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{{Officeholder

{{Infobox officeholder

|name=Thad Cochran

|name=Thad Cochran

|image=Thad Cochran.jpg

|image=Thad Cochran.jpg

|party=[[Republican Party|Republican]]

|party=[[Republican Party|Republican]]

|spouse=Rose Clayton Cochran

|spouse=(1) Rose Clayton Cochran (married 1964-2014, her death)<br>

|religion=[[Baptist]]

|religion=[[Baptist]]

|offices=

|office=[[United States Senator]] from Mississippi

|term_start=December 27, 1978

|state=Mississippi

|term_end=April 1, 2018

|terms=December 27, 1978 – April 1, 2018

|preceded=James Oliver Eastland

|preceded=James Eastland

|succeeded=[[Cindy Hyde-Smith]]

|office2=[[U.S. Representative]] for Mississippi's 4th congressional district

|succeeded=

|term_start2=January 3, 1973

|term_end2=December 26, 1978

|preceded2=Gillespie V. "Sonny" Montgomery

|state=Mississippi

|succeeded2=John Clifton Hinson}}

|district=4th

|terms=January 3, 1973 – December 26, 1978

|preceded=Gillespie V. "Sonny" Montgomery

|succeeded=Jon Hinson

}}

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 10 Best Senators."<ref>http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1183976,00.html</ref>

'''William Thaddeus Cochran''', known as '''Thad Cochran''' (December 7, 1937 &ndash; May 30, 2019) was 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. He died a year later.

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 deceitful 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 appointment from [[Governor]] [[Phil Bryant]] went to former Democrat [[Cindy Hyde-Smith]]. Hyde-Smith defeated McDaniel in the general election on November 6, 2018; she then topped Democrat Mike Espy, an African American who served in the [[Bill Clinton]] administration, in the special election runoff.

==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, 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 Nixon]]'s 1968 presidential campaign, which fared poorly in Mississippi, losing to [[Alabama]] former Governor [[George Wallace]].

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==

In 1972, Cochran was elected to the [[United States House of Representatives]], to replace Democratic Congressman Charles Griffin. In the [[general election]], he defeated the Democrat [[Ellis Bodron]], a state senator from Vicksburg in Warren County. One major factor in Cochran's victory was the gigantic Republican landslide in that year's presidential election, in which Nixon won 49 of 50 states and 78 percent of Mississippi's popular vote. After winning re-election to the House in 1974, he was elected by his colleagues to represent the southern states on the House Republican Policy Committee. He was re-elected to the House of Representatives again in 1976. In both of his races for re-election, Cochran received over 70 percent of the votes. In 1978, Thad Cochran was elected to the United States Senate becoming the first Republican in over 100 years to win a statewide election in Mississippi. He was re-elected in 1984 in a race with Governor William Winter with over 60 percent of the votes. In 1990 he was unopposed, and in 1996 he was re-elected to a fourth term in the Senate with over 70 percent of the votes. His margin of victory in the 2002 election was 85 percent.  

In 1972, Cochran was elected to the [[United States House of Representatives]], to replace Democratic Congressman Charles Griffin. In the [[general election]], he defeated the Democrat [[Ellis Bodron]], a state senator from Vicksburg in Warren County. One major factor in Cochran's victory was the gigantic Republican landslide in that year's presidential election, in which Richard Nixon won 49 of 50 states and 78 percent of Mississippi's popular vote. After winning re-election to the House in 1974, he was elected by his colleagues to represent the southern states on the House Republican Policy Committee. He was re-elected to the House of Representatives again in 1976. In both of his races for re-election, Cochran received more than 70 percent of the votes. In 1978, Thad Cochran was elected to the United States Senate becoming the first Republican in over 100 years to win a statewide election in Mississippi. He was re-elected in 1984 in a race with Governor William Winter with more than 60 percent of the votes. In 1990, Cochran was unopposed, and in 1996, he was re-elected to a fourth term with more than 70 percent of the votes. His margin of victory in the 2002 election was an astonishing 85 percent.

 

===Committee membership===

===Committee membership===

In addition to his ranking minority membership of the Appropriations Committee, Cochran serves on the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry committee and the Committee on Rules and Administration.

In addition to his ranking minority membership of the Appropriations Committee, Cochran served on the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee and the Committee on Rules and Administration.

==External links==

==External links==

*[http://cochran.senate.gov/ Official Website]

*[http://cochran.senate.gov/ Official Website]

*[http://www.issues2000.org/Senate/Thad_Cochran.htm Cochran On the Issues]

*[http://www.issues2000.org/Senate/Thad_Cochran.htm Cochran On the Issues]

== References ==

== References ==

[[Category:Mississippi]]

[[Category:Mississippi]]

[[Category:Former Democrats]]

[[Category:Former Democrats]]

[[Category:RINOs]]

[[Category:RINOs]]