Mississippi state Sen. Chris McDaniel announced Wednesday that he has changed his mind and will run for Sen. Thad Cochran’s (R-MS) seat after Cochran announced his retirement earlier this month. “I wanted you to be among the first to know that I will run for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Senator Thad Cochran,” McDaniel wrote in a statement on his Facebook page. “The seat will become open on April 1, the date of Cochran’s retirement.” McDaniel previously sought to primary Republican incumbent Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), but President Trump endorsed Wicker for re-election. “It’s no secret that the Mississippi Republican establishment has been coordinating with Mitch McConnell to do everything in their power to keep me from getting elected to the United States Senate just as they did with Mo Brooks in Alabama,” the statement continued. “Mitch McConnell wants to hand-pick our next senator. I understand why. It’s because they know that I won’t be answering to Mitch McConnell, I’ll be answering to the voters of Mississippi and putting them first.” McDaniel narrowly lost to Cochran in a highly contentious 2014 Republican primary. —Gideon Resnick
