Miss. mailers compare Cochran opponent to Akin

JACKSON, Miss.–A super-PAC supporting Sen. Thad Cochran’s (R-Miss.) reelection bid is launching a talking mailer hitting his primary challenger, state Sen. Chris McDaniel, for racially-charged comments he’s made in the past.

{mosads}Mississippi Conservatives PAC, an outside group with ties to former Gov. Haley Barbour(R), is sending the mailers to Mississippi residents across the state. The mailers compare McDaniel to former Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.), best-known for his infamous comments about pregnancy and rape that cost Republicans the Missouri Senate race last cycle. 

“Why does the Wall Street Journal compare Chris McDaniel to Missouri’s Todd Akin?” the mailers ask on the front.

When they’re opened, they play a 35-second clip of McDaniel joking that the word “mamacita” means “Hey, hot mama,” as well as comments he made about a libertarian candidate for governor in 2006 “basically using her boobies” to run for office.

The comments weren’t the first controversial ones he’s made, and when they were unearthed by the Wall Street Journal, they drew renewed negative attention to his campaign. While Cochran’s considered the incumbent senator most likely to fall to a primary challenge, McDaniel’s faced a barrage of attacks and, as of the last public polling in April, still lagged the senator by double digits.

Democrats are hoping if McDaniel does win, their candidate, former Rep. Travis Childers (D-Miss.) could pull an upset in the conservative state. 

This post was updated at 1:21 p.m.