Thad Cochran Calls His Runoff Opponent An 'Extremist'

A Republican senator not known for fiery rhetoric called his runoff opponent an "extremist."

Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) had harsh words for state Sen. Chris McDaniel as the two barrel toward a rematch June 24. Neither reached the more than 50 percent of the primary vote on June 3 required to avoid a runoff.

"[McDaniel's] an extremist," Cochran said during a campaign event Tuesday, according to The Clarion-Ledger. "It'd be dangerous to have somebody like him elected."

"And what he's promised not to do, like vote for the farm bill," Cochran continued, "or whether he would vote for programs to help the poor and the needy. We have a lot of federal initiatives and if he's going to take in after all of them and cut the budget, we are going to be the state that suffers the most and to me that's a mistake."

Cochran has been highlighting the financial benefits of his Senate seniority status, in contrast to McDaniel's promises to cut spending. He faces a challenge in turning out voters for the runoff, as such elections traditionally see lower participation rates and McDaniel's supporters appear to be relatively more energized.