Issue #296
Chris McDaniel’s election tantrum is more than sore-loserdom
Last Wednesday marked the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a bill designed to protect the right to vote and fight racial discrimination in education, employment, and public facilities. It was a hard-fought historic accomplishment, one that changed lives and made the promise of democracy more real. It also marked another twist in the farcical campaign to be Mississippi’s Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, and it shows how far we still have to go. Calling the recent runoff election a “sham,” candidate Chris McDaniel asked supporters to fund a legal challenge to overturn the election results. “”Thanks to illegal voting from liberal Democrats, my opponent stole last week’s runoff election,” said a McDaniel campaign email to supporters. McDaniel’s statements about making sure “our Republican primary was won by Republican voters” make a lot of implications that aren’t supported by state law. Seth Michaels, Talking Points Memo, 7-3-14.