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'''William Thaddeus Cochran''', known as '''Thad Cochran''', (born December 7, 1937) (age {{age|1937|12|7}}), is the former senior [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[United States Senator]] from [[Mississippi]].  A [[RINO]] in his later senatorial years, Cochran was serving his fifth term in office until he resigned in the spring of 2018 because of serious health issues.

'''William Thaddeus Cochran''', known as '''Thad Cochran''', (born December 7, 1937) (age {{age|1937|12|7}}), is the former senior [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[United States Senator]] from [[Mississippi]].  A [[RINO]] in his later senatorial years, Cochran was serving his fifth term in office when he resigned in the spring of 2018 because of serious health issues.

Cochran was the first Republican to hold statewide office in Mississippi since [[Reconstruction]]. In April 2006, he was honored by ''[[Time magazine]]'' as one of "America's Ten Best Senators."<ref>http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1183976,00.html</ref>

Cochran was the first Republican to hold statewide office in Mississippi since [[Reconstruction]]. In April 2006, he was honored by ''[[Time magazine]]'' as one of "America's Ten Best Senators."<ref>http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1183976,00.html</ref>

Cochran won the 2014 Republican primary against [[conservative]] [[Tea Party movement]] challenger and state Senator [[Chris McDaniel]], albeit with the use of ethically questionable yet legal tactics. In the [[primary]], McDaniel led with 49.5 percent but fell short of a majority. Cochran courted influential [[African-American]] [[Democratic Party|Democrats]] to vote in the open runoff election. Using questionable tactics, Cochran won a majority in the expanded electorate with African American Democrats. Cochran then prevailed in the 2014 general election.

Cochran won the 2014 Republican primary against [[conservative]] [[Tea Party movement]] challenger and state Senator [[Chris McDaniel]], albeit with the use of ethically questionable yet legal tactics. In the [[primary]], McDaniel led with 49.5 percent but fell short of a majority. Cochran courted influential [[African-American]] [[Democratic Party|Democrats]] to vote in the open runoff election. Using questionable tactics, Cochran won a majority in the expanded electorate with African American Democrats. Cochran then prevailed in the 2014 general election.

After Cochran's resignation, Chris McDaniel entered the special election to pick a successor, but the interim appoint from [[Governor]] [[Phil Bryant]] went to former Democrat [[Cindy Hyde-Smith]]. McDaniel and Hyde-Smith now face the popular African-American Democrat Mike Espy in the November 6 contest.

After Cochran's resignation, Chris McDaniel entered the special election to pick a successor, but the interim appointment from [[Governor]] [[Phil Bryant]] went to former Democrat [[Cindy Hyde-Smith]]. Hyde-Smith defeated McDaniel in the November 6 contest; she then topped Democrat Mike Espy in the special election runoff.

==Early life==

==Early life==

Thad Cochran was born in Pontotoc, near Tupelo in northern Mississippi. His father, William Holmes Cochran, was the principal and his mother, Emma Grace Cochran, a teacher in schools in Pontotoc, Tippah, and Hinds counties. Cochran, an [[Eagle Scout]] in his youth, was awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award as an adult. He graduated from Byram High School near the capital city of [[Jackson]] and received in 1959 a B.A. degree from the [[University of Mississippi]] at Oxford with a major in psychology and a minor in [[political science]]. Cochran switched to Republican affiliation in the 1960s and went on to serve as Mississippi executive director of [[Richard M. Nixon]]'s 1968 presidential campaign, which fared poorly in Mississippi, losing to [[Alabama]] former Governor [[George Wallace]], running on the American Independent Party label.

Thad Cochran was born in Pontotoc, near Tupelo in northern Mississippi. His father, William Holmes Cochran, was the principal and his mother, Emma Grace Cochran, a teacher in schools in Pontotoc, Tippah, and Hinds counties. An [[Eagle Scout]] in his youth, Cochran was awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award as an adult. He graduated from Byram High School near the capital city of [[Jackson]] and received in 1959 a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree from the [[University of Mississippi]] at Oxford (Ole Miss) with a major in [[psychology]] and a minor in [[political science]]. Cochran switched to Republican affiliation in the 1960s and went on to serve as Mississippi executive director of [[Richard M. Nixon]]'s 1968 presidential campaign, which fared poorly in Mississippi, losing to [[Alabama]] former Governor [[George Wallace]], running on the American Independent Party label.

==Political career==

==Political career==