Apparently, the Republican establishment will use any means necessary to suppress spontaneous outbreaks of democracy among ordinary Americans.
Incumbent and Republican establishment darling Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) faced a tough challenge in the June 3rd Republican primary from Tea Party-backed State Senator Chris McDaniel. Although Cochran maintained a lead over McDaniel in terms of campaign finances, the primary results did not provide a clear winner. McDaniel (49.5%, 155,040) received more votes than Cochran (49%, 153,654), but a third candidate, Thomas Carey (1.5%, 4,789), took just enough votes so that McDaniel did not receive the 50% of the vote necessary to avoid a runoff.One week later, the Republican establishment was stunned when House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), who was in line to be the next House Speaker, was crushed in his primary by Tea Party-backed economics professor Dave Brat, who received 55.8% of the vote compared to Cantor's 44.2%.
That result set the stage for an epic battle between a battered Republican establishment and a rejuvenated Tea Party in the June 24, 2014 Mississippi Senatorial run-off between Cochran and McDaniel, a contest the Republican establishment knew it could not afford to lose.
The Republican establishment went into full panic mode when a WPA Research poll conducted between June 9th and 10th showed McDaniel's lead over Cochran among 500 likely GOP primary runoff voters had shot up to eight points, 49% and 41%, respectively.
Clearly, Cochran was losing ground among Republican voters and the Republican establishment likely then decided that it could only close the gap by adopting Democratic Party tactics and soliciting cross-over votes from registered Democrats.
Cochran used Democratic Party talking points about Tea Party candidates, leveling personal attacks against McDaniel, calling him an "extremist" and "dangerous."



















