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In 2012, McDaniel led a delegation to the [[Alamo Mission]] in [[San Antonio, Texas]], for the dedication of a monument to the eight Mississippians who died when the fort was overrun in 1836.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wdam.com/story/19894795/mississippians-who-died-at-siege-of-the-alamo-to-be-honored|title=Mississippians who died at siege of the Alamo to be honored|publisher=Wdam.Com|date=October 19, 2013|accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://us-senators.com/2012/11/texas-honors-mississippians-who-fought-at-the-alamo-sampling-history|title=Texas honors Mississippians who fought at the Alamo (Sampling History)|publisher=US Senators|date=November 1, 2012|accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://legiscan.com/MS/text/SC623/id/607801|title=Bill Text: MS SC623 &#124; 2012 &#124; Regular Session &#124; Engrossed |publisher=LegiScan|date=March 22, 2012 |accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref>
In 2012, McDaniel led a delegation to the [[Alamo Mission]] in [[San Antonio, Texas]], for the dedication of a monument to the eight Mississippians who died when the fort was overrun in 1836.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wdam.com/story/19894795/mississippians-who-died-at-siege-of-the-alamo-to-be-honored|title=Mississippians who died at siege of the Alamo to be honored|publisher=Wdam.Com|date=October 19, 2013|accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://us-senators.com/2012/11/texas-honors-mississippians-who-fought-at-the-alamo-sampling-history|title=Texas honors Mississippians who fought at the Alamo (Sampling History)|publisher=US Senators|date=November 1, 2012|accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://legiscan.com/MS/text/SC623/id/607801|title=Bill Text: MS SC623 &#124; 2012 &#124; Regular Session &#124; Engrossed |publisher=LegiScan|date=March 22, 2012 |accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref>

McDaniel has been considered a possible candidate for U.S. Representative for Mississippi's 4th Congressional District.<ref>{{cite web|last=Call|first=Roll|url=http://www.rollcall.com/issues/57_68/Mississippi-GOP-Cautious-on-Palazzo-210743-1.html?pos=hme|title=Mississippi GOP Cautious on Palazzo: Roll Call Politics|publisher=Rollcall.com|date=December 5, 2011|accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref>


===Mississippi Senate===
===Mississippi Senate===
McDaniel is a Republican who has served in the [[Mississippi Senate]] since 2008.<ref name="votesmart.org"/> He is Vice-Chairman of the Oil, Gas and Other Minerals Committee and a member of numerous other committees, including Education; Elections; Appropriations; Judiciary, Division A; Public Health and Welfare; Wildlife; and Fisheries and Parks.{{citation needed|date=April 2014}}
McDaniel is a Republican who has served in the [[Mississippi Senate]] since 2008.<ref name="votesmart.org"/>

In 2012, during his second term, he served as a member of the Elections (Chair); Judiciary, Division B (Vice-Chair); Appropriations; Compilation; Revision and Publication; Congressional Redistricting (Vice-Chair); Constitution; Drug Policy; Energy; Legislative Reapportionment; Municipalities; and Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Committees. He was also Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee for the Department of Mental Health, Chairman on the Appropriations Subcommittee for the Department of Rehabilitation Services, and Chairman on the Appropriations Subcommittee for the Department of Human Services.<ref name="billstatus.ls.state.ms.us"/>

During the 2011 legislative redistricting battle, McDaniel played a key role in defeating the House redistricting plan, moving to table the plan designed by the House.<ref name="ballotpedia.org">{{cite web|url=http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Redistricting_in_Mississippi |title=Redistricting in Mississippi|publisher=Ballotpedia|accessdate=October 23, 2013}}</ref> He was then appointed a conferee along with Elections Chairman Terry Burton and Senate [[President Pro Tem]] [[Billy Hewes]].<ref name="ballotpedia.org"/> The House plan was not adopted.<ref name="ballotpedia.org"/>


===2014 Senate campaign===
===2014 Senate campaign===
{{See also|United States Senate Republican primary election in Mississippi, 2014}}
{{See also|United States Senate Republican primary election in Mississippi, 2014}}
⚫
In 2014 McDaniel ran for the [[United States Senate election in Mississippi, 2014|U.S. Senate]] seat occupied by [[Thad Cochran]]. He was vocal about his intention to repeal [[Obamacare]] if elected, and to work toward lowering the national debt.<ref>{{cite web|title=TEA Party Challenger Threatens to "Kill" O-Care|url=http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/202751-tea-party-challenger-threatens-to-kill-obamacare|publisher=The Hill|accessdate=April 6, 2014}}</ref> He was endorsed by the [[Club for Growth]] PAC<ref name="McCabe">{{cite news|last=McCabe|first=Neil|title=Mississippi toss-up: Cochran v. McDaniel tied at 40% in Human Events/Gravis poll|url=http://www.humanevents.com/2013/12/18/mississippi-toss-up-cochrane-v-mcdaniel-in-human-eventsgravis-poll|accessdate=January 16, 2014|date=December 18, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Chris McDaniel (MS-Sen)|url=http://www.clubforgrowth.org/pac-candidates/?subsec=0&id=1243|work=PAC Candidates|publisher=Club for Growth PAC|accessdate=January 16, 2014}}</ref> and the [[Tea Party Express]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Tea Party Express Endorses Chris McDaniel for U.S. Senate|url=http://www.teapartyexpress.org/7172/tea-party-express-endorses-chris-mcdaniel-for-u-s-senate|work=Tea Party Express|accessdate=May 20, 2014}}</ref> In the June 3 Republican primary, McDaniel received 49.6% of the vote and Cochran 49.0%, forcing a June 24 runoff election.<ref name="Politico06032014">{{cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/primary-elections-2014-mississippi-california-new-jersey-iowa-107388.html|title=Thad Cochran-Chris McDaniel barrels toward runoff|last=Alexander|first=Burns|date=June 3, 2014|newspaper=Politico|accessdate=June 4, 2014|publisher=[[Allbritton Communications Company|Allbritton]]|location=[[Arlington County, Virginia|Arlington, Virginia]]}}</ref><ref name="nbcnews1">{{cite news|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/mississippi-runoff-bad-news-thad-cochran-n122171|title=Mississippi Runoff Bad News for Thad Cochran|last=Todd|first=Chuck|date=June 4, 2014|newspaper=[[NBCNews.com]]|accessdate=June 4, 2014|publisher=[[NBCUniversal]]|location=[[New York City]]}}</ref> McDaniel lost the runoff, 49% to 51%.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cochran beats McDaniel in nail-biter in Mississippi|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-hard-fought-mississippi-primary-cochran-fights-to-hold-off-tea-party-challenger/2014/06/24/a7262c08-fbcc-11e3-b1f4-8e77c632c07b_story.html|accessdate=June 25, 2014}}</ref>
In 2014 McDaniel ran for the [[United States Senate election in Mississippi, 2014|U.S. Senate]] seat occupied by [[Thad Cochran]]. He was vocal about his intention to repeal [[Obamacare]] if elected, and to work toward lowering the national debt.<ref>{{cite web|title=TEA Party Challenger Threatens to "Kill" O-Care|url=http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/202751-tea-party-challenger-threatens-to-kill-obamacare|publisher=The Hill|accessdate=April 6, 2014}}</ref>


⚫
In the aftermath, the McDaniel campaign claimed there were indications of voter fraud, and that about 3,300 Democrats had voted for Cochran in the runoff. The campaign said it was investigating whether the crossover voting violated Mississippi law.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wagster Pettus|first1=Emmily|title=Home> Politics McDaniel Not Giving up GOP Runoff Against Cochran|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/mcdaniel-giving-gop-runoff-cochran-24386838 |agency=Associated Press|accessdate=July 2, 2014|date=July 1, 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703001133/http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/mcdaniel-giving-gop-runoff-cochran-24386838|archivedate=July 3, 2014}}</ref> On July 2, McDaniel wrote in a fundraising pitch, "Last week's runoff election was a sham, plain and simple," and charged that Cochran "stole" the nomination.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Glueck|first1=Katie|title=McDaniel fundraising to challenge Miss. runoff |url=http://www.politico.com/story/2014/07/chris-mcdaniel-fundraise-fight-gop-primary-runoff-thad-cochran-108521.html#ixzz36M28O5Ks|publisher=Politico|accessdate=July 2, 2014}}</ref> A day after the election results were certified by the state party, Senator [[Ted Cruz]] and some Tea Party groups backed an investigation of voter fraud in the runoff election.<ref name="AP07092014">{{cite web|last1=Espo |first1=David|title=Cruz, Tea Party Groups Want Probe of Miss. Runoff|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/miss-gop-certifies-cochran-victory-mcdaniel-24460341|publisher=Associated Pres|accessdate=July 9, 2014}}</ref> Cruz also told reporters that groups aligned with the Cochran campaign had run racially charged ads designed to persuade black voters to vote against McDaniel.<ref name="AP07092014" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Cruz wants investigation of Cochran-McDaniel runoff results |url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/07/08/cruz-wants-investigation-of-cochran-mcdaniel-runoff-results/ |publisher=CNN|accessdate=July 9, 2014}}</ref> Regarding the ads, McDaniel said that the GOP is "a party that does not need to play the race card to win."<ref>{{cite web|title=Chris McDaniel Opens Legal Challenge in Mississippi GOP Primary Race|url=http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/08/chris-mcdaniel-opens-legal-challenge-in-mississippi-gop-primary-race/|publisher=ABC News|date=August 4, 2014}}</ref> On July 17, the Mississippi State Supreme Court rejected McDaniel's request for access to poll books without voters' birthdates blacked out, which his attorneys argued were needed to identify fraudulent votes.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Pender|first1=Geoff|title=Court rules against McDaniel in voting records appeal|url=http://www.clarionledger.com/story/politicalledger/2014/07/17/mcdaniel-cochran-records-court-ruling/12787709/|work=The Clarion-Ledger|accessdate=July 18, 2014}}</ref> In August 2014, a Mississippi judge dismissed McDaniel's challenge.<ref>{{cite web|title=Chris McDaniel challenge tossed in Mississippi|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/chris-mcdaniel-challenge-dismissed-mississippi-110453.html#ixzz3BpaK814B|publisher=Politico|accessdate=August 30, 2014}}</ref> On October 24, the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's dismissal in a 4–2 decision.<ref>{{cite web|title=McDaniel v. Cochran |url=http://courts.ms.gov/Images/Opinions/CO98646.pdf}}</ref>
During his campaign, McDaniel said, "Washington is broken, and it is clear Mississippi voters are looking for a change. For too long, career politicians in Washington have allowed our national debt to grow out of control".<ref name=McCabe/> He was endorsed by the [[Club for Growth]] PAC<ref name=McCabe>{{cite news|last=McCabe|first=Neil|title=Mississippi toss-up: Cochran v. McDaniel tied at 40% in Human Events/Gravis poll|url=http://www.humanevents.com/2013/12/18/mississippi-toss-up-cochrane-v-mcdaniel-in-human-eventsgravis-poll|accessdate=January 16, 2014|date=December 18, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Chris McDaniel (MS-Sen)|url=http://www.clubforgrowth.org/pac-candidates/?subsec=0&id=1243|work=PAC Candidates|publisher=Club for Growth PAC|accessdate=January 16, 2014}}</ref> and the [[Tea Party Express]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Tea Party Express Endorses Chris McDaniel for U.S. Senate|url=http://www.teapartyexpress.org/7172/tea-party-express-endorses-chris-mcdaniel-for-u-s-senate|work=Tea Party Express|accessdate=May 20, 2014}}</ref>

⚫
In the June 3 Republican primary, McDaniel received 49.6% of the vote and Cochran 49.0%, forcing a June 24 runoff election.<ref name="Politico06032014">{{cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/primary-elections-2014-mississippi-california-new-jersey-iowa-107388.html|title=Thad Cochran-Chris McDaniel barrels toward runoff|last=Alexander|first=Burns|date=June 3, 2014|newspaper=Politico|accessdate=June 4, 2014|publisher=[[Allbritton Communications Company|Allbritton]]|location=[[Arlington County, Virginia|Arlington, Virginia]]}}</ref><ref name="nbcnews1">{{cite news|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/mississippi-runoff-bad-news-thad-cochran-n122171|title=Mississippi Runoff Bad News for Thad Cochran|last=Todd|first=Chuck|date=June 4, 2014|newspaper=[[NBCNews.com]]|accessdate=June 4, 2014|publisher=[[NBCUniversal]]|location=[[New York City]]}}</ref> McDaniel lost the runoff, 49% to 51%.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cochran beats McDaniel in nail-biter in Mississippi|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-hard-fought-mississippi-primary-cochran-fights-to-hold-off-tea-party-challenger/2014/06/24/a7262c08-fbcc-11e3-b1f4-8e77c632c07b_story.html|accessdate=June 25, 2014}}</ref>

==== Aftermath ====
In the aftermath, the McDaniel campaign claimed there were indications of voter fraud, and that about 3,300 Democrats had voted for Cochran in the runoff. The campaign said it was investigating whether the crossover voting violated Mississippi law.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wagster Pettus|first1=Emmily|title=Home> Politics McDaniel Not Giving up GOP Runoff Against Cochran|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/mcdaniel-giving-gop-runoff-cochran-24386838 |agency=Associated Press|accessdate=July 2, 2014|date=July 1, 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703001133/http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/mcdaniel-giving-gop-runoff-cochran-24386838|archivedate=July 3, 2014}}</ref> On July 2, McDaniel wrote in a fundraising pitch, "Last week's runoff election was a sham, plain and simple," and charged that Cochran "stole" the nomination.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Glueck|first1=Katie|title=McDaniel fundraising to challenge Miss. runoff |url=http://www.politico.com/story/2014/07/chris-mcdaniel-fundraise-fight-gop-primary-runoff-thad-cochran-108521.html#ixzz36M28O5Ks|publisher=Politico|accessdate=July 2, 2014}}</ref>

⚫
A day after the election results were certified by the state party, Senator [[Ted Cruz]] and some Tea Party groups backed an investigation of voter fraud in the runoff election.<ref name=AP07092014>{{cite web|last1=Espo |first1=David|title=Cruz, Tea Party Groups Want Probe of Miss. Runoff|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/miss-gop-certifies-cochran-victory-mcdaniel-24460341|publisher=Associated Pres|accessdate=July 9, 2014}}</ref> Cruz also told reporters that groups aligned with the Cochran campaign had run racially charged ads designed to persuade black voters to vote against McDaniel.<ref name=AP07092014/><ref>{{cite web|title=Cruz wants investigation of Cochran-McDaniel runoff results |url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2014/07/08/cruz-wants-investigation-of-cochran-mcdaniel-runoff-results/ |publisher=CNN|accessdate=July 9, 2014}}</ref> Regarding the ads, McDaniel said that the GOP is "a party that does not need to play the race card to win."<ref>{{cite web|title=Chris McDaniel Opens Legal Challenge in Mississippi GOP Primary Race|url=http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/08/chris-mcdaniel-opens-legal-challenge-in-mississippi-gop-primary-race/|publisher=ABC News|date=August 4, 2014}}</ref> On July 17, the Mississippi State Supreme Court rejected McDaniel's request for access to poll books without voters' birthdates blacked out, which his attorneys argued were needed to identify fraudulent votes.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Pender|first1=Geoff|title=Court rules against McDaniel in voting records appeal|url=http://www.clarionledger.com/story/politicalledger/2014/07/17/mcdaniel-cochran-records-court-ruling/12787709/|work=The Clarion-Ledger|accessdate=July 18, 2014}}</ref>

In August 2014, a Mississippi judge dismissed McDaniel's challenge.<ref>{{cite web|title=Chris McDaniel challenge tossed in Mississippi|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/chris-mcdaniel-challenge-dismissed-mississippi-110453.html#ixzz3BpaK814B|publisher=Politico|accessdate=August 30, 2014}}</ref> On October 24, the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's dismissal in a 4–2 decision.<ref>{{cite web|title=McDaniel v. Cochran |url=http://courts.ms.gov/Images/Opinions/CO98646.pdf}}</ref>


===2018 Senate campaign===
===2018 Senate campaign===
Line 65: Line 50:


==Political positions==
==Political positions==
McDaniel describes himself as a constitutional conservative and as a "[[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] guy."<ref name="unitedliberty.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.unitedliberty.org/articles/17318-chris-mcdaniel-we-need-more-responsible-people-running-the-government|title=Chris McDaniel: We need more responsible people running the government|website=www.unitedliberty.org|accessdate=March 23, 2018}}</ref><ref name="sunherald.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.sunherald.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/crawdaddy/article36565479.html|title=McDaniel explains his criticism of Libertarian Party|publisher=|accessdate=March 23, 2018}}</ref>

===Eminent domain===
===Eminent domain===
As a first-term senator in 2010, McDaniel urged his fellow State Senators to override Governor [[Haley Barbour]]’s veto of eminent domain legislation that would prevent government from taking private land for use by private companies.<ref>{{cite web|last=Harrison|first=Bobby|title=McDaniel has made waves in the Senate|url=http://djournal.com/news/mcdaniel-made-waves-senate/|publisher=Daily Journal|accessdate=April 9, 2014}}</ref> The override effort failed by two votes, but began a grassroots ballot initiative to amend the Mississippi Constitution. The ballot initiative passed the following year.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mississippi Voters Approve Eminent Domain Restrictions|url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/09/mississippi-voters-approve-eminent-domain-restrictions/|accessdate=April 9, 2014|newspaper=Fox News}}</ref>
As a first-term senator in 2010, McDaniel urged his fellow State Senators to override Governor [[Haley Barbour]]’s veto of eminent domain legislation that would prevent government from taking private land for use by private companies.<ref>{{cite web|last=Harrison|first=Bobby|title=McDaniel has made waves in the Senate|url=http://djournal.com/news/mcdaniel-made-waves-senate/|publisher=Daily Journal|accessdate=April 9, 2014}}</ref> The override effort failed by two votes, but began a grassroots ballot initiative to amend the Mississippi Constitution. The ballot initiative passed the following year.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mississippi Voters Approve Eminent Domain Restrictions|url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/09/mississippi-voters-approve-eminent-domain-restrictions/|accessdate=April 9, 2014|newspaper=Fox News}}</ref>

===Federal Reserve===
McDaniel supports auditing the [[Federal Reserve]].<ref name="sunherald.com"/>

===Foreign policy===
McDaniel describes his foreign policy as mostly [[Non-interventionism|non-interventionist]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://constitutionalclayton.wordpress.com/2014/02/16/i-met-ms-senator-chris-mcdaniel/|title=I met MS Senator Chris McDaniel|date=February 16, 2014|publisher=|accessdate=March 23, 2018}}</ref> He has said that it is wrong to call [[Rand Paul]] and [[Justin Amash]] "isolationist."<ref name="unitedliberty.org"/>

===Fourth Amendment and the NSA===
McDaniel stated that he is "not a fan of the [[NSA]]." He drafted and introduced the Fourth Amendment Protection Act, which was aimed directly at the NSA's illegal activities.<ref name="unitedliberty.org"/><ref name="sunherald.com"/>


===Healthcare===
===Healthcare===

Revision as of 02:27, 31 August 2018

This article is about the Mississippi politician. For the Kentucky politician, see Christian McDaniel.

Chris McDaniel
Member of the Mississippi State Senate
from the 42nd district
Assumed office
January 8, 2008
Preceded byStacey Pickering
Personal details
Born
Christopher Brian McDaniel

(1971-06-28) June 28, 1971 (age 52)
Laurel, Mississippi, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationJones County Junior College
William Carey University (BS)
University of Mississippi,
Oxford (JD)

Christopher Brian McDaniel (born June 28, 1971) is an American attorney, talk show host, and Republican Party politician who has served in the Mississippi State Senate since 2008.[1][2] McDaniel was a candidate for United States Senate in 2014, but lost the Republican nomination to incumbent senator Thad Cochran in a runoff election.[3]

On February 28, 2018, McDaniel announced his intention to campaign for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate against incumbent senator Roger Wicker.[4] On March 14, 2018, McDaniel withdrew from that race and declared his candidacy in the nonpartisan special election caused by Cochran's resignation.[5]

Early life and education

McDaniel was born in Laurel, Mississippi.[6][7] He is the only child of Carlos and Charlotte McDaniel.[8] He graduated with honors from Jones County Junior College[6][7] and received a B.S. with honors from William Carey University in 1994.[6][7] He then entered the University of Mississippi School of Law, graduating cum laude in 1997 with a Juris Doctor degree.[6][7][9] McDaniel resides with his family in Ellisville, Mississippi.[6][7] He is the grandson of early country singer Luke McDaniel.[citation needed]

Legal and radio career

In 1997, McDaniel entered a two-year federal clerkship with United States District Court Judge Charles W. Pickering.[7] After leaving that position, he joined the law firm Hortman Harlow Bassi Robinson & McDaniel,[7][10] becoming a partner in 2003. His areas of concentration include litigation, insurance defense, corporate law, products liability, commercial litigation, consumer products litigation, mass tort litigation, complex multi-party litigation, legislation, Constitutional law, and civil rights. He is licensed to practice law in Mississippi and Texas.[7][9][11][12] In 2010, he was named one of the top 50 lawyers in Mississippi by the Mississippi Business Journal.[9][13]

McDaniel is the former host of The Right Side Radio Show on WMXI 98.1 FM in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, nationally syndicated since 2006 by EBN Radio Network and Golden Broadcasters. The show was broadcast nationwide on ABC Radio Networks and the industry standard Starguide III system.[14] It returned to local stations after McDaniel left the show.[15][16]

Political career

McDaniel was named 2010 Citizen of the Year by the Laurel Leader Call[9] and a 2012 "Rising Star" in the Republican Party by The Clarion-Ledger.[17]

In 2012, McDaniel led a delegation to the Alamo Mission in San Antonio, Texas, for the dedication of a monument to the eight Mississippians who died when the fort was overrun in 1836.[18][19][20]

Mississippi Senate

McDaniel is a Republican who has served in the Mississippi Senate since 2008.[2]

2014 Senate campaign

See also: United States Senate Republican primary election in Mississippi, 2014

In 2014 McDaniel ran for the U.S. Senate seat occupied by Thad Cochran. He was vocal about his intention to repeal Obamacare if elected, and to work toward lowering the national debt.[21] He was endorsed by the Club for Growth PAC[22][23] and the Tea Party Express.[24] In the June 3 Republican primary, McDaniel received 49.6% of the vote and Cochran 49.0%, forcing a June 24 runoff election.[25][26] McDaniel lost the runoff, 49% to 51%.[27]

In the aftermath, the McDaniel campaign claimed there were indications of voter fraud, and that about 3,300 Democrats had voted for Cochran in the runoff. The campaign said it was investigating whether the crossover voting violated Mississippi law.[28] On July 2, McDaniel wrote in a fundraising pitch, "Last week's runoff election was a sham, plain and simple," and charged that Cochran "stole" the nomination.[29] A day after the election results were certified by the state party, Senator Ted Cruz and some Tea Party groups backed an investigation of voter fraud in the runoff election.[30] Cruz also told reporters that groups aligned with the Cochran campaign had run racially charged ads designed to persuade black voters to vote against McDaniel.[30][31] Regarding the ads, McDaniel said that the GOP is "a party that does not need to play the race card to win."[32] On July 17, the Mississippi State Supreme Court rejected McDaniel's request for access to poll books without voters' birthdates blacked out, which his attorneys argued were needed to identify fraudulent votes.[33] In August 2014, a Mississippi judge dismissed McDaniel's challenge.[34] On October 24, the Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's dismissal in a 4–2 decision.[35]

2018 Senate campaign

Main article: United States Senate special election in Mississippi, 2018

McDaniel originally declared his intent to run against Senator Roger Wicker in the 2018 Republican primary.[36][37] Then, on March 5, 2018, Thad Cochran announced he would resign effective April 1. This prompted McDaniel to switch to the special election, saying, "by announcing early, we are asking Mississippi Republicans to unite around my candidacy and avoid another contentious contest among GOP members that would only improve the Democrats’ chances of winning the open seat." He was the second candidate to enter the race; the first, Democrat Mike Espy, declared his candidacy shortly after Cochran announced his resignation.[5][38]

Political positions

Eminent domain

As a first-term senator in 2010, McDaniel urged his fellow State Senators to override Governor Haley Barbour’s veto of eminent domain legislation that would prevent government from taking private land for use by private companies.[39] The override effort failed by two votes, but began a grassroots ballot initiative to amend the Mississippi Constitution. The ballot initiative passed the following year.[40]

Healthcare

On April 9, 2010, McDaniel filed a federal class-action lawsuit on behalf of Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant and 11 other Mississippians for declaratory and injunctive relief seeking a determination that provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) violated the United States Constitution by requiring American citizens to purchase health insurance.[41][42]

Other

McDaniel has spoken at conferences held by the Sons of Confederate Veterans.[43][44][45] In 2006 or 2007 he made statements on his talk show on reparations for slavery, race, and women that Politico, The Wall Street Journal, NPR and other news organizations characterized as controversial.[46][47][48]

On January 22, 2017, McDaniel responded on Facebook to the 2017 Women's March by referring to marchers as "a bunch of unhappy liberal women" and questioned taxpayer-funded birth control.[49]

Controversies

McDaniel has said of former Attorney General Janet Reno, "I'm not even sure Janet Reno was a woman".[50] He has said that the Democratic Party is the party of "sex on demand, the party that supports the homosexual agenda."[50]

The website for McDaniel's broadcast show "The Right Side Radio Show" listed League of the South as one of its favorite websites.[50] The group is pro-southern secessionist, describing itself as a "Southern Nationalist organization that seeks the survival, well-being, and independence of the Southern people."[50] When asked about this in 2018, McDaniel's spokesperson said McDaniel "has never endorsed the League of the South and has nothing to do with them."[50]

On August 15, 2017, McDaniel claimed on his Twitter account that Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederate States Army, was opposed to slavery.[51] (Lee accepted "the extinction of slavery" provided for by the Thirteenth Amendment, but believed slavery was good for black people, publicly opposed racial equality, and opposed granting African Americans the right to vote and other political rights.)[52][53][54] He repeated the claim on August 15, 2018, retweeting the original post and claiming it was "The truth...".[55]

Personal life

McDaniel is married to Jill Tullos McDaniel, who was the 1995 Miss Mississippi USA.[56] They have two children. McDaniel is a Southern Baptist.[7][57]

References

  1. ^ "Attorney, Partner of Hortman, Harlow, Bassi, Robinson and McDaniel, PLLC". Billstatus.ls.state.ms.us. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Senator Chris McDaniel's Biography". Votesmart.org. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  3. ^ Weisman, Jonathan. "Cochran Holds Off Tea Party Challenger in Mississippi". Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  4. ^ "'It's All Downhill From There': McDaniel Jumps Into Mississippi Senate Race".
  5. ^ a b Costa, Robert; Sullivan, Sean (March 14, 2018). "Insurgent conservative Chris McDaniel switches races in Mississippi". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
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  26. ^ Todd, Chuck (June 4, 2014). "Mississippi Runoff Bad News for Thad Cochran". NBCNews.com. New York City: NBCUniversal. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
  27. ^ "Cochran beats McDaniel in nail-biter in Mississippi". Retrieved June 25, 2014.
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  44. ^ Strauss, Daniel. "McDaniel Now Says He Only Attended One Neo-Confederate Event". talkingpointsmemo.com. Talking Points Memo. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
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  46. ^ Schultheis, Emily. "Chris McDaniel audio: Slavery, race, women". Politico. Politico. Retrieved June 10, 2014. Asked, for example, about reparations for slavery, McDaniel said: 'If they pass reparations, and my taxes are going up, I ain't paying taxes.' And on having to learn Spanish, he said: 'You'll have to learn just enough to ask where the bathroom is. Baños. Baños. That's what you say.' He also, when asked to translate 'Do you have a sister?' replied, 'What about mamacita? … Mamacita works….I'm an English-speaking Anglo. I have no idea what it means, actually, but I've said it a few times, just for, you know, fun. And I think it basically means, "Hey, hot mama." Or, you know, "You're a fine looking young thing."'
  47. ^ "Miss. Senate Hopeful Chris McDaniel Riffed on 'Mamacita,' Reparations". The Wall Street Journal. April 10, 2014. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  48. ^ "Don't Call Me 'Mamacita.' I Am Not Your Mommy". NPR. June 6, 2014. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  49. ^ Williams, Angela (January 23, 2017). "Chris McDaniel slams 'unhappy liberal women' after march". Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  50. ^ a b c d e CNN, Andrew Kaczynski,. "GOP Senate hopeful's radio show listed pro-southern secession group as a 'favorite' website". CNN. Retrieved March 6, 2018. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  51. ^ Moye, David (August 16, 2018). "The Internet Schools GOP Senate Candidate Chris McDaniel About Robert E. Lee And Slavery". Huffington Post. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  52. ^ John McKee Barr. Loathing Lincoln: An American Tradition from the Civil War to the Present (LSU Press, 2014), 59.
  53. ^ Eric Foner. "The Making and the Breaking of the Legend of Robert E. Lee". New York Times (August 28, 2017).
  54. ^ Serwer, Adam (June 4, 2017). "The Myth of the Kindly General Lee". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  55. ^ https://twitter.com/senatormcdaniel/status/1029916257490018304
  56. ^ Jason, Vannatta. "Welcome To Miss Mississippi Usa And Miss Mississippi Teen Usa". Missmississippiusa.com. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  57. ^ "Carey inducts alumni". Msbusiness.com. May 27, 2012. Retrieved October 23, 2013.

External links

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