Cochran, McDaniel Continue to Spar Over ‘Crossovers’

JACKSON, Miss. (WCBI) — Republican U.S. Senate challenger Chris McDaniel continues to express confidence that his supporters have found enough iregularities to warrant a new election between him and U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran.
But the Cochran camp says its own review of voting materials from the June 24 runoff show minimal potential for error and n reason to even continue the review, much less a legal challenge.

The state Republican Party, which oversaw the runoff, and Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, whose office is in charge of collecting the certified results, officially released final numbers showing Cochran with 194,932 votes to McDaniel’s 187,265, a difference of 7,667 votes.

McDaniel says his initial review shows at least 5,000 questionable votes, including crossovers of people voting in the Democratic primary on June 3 and the Republican runoff June 24 in violation of state election laws.
But Cochran released far different numbers.

“We are providing updated information from the ballot box reviews conducted today in courthouses across the state. This is not a full report from all 82 counties; it is an updated list we received tonight from our county representatives. Final results will be sent once all examinations are complete,” Cochran campaign spokesman Jordan Russell said.

“Two important facts to remember when viewing this information: First, there is no way to know who the questioned voter cast their ballot for; a questioned vote is not synonymous with a vote for Senator Cochran. Second, these are simply votes that are questioned, it does not mean they are definitively improperly cast votes. As you will see, the numbers contained in this review are drastically lower than the wild claims made by the McDaniel campaign,” Russell added.

“The bottom line: Senator Cochran’s victory was certified and was in excess of 7,600 votes. These are specifics, and we urge the media to demand the same level of specificity from the McDaniel campaign,” he concluded.

Below are the numbers released by the Cochran campaign.
County Status

Adams: Still Examining – 0 Questioned Votes
Alcorn: Confirmed Runoff Audit – 0 Questioned Votes
Amite: Examination Complete – 6 Questioned Votes
Attala: Examination 95% complete – 8 Questioned Votes
Bolivar: Examination 40% complete – 1 Questioned Vote
Carroll: Examination Complete – 1 Questioned Vote
Choctaw: Examination Complete – 13 Questioned Votes
Claiborne: Examination Complete – 7 Questioned Votes
Clarke: Examination Complete
Clay: Examination Complete – 2 Questioned Votes
Coahoma: Still Examining
Copiah: Examination Complete – 6 Questioned Votes
DeSoto: Still Examining
Forrest: Examination Complete – 54 Questioned Votes
Franklin: Examination Complete – 1 Questioned Vote
George: Examination 33% complete
Greene: Still Examining
Grenada: Examination 75% Complete – 2 Questioned Votes
Harrison: Still Examining
Hinds: No Examination Done Today
Humphreys: Examination Complete – 11 Questioned Votes
Itawamba: Examination Complete – 9 Questioned Votes
Jackson: Confirmed Runoff Audit – 24 Crossover Votes
Jasper: Examination Complete – 5 Questioned Votes
Jefferson: Examination Complete – 0 Questioned Votes
Jones: No Examination Done Today
Lauderdale: Examination Complete – 7 Questioned Votes
Lawrence: Still Examining – 9 Questioned Votes
Lincoln: Examination 60% Complete – 1 Questioned Vote
Lowndes: Examination 50% Complete – 1 Questioned Vote
Madison: Still Examining
Marion: Still Examining – 0 Questioned Votes
Monroe: Examination 60% Complete – 0 Questioned Votes
Neshoba: Examination 40% Complete – 0 Questioned Votes
Newton: Still Examining
Oktibbeha: Still Examining
Panola: Examination Complete – 6 Questioned Votes
Perry: Examination Complete – 1 Questioned Vote
Pike: Examination 75% Complete – 1 Questioned Vote
Pontotoc: Examination Complete – 3 Questioned Votes
Prentiss: Examination Complete – 0 Questioned Votes
Quitman: Examination Complete – 4 Questioned Votes
Scott: Examination Complete – 0 Questioned Votes
Stone: Examination Complete – 0 Questioned Votes
Sunflower: Still Examining – 2 Questioned Votes
Tallahatchie: Examination Complete – 0 Questioned Votes
Tate: Examination 50% complete
Tippah: Confirmed Runoff Audit – 12 Questioned Votes
Tishomingo: Confirmed Runoff Audit – 4 Questioned Votes
Union: Examination 65% Complete – 4 Questioned Votes
Walthall: Examination Complete – 1 Questioned Vote
Warren: Confirmed Runoff Audit – 19 Questioned Votes
Wayne: Still Examining – 3 Questioned Votes
Webster: Examination 25% Complete – 0 Questioned Votes
Wilkinson: Examination Complete – 1 Questioned Vote
Winston: Examination Complete – 0 Questioned Votes
Yalobusha: Examination Complete – 3 Questioned Votes
Yazoo: Examination Complete – 4 Questioned Votes