCain doesn’t fly in to vote. The partisan breakdown is currently 51 R to 49 D. (Had been 52-48 before Doug Jones beat Roy Moore in Alabama.) So it’ll be 50-49 after April 1 when Cochran resigns, at least on those days when John McCain and Tammy Duckworth (who is due in April) are both there. ---
**Author:** ![Falchion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Falchion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falchion)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607/32 "2018-03-06T14:29:54Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > The partisan breakdown is currently 51 R to 49 D. (Had been 52-48 before Doug Jones beat Roy Moore in Alabama.) So it’ll be 50-49 after April 1 when Cochran resigns, at least on those days when John McCain and Tammy Duckworth (who is due in April) are both there. I’ll quote you, but ask this as a general question: doesn’t Gov. Bryant get to appoint an interim senator? The state election code provides: > [@](#): > > (2) In case of a vacancy in the office of United States Senator, the Governor may appoint a Senator to fill such vacancy temporarily, and if the United States Senate be in session at the time the vacancy occurs the Governor shall appoint a Senator within ten (10) days after receiving official notice thereof, and the Senator so appointed shall serve until his successor is elected and commissioned as provided for in subsection (1) of this section, provided that such unexpired term as he may be appointed to fill shall be for a longer time than one (1) year, but if for a shorter time than one (1) year he shall serve for the full time of the unexpired term and no special election shall be called by the Governor but his successor shall be elected at the regular election. One assumes that Bryant will appoint a Republican. Am I missing something? ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607/33 "2018-03-06T14:43:13Z")
Yes, the governor gets to appoint an interim senator. Furthermore, with this much notice that should be sorted by the time Cochran steps down so this won’t have any effect on the balance of the senate. Here’s my question(s)… how does the primary for this seat work? Will it be on the same day as the primary for Wicker’s seat? The filing deadline for that primary has already passed. What is the primary filing deadline Cochran’s seat? Can someone run in the primaries for both seats? I couldn’t find the answers to these questions with a quick Google. Perhaps someone more plugged in to Mississippi local news can shed some light on this. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607/34 "2018-03-06T14:49:02Z")
> [@Falchion](#): > > I’ll quote you, but ask this as a general question: doesn’t Gov. Bryant get to appoint an interim senator? None of what I’d read about Cochran’s impending resignation mentioned that, so I just assumed (I know, I know :)) the seat would be vacant until November. I’m sure you’re right. > [@](#): > > The state election code provides: My brain is hurting from trying to untangle that run-on sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607/35 "2018-03-06T15:04:44Z")
No primary. All candidates run in November. There’s no party affiliation on that ballot. If no one gets to 50%+1, the top two face each other in a runoff. > **[How Things Could Go Wrong For Republicans In Mississippi’s New Senate Race](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-things-could-go-wrong-for-republicans-in-mississippis-new-senate-race/)** > > On Monday afternoon, Sen. Thad Cochran, the first Republican in over a century to win a statewide race in Mississippi and the longest-serving member currently i… Interesting approach. Weird, but them’s the rules if the resignation takes place when there’s already an election on the ballot in November. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607/36 "2018-03-06T15:08:44Z")
I should have checked 538… [How Things Could Go Wrong For Republicans In Mississippi’s New Senate Race](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-things-could-go-wrong-for-republicans-in-mississippis-new-senate-race/) So, the special election for Cochran’s seat is non-partisan and thus there is no primary. Anyone can run for it and if no one gets 50% of the vote on election day, there will be a run-off of the top two finishers. Also, there’s nothing stopping Chris McCrazypants (credit: **Oakminster** ) from dropping out of the race for Wicker’s seat and entering the race for Cochran’s seat. Finally, people are talking about Elvis’s cousin again. ETA: ninjaed ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607/37 "2018-03-06T15:17:40Z")
Gotcha. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607/38 "2018-03-06T17:39:26Z")
> [@Lance\_Turbo](#): > > So, the special election for Cochran’s seat is non-partisan and thus there is no primary. Anyone can run for it and if no one gets 50% of the vote on election day, there will be a run-off of the top two finishers. Also, there’s nothing stopping Chris McCrazypants (credit: **Oakminster** ) from dropping out of the race for Wicker’s seat and entering the race for Cochran’s seat. Things are definitely getting interesting. There is widespread speculation that Chris McCrazypants will drop out of the race for Wicker’s seat to run for Cochran’s seat instead. There are even wilder rumors about who might be appointed to fill the seat in the interim…from Tate (Tater tot) Reeves, to Delbert Hoseman, (currently SoS), to Bryant himself. The race for Wicker’s seat now has about half a dozen Dems running. On the Dem side, Brandon Presley is being pressured to run for Cochran’s seat, along with a firebrand of a legislator from Oxford named Jay Hughes. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607/39 "2018-03-06T18:35:54Z")
What exactly is his illness? I would usually say no, the seat will not be in play. But after Alabama I’m not going to rule out a Democrat. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2018, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607/40 "2018-03-06T18:43:30Z")
Gotta be more than [the UTI that’s been reported.](https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2017-10-16/gop-sen-thad-cochran-grappling-with-illness) That was in October. [And maybe it is.](https://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/18/thad-cochran-says-not-retiring-senate-243918) > [@](#): > > The 79-year-old Cochran appeared frail and at times disoriented during a brief hallway interview on Wednesday. He was unable to answer whether he would remain chairman of the Appropriations Committee, and at one point, needed a staffer to remind him where the Senate chamber is located. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-thad-cochran-is-too-sick-to-run-for-reelection-in-2018-is-mississippis-senate-seat-in-play/804607.md?page=3)