Thad Cochran in The New York Times 2010s

On Government Reform: OpEd: Earmarked spending brings federal funds to Mississippi

After Cochran announced his re-election bid Friday, the Club for Growth, who have endorsed McDaniel, put out a statement that criticized the senator for his support of earmarked spending projects, for bailing out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and for raising the federal debt limit.

But Cochran is a formidable figure in a state that has long relied on federal largess and that rarely turns over its Senate seats. He will have the support of Mississippi's political and business establishment, which are deeply worried about what losing Cochran would mean to a state that, without him, would have little seniority in its congressional delegation.