Thad Cochran

In 1978, six-term Democratic Senator James Eastland decided to retire. Cochran ran for the seat and won the Republican primary, defeating state senator and former Jones County prosecutor Charles W. Pickering, 69%–31% percent. In the general election, he faced Democrat Maurice Dantin, a former district attorney who had triumphed in a four-way primary with the backing of Eastland, and Independent candidate Charles Evers, the Mayor of Fayette. Evers, the first African American to be elected mayor of a Mississippi town since Reconstruction, split the Democratic vote and Cochran won with a plurality, taking 45.3% to Dantin's 31.8% and Evers' 22.6%.[13] This made Cochran the first Republican to win a statewide election in Mississippi in a century and thus became Mississippi's first new U.S. senator since John C. Stennis in 1947.[14] Eastland resigned on December 26 to give Cochran a seniority advantage over other new incoming U.S. Senators. Governor Cliff Finch appointed Cochran to serve the remaining week of Eastland's term.[15]

Cochran faced an expected strong challenge for re-election from incumbent Democratic governor William Winter in 1984, but he was re-elected easily, 60.9 to 39.1 percent.[16] He was likely helped by the presence of Ronald Reagan atop the ticket for president; Reagan carried Mississippi by an almost identical margin, 61.8 percent to Walter Mondale's 37.4 percent.

He was completely unopposed in 1990[17] and took 71 percent of the vote in 1996;[18] the Democratic nominee, retired factory worker Bootie Hunt, received 27.4 percent.[18] No Democrat ran against Cochran in 2002; he faced only Reform Party candidate Shawn O'Hara, beating him by 84.6 to 15.4 percent.[19] Cochran faced his strongest challenger in twenty-four years in 2008 when the Democrats nominated State Representative Erik R. Fleming. In a year that saw widespread Democratic gains, Cochran was still re-elected, 61.4–37.6 percent.[20]

In 2014, Cochran faced a primary challenge from Tea Party-supported candidate Chris McDaniel. Although the primary was initially considered uncompetitive, McDaniel proved a serious challenger. Polling showed the lead swinging between the two and it eventually became a "50%-50% race".[21]

The primary was considered a marquee establishment-versus-Tea Party fight. Cochran's seniority and appropriating skills contrasted with the junior status of the rest of the state's congressional delegation.[22] The primary was described as "nasty"[23] and full of "bizarre" twists.[24]

In May 2014, a scandal emerged when a McDaniel supporter allegedly entered a nursing home where Cochran's bedridden wife was living and took pictures of her.[23] The images were posted to a blog, intending to advance the rumor that Cochran was having affairs while his wife was receiving care.[25][26] Four people were arrested in connection with the incident.[25] The connection to the McDaniel campaign was disputed. One of the arrested included McDaniel ally Mark Mayfield, who was vice chairman of the state's Tea Party.[27] In response, McDaniel said, "the violation of the privacy of Mrs. Cochran [was] out of bounds for politics and reprehensible."[28]

Neither candidate won a majority in the primary election; McDaniel won 49.46% of the vote, while Cochran received 49.02%.[29] A runoff election between McDaniel and Cochran was held on June 24.[30] Despite trailing in most of the polls,[31] Cochran won with 51.01% of the vote to McDaniel's 48.99%.[29][32] The Cochran campaign denied allegations of vote-buying made by a blogger regarding his run-off victory.[33] In the aftermath of the runoff, the McDaniel campaign claimed there were indications of voter fraud.[34] McDaniel's legal challenge to the election results failed.[35][36]

On Election Day, Cochran defeated Democratic former U.S. Rep. Travis Childers, 59.90%-37.89%.[37][38]

Cochran with President Ronald Reagan in 1981

Generally, Cochran kept a lower national profile than conventional wisdom would suggest for someone who spent almost half a century in Washington, including seven terms in the Senate. However, he had considerable influence behind the scenes, especially in Mississippi.[39]

In March 1981, after the Senate Agriculture Committee overwhelmingly approved a proposal to enact a temporary freeze on the level of dairy price supports and thereby gave President Ronald Reagan his first congressional victory for his federal spending reductions, Cochran stated that the vote was "a great victory for" Reagan and "a very important first step in having his program adopted by Congress."[40]

In April 1981, along with Bob Packwood, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, John Heinz, David Pryor, Spark M. Matsunaga, Donald W. Riegle Jr., and Bill Bradley, Cochran was one of eight senators to cosponsor a bipartisan six-year experiment in care at home for the elderly and disabled for the purpose of presenting an alternative to expensive hospitals and nursing facilities.[41]

Cochran served as Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference from 1985 to 1991 and as Chairman from 1991 to 1996. He chaired the Senate Agriculture Committee from 2003 to 2005. In 2005, he was appointed as chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, making him the first Republican from a former Confederate state to chair the committee. While Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Cochran worked to expedite the process of approving spending bills to minimize partisan skirmishing.[42]

In June 1991, Cochran introduced legislation to establish a commission of three members appointed by the president to oversee recognition of Indian tribes and speed the tribal recognition process. Cochran said he was "supportive of trying to establish a procedure that would permit these matters to be resolved by a commission" and that it was a better alternative to seeking to "call on Congress to make decisions we're really not qualified to make."[43]

In June 1996, Cochran ran for the post of Senate Majority Leader to succeed Republican Bob Dole, who had resigned from the Senate to concentrate on his presidential campaign. Cochran faced his Mississippi colleague Trent Lott, the then-Senate Majority Whip. Cochran cast himself as an "institutionalist" and who would held to rebuild public trust in Congress through compromise over conflict. Lott promised a "more aggressive" style of leadership and courted the younger Senate conservatives. Cochran lost by 44 votes to 8.[44]

On June 13, 2005, the U.S. Senate formally apologized for its failure to enact a federal anti-lynching law in the early 20th century, "when it was most needed". The resolution was passed on a voice vote with 80 Senators cosponsoring. Cochran and fellow Mississippian Trent Lott were among the 20 Senators who did not join as cosponsors.[45] Cochran said, "I'm not in the business of apologizing for what someone else did or didn't do. I deplore and regret that lynching occurred and that those committing them weren't punished, but I'm not culpable".[46]

In April 2006, Cochran was selected by Time as one of "America's 10 Best Senators". He was dubbed "The Quiet Persuader" for his role in winning money for the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Time reported that Cochran managed to wring "$29 billion out of his colleagues, almost double the money [President George W.] Bush and congressional leaders had initially pledged".[47] Earlier, Cochran threatened to derail a defense appropriations bill unless it included funding for installations on the Gulf Coast. The article also noted that Cochran has "gained the trust of the [Bush] Administration and Capitol Hill for his quiet, courtly manner... using his experience and mastery of the issues to persuade his colleagues privately rather than making demands on them in public". The magazine quoted an unnamed "senior GOP Senator" who said "He doesn't get a whole lot of play in terms of coverage, but he is effectively stubborn doing what needs to be done."[47]

In late 2017, questions began to arise over Cochran's apparently deteriorating health. He missed two weeks of the Senate session due to a urological procedure.[48] Upon his return to Washington, Cochran needed assistance locating the Senate chamber and was described by Politico as "frail" and "disoriented". On one occasion, he repeatedly voted "yes" despite being told by aides to vote "no"; he later realized his mistake and changed his vote. However, Cochran sought to defuse rumors that his retirement was imminent, saying, "Don’t believe everything you hear".[49]

On March 5, 2018, Cochran announced that he would retire from the Senate[50] due to ongoing health challenges.[51] Cochran left office on April 1, 2018.[52] He was one of the longest-serving members of Congress in history.[53]

Senators Cochran (left) and Carl Levin (right) meet with Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel at the Pentagon to discuss the budgeting (April 10, 2013).

Cochran was considered to be more moderate than his Republican colleagues.[54] In 2017, The New York Times arranged Republican senators based on ideology and reported that Cochran was the fourth most moderate Republican in their findings.[55] According to GovTrack, Cochran was more moderate than most of his Republican colleagues being to the left of most but to the right of several others.[56] The non-partisan National Journal gave Senator Cochran a composite ideology score of 68% conservative and 33% liberal.[57]

In 2005, he was one of nine senators who voted against the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005, which prohibited "inhumane treatment of prisoners, including prisoners at Guantanamo Bay". The others, all Republicans, were Wayne Allard, Kit Bond, Tom Coburn, Jeff Sessions, Jim Inhofe, Pat Roberts, John Cornyn and Ted Stevens.

On July 18, 2006, Cochran voted, along with 19 Republican senators, for the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act to lift restrictions on federal funding for the research.[58]

In April 2010, it was reported that Cochran finished at the top of the Citizens Against Government Waste's list of congressional earmarks, having requested a total of $490 million in earmarks.[59]

In 2012, Cochran encouraged Mississippians to prepare for the effects of Tropical Storm Isaac, saying "Taking steps now to protect people and property should help lessen the losses that might be associated with Isaac. It is important that everyone stay informed and follow emergency orders. I am confident that Mississippians have learned valuable lessons from previous storms and will work together to prepare for this newest threat, I believe Governor Bryant and others are handling emergency preparedness actions very well."[60]

In 2017, Cochran was one of 22 senators to sign a letter[61] to President Donald Trump urging the President to have the United States withdraw from the Paris Agreement. According to OpenSecrets, Cochran had received more than $290,000 from oil, gas and coal interests since 2012.[62]

Cochran had an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA) due to his consistent voting and support of pro-gun legislation. The NRA endorsed Cochran in the 2014 election.[63]

In April 2013, Cochran was one of forty-six senators to vote against the passing of a bill which would have expanded background checks for gun buyers. Cochran voted with 40 Republicans and 5 Democrats to stop the passage of the bill.[64]

Cochran voted to repeal a regulation that made it illegal for certain individuals with specific mental health diagnosis to purchase guns. The original law authorizing such regulation was passed with a unanimous vote in 2007 after the Virginia Tech shooting. Cochran claims the law infringed upon the Second Amendment rights of disabled people.[65]

Cochran opposed President Barack Obama's health reform legislation; he voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in December 2009,[66] and he voted against the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.[67]

As senior senator of the state of Mississippi, Cochran was given the opportunity to use the desk of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, which Cochran accepted.[68] Cochran said that he was "very proud" to have Davis's desk.[68] Cochran opposed attempts to remove a statue of Davis from the U.S. Capitol.[68]

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed into law: H.R. 3706 (98th) – A bill to amend title 5, United States Code, to make the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., a legal public holiday.[69] Cochran, a Republican, voted for the act. His colleague in the Senate from Mississippi, Democrat John C. Stennis, voted against the act.[70]

In January 2018, Cochran was one of thirty-six Republican senators to sign a letter to President Trump requesting he preserve the North American Free Trade Agreement by modernizing it for the economy of the 21st Century.[71]

• Mississippi State University president Mark Keenum served as Cochran's chief-of-staff.[72]
• Delta State University president William LaForge served as Cochran's chief-of-staff.[73]
• In 1973, Cochran hired Nehemiah Flowers Jr.[74] from WLBT, where he was Mississippi's first black television executive.[75] Flowers was the first African-American congressional staffer in Mississippi since Reconstruction.[76] Flowers remained on Cochran's staff until 2002, when Cochran recommended him and President George W. Bush nominated him to become U.S. Marshal for Mississippi's Southern District.[77] He remained in that position until 2010.[75]
• AT&T Mississippi president R. Mayo Flint III formerly served on Cochran's staff.[78]

• The Natchez Trace Parkway Land Conveyance Act of 2013 (S. 304; 113th Congress) (S. 304) is a bill that was sponsored and actively lobbied for by Thad Cochran during the 113th United States Congress.[79][80] The bill would require the National Park Service (NPS) to convey about 67 acres of property in the Natchez Trace Parkway to the state of Mississippi. The legislation also would adjust the boundaries of the parkway to include 10 additional acres.[81] The two pieces of land in question originally belonged to Mississippi, and were donated to the National Park Service when the NPS was trying to determine where to end the Natchez Trace Parkway.[79][82] Since the NPS did not choose to use either of the pieces of land, the state would like the land back.[82]
• The Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014 (S. 2363; 113th Congress), a bill related to hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation in the United States, aimed at improving "the public's ability to enjoy the outdoors."[83] Cochran supported the bill, arguing that the bill "deserves broad support for its policies and reforms that will protect and enhance opportunities to hunt, fish and enjoy the outdoors."[83]
• Cochran was the lead sponsor of "The Cochran-Inouye National Missile Defense Act of 1999." The policy sought to counter emerging missile threats from China, North Korea, Iran, and Iraq.[84] The policy was enacted into law on July 22, 1999, as incorporated into a House version of the bill.[85] The act stated:

  It is the policy of the United States to deploy as soon as is technologically possible an effective National Missile Defense system capable of defending the territory of the United States against limited ballistic missile attack (whether accidental, unauthorized, or deliberate) with funding subject to the annual authorization of appropriations and the annual appropriation of funds for National Missile Defense.

• Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management and Trade
  • Subcommittee on Conservation, Forestry and Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy
• Committee on Appropriations (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (ex officio)
  • Subcommittee on Defense (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
  • Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (ex officio)
  • Subcommittee on Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch (ex officio)
  • Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (ex officio)
  • Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (ex officio)
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (ex officio)
• Committee on Rules and Administration

• House/Senate International Education Study Group (Co-Chair)
• International Conservation Caucus
• Republican Task Force to Study the Energy Crisis
• Afterschool Caucuses[86]
• Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus