"Republican" Thad Cochran nonchalant about asking Democrats to vote for him in Republican Primary Runoff, says, "Why not, I used to be a Democrat"

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"The last-minute push from Cochran allies is an attempt to save his race, which has lagged in most surveys."
 
6/18/14, "Brett Favre tries a Hail Mary for Cochran," The Hill, Alexandra Jaffe

"The most recent...long-shot effort is the push from Cochran's campaign for Democratic votes. Though there's a chance the tactic could backfire on the senator, he told a local reporter he's not concerned about pitching for Democrats because, he said, he used to be one himself....

Asked by WAPT reporter Scott Simmons about recruiting Democrats to support him, Cochran seemed unconcerned about the possible backlash.

Simmons tweeted that Cochran responded, “why not ‘I used to be a Democrat.’ ”

Cochran was indeed raised as a Democrat, but ran Richard Nixon’s campaign in Mississippi in 1968 and eventually became the first Republican to win statewide in Mississippi in a century when he was elected to the Senate in 1978.

He had, in previous interviews, expressed similar nonchalance about Democrats turning out to vote for him in the primary. In an interview with WAPT on June 9, Cochran said his “arms are open” to Democrats.

“My arms are open and welcoming and we hope that they would join our campaign and go vote on Election Day or by absentee ballot. ... We need a big turnout.”

But during a Tuesday interview with WAPT, when asked about the GOTV effort reported by The Clarion-Ledger, Cochran says, “haven’t heard that, don’t know.”

That specific effort has raised eyebrows because Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Rickey Cole suggested the man in charge of it, James Warren, may be exchanging money for votes."...

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Last minute Brett Favre ad for Thad Cochran against Chris McDaniel is paid for by the US Chamber of Commerce. "The last-minute push from Cochran allies is an attempt to save his race, which has lagged in most surveys."

3/19/14, "The Barbour Gang rides to Thad Cochran’s rescue," Politico, Alexander Burns 

"U.S. Chamber of Commerce strategist Scott Reed, who advised Haley Barbour on a possible 2012 presidential run, said the national business lobby intends to be “heavily involved” in the (Cochran) race....

“We’ll be legally coordinating with our friends, the Barbours, and we plan to strip the bark off this guy,” Reed said."...