Posted on 08/06/2014 8:08:14 PM PDT by Din Maker
JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi’s state Republican Party on Wednesday refused to hear challenger Chris McDaniel’s effort to overturn his June 24 GOP runoff loss to U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran. The party says McDaniel would do better taking his challenge to court. In a letter to McDaniel’s lawyer, state Republican Party Chairman Joe Nosef wrote that a court is needed to “protect the rights of the voters as well as both candidates.”
Nosef wrote that under state Republican Party bylaws, seven days’ notice has to be given before the executive committee can meet. If the notice went out Wednesday, he wrote, the committee couldn’t convene until Aug. 13, only one day before the deadline for McDaniel to file his complaint with a court.
Nosef wrote that the committee would have to determine procedures, decide whether McDaniel had challenged in time, order investigations by county committees, hear “potentially dozens of witnesses,” examine evidence and vote in one day.
“Obviously it is not possible for our committee of 52 volunteers to attempt to engage in such an exercise in a prudent manner in one day,” Nosef wrote. “In fact, given the extraordinary relief requests of overturning a United States Senate primary in which over 360,000 Mississippians cast votes, the only way to ensure the integrity of the election process and provide a prudent review of this matter is in a court of law.”
McDaniel, a state senator from Ellisville whose campaign was backed by the tea party, asked the party on Monday to declare him its nominee, saying Cochran’s 7,667-vote victory in the runoff was due to Democratic voters who illegally cast runoff ballots for the six-term incumbent.
“Chris McDaniel is very disappointed he will not have the opportunity to present his election challenge before the state Executive Committee, especially in light of the fact that we delivered a physical copy of the challenge to all fifty-two members of the committee,” McDaniel lawyer Mitch Tyner said in a statement.
“The party was the perfect venue in which to hear the challenge since it was responsible for the election, but we will move forward with a judicial review as provided for under Mississippi code.”
A spokesman for Cochran did not immediately comment. Nosef did not answer his cellphone or immediately respond to a text message requesting comment.
Referring the issue to court also allows members of the GOP’s executive committee, many of whom have ties to Cochran, to avoid ruling on McDaniel’s challenge. McDaniel supporters have criticized Nosef and even called for his resignation, saying he has favored Cochran despite his claim of neutrality.
McDaniel could file suit in any county where he feels illegal voting occurred. The state Supreme Court will then appoint a special judge to hear the challenge.
There’s no deadline to challenge in Mississippi, but state law urges judges to decide primary challenges before general election ballots are printed. State law says sample ballots must be given to local election officials by Sept. 10, which is 55 days before the Nov. 4 general election. That squeezes the timeline for a lawsuit and a new primary runoff. State law says a court could order a new primary even after the general election.
The Nov. 4 ballot will also include Democratic former U.S. Rep. Travis Childers and the Reform Party’s Shawn O’Hara.
Any court challenge could lead to a lengthy trial, because McDaniel’s claims cite multiple counties. While Mississippi courts have ordered some new local elections, no court has overturned or ordered a new statewide election in at least the past six decades, according to records reviewed by The Associated Press.
THe GOP is the party which GIVES.OBAMA.POWER
by keeping the patricians EXEMPT.
Probably not. A lot of money for an extreme long shot. We STILL haven’t seen the evidence. I’m in McDaniel’s corner and am not even sure he should bother. Don’t mean I’d ever support or vote for Cochran.
This shows that the establishment Repubs in Mississippi are a lost cause. We need another Lincoln to overturn the party the first one constructed and which has become nothing more than Democrat light.
And of course that will occur in about 2017. You Sir/Madam are either a troll or the problem with the Republican Party of today.
If they won’t even hear the case, NO MISSISSIPPI CONSERVATIVE should vote for their puke in November.
the MS GOP lacks principles, honor and competence. McDaniel has been a Republican for years and they treat him like dirt for daring to challenge their guy...its like Mean Girls for politics.
I’m not shocked..figured they wouldn’t.
So, what’s his next move?
Pretty obvious from the low, dirty tricks they used to "win".
Write in campaign for McDaniel?
A write-in campaign?
Do I know who it is? No, because nobody on the national stage at this time really impresses me. Thay are all mostly single topic candidates.
That would probably turn out to be a vote for Travis Childers.
But in my opinion, Childers would be an improvement over Cochran.
Isn't Abe Lincoln still dead?
ping
Fight on. No shame unless he quits.
This whole system was set up by the establishment to do what it has done in this case. The fix was in from the start.
and they expect conservatives to vote for them??
I hope conservatives refuse to vote for their pukes, all of them
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