MISSISSIPPI: Tea Party Challenger Loses GOP Runoff To Sen. Thad Cochran

Just like the primary, the runoff was very close. Cochran wasn't declared the winner until nearly all the precincts were in. Breitbart claims that McDaniel is already mulling a legal challenge to the tally:

A source close to McDaniel told Breitbart News that is considering legal challenges over ballots. Democrats who voted for Cochran on Tuesday but voted three weeks ago in the Democratic primary in the state were not allowed to vote in Tuesday’s election. Election results indicate Cochran's late appeal to Democratic voters paid off, with the incumbent senator picking up sizable vote totals in precincts with heavily black populations. Partisanship in Mississippi is largely polarized on racial lines, and Cochran allies paid key Democratic operatives to help turn out the vote.

Attention in the wake of the race is likely to focus on Cochran's efforts to drive Democratic turnout. A top election law expert, J. Christian Adams, as well as top Democratic party officials, said that Mississippi law prohibits individuals from voting in the Republican primary unless they intend on voting for the winner of the primary in the general election. However, some Cochran supporters openly said they planned to vote for the Democratic nominee in the fall. Additionally, allegations flew that Cochran allies were using “walking around money” to incentivize Democrats to the polls. Democratic Party chairman Rickey Cole, for instance, said Cochran operatives were paying people in the black community to donate to Cochran.