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Cochran was the first Republican to hold statewide office in [[Mississippi]] since [[Reconstruction]], and in April 2006 he was honored by Time magazine as one of "America's 10 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]], and in April 2006 he was honored by Time magazine as one of "America's 10 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 challenger [[Chris McDaniel]], albeit with the use of ethically questionable yet legal tactics. After the primary where neither won 50% and where McDaniel led with 49.5% Cochran courted African American Democrats to vote in the runoff which was open. Cochran, using these questionable tactics, won a majority of votes  

Cochran won the 2014 Republican primary against Conservative Tea Party challenger [[Chris McDaniel]], albeit with the use of ethically questionable yet legal tactics. After the primary where neither won 50% and where McDaniel led with 49.5% Cochran courted African American Democrats to vote in the runoff which was open. Cochran, using these questionable tactics, won a majority of votes with the expanded electorate featuring African American Democrats.

with the expanded electorate featuring African American Democrats.  

 

==Early life==

==Early life==

Thad Cochran was born in Pontotoc, 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 earned Eagle Scout as a youth and was awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award as an adult. He graduated from Byram High School near Jackson and received a B.A. degree from the [[University of Mississippi]] with a major in psychology and a minor in [[political science]] in 1959. Despite being a lifelong Democrat, Cochran changed party affiliation to Republican in the 1960s and went on to serve as Mississippi executive director of [[Richard Nixon]]'s 1968 presidential campaign.

Thad Cochran was born in Pontotoc, 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 earned Eagle Scout as a youth and was awarded the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award as an adult. He graduated from Byram High School near Jackson and received a B.A. degree from the [[University of Mississippi]] with a major in psychology and a minor in [[political science]] in 1959. Despite being a lifelong Democrat, Cochran changed party affiliation to Republican in the 1960s and went on to serve as Mississippi executive director of [[Richard Nixon]]'s 1968 presidential campaign.