How Thad Cochran Won | Restoring Liberty

Photo Credit: APAfter trailing the lesser known McDaniel in the June 3 primary, Cochran, in three weeks time, managed to: a) grow the electorate in his favor by, among other things, recruiting African Americans to his cause b) run successfully on a message of keeping his seniority in Washington and c) win despite, quite clearly, being the less naturally skilled candidate on the stump.

Doing one of those things in three weeks time would be astounding. Doing all three is like watching someone pitch a political perfect game; you’ll not see a victory like this one any time soon.

So, how did he do it? I talked to several people involved in either the Cochran campaign or other outside groups that helped the incumbent in the wake of his victory. Here’s what they told me.

*He convinced black voters to be for him. According to the Fix’s Philip Bump, runoff turnout in the 24 counties with a black population of 50 percent or more was up almost 40 percent from the primary. In all other counties, turnout was up just 16 percent. That is an absolutely stunning stat — and tells much of the story of the runoff. Cochran’s ability to convince a strongly Democratic constituency to be for him — despite the fact that every Democratic consultant believed McDaniel gave the party a better chance to win the seat in the fall — is simply remarkable.