An unhappy challenger was dealt another blow in his quest to upend Mississippi's Republican race for the U.S. Senate.
Mississippi state Sen. Chris McDaniel (R), who edged out Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) in the Republican primary only to lose by 7,667 votes in a June 24 runoff, had petitioned for a review of poll books containing voter information, in order to root out what he says was systemic fraud and illegal voting.
McDaniel's attorneys had requested to see poll books containing birth dates and other information to identify voters with similar names. The state's Supreme Court ruled Thursday that allowing for that type of examination would be illegal and violate voter privacy.
McDaniel and his supporters argue that Cochran won because people who voted in the Democratic primary illegally cast ballots in the Republican runoff. His supporters have been working to find evidence of such crossover voting in poll books from counties with higher concentrations of Democratic voters.
After the ruling, the challenger's legal team asked the court to rehear their case.
"In addition to asking for our case to be heard by the entire Court, we will also ask for the opportunity to present oral arguments," McDaniel attorney Mitch Tyner said in a statement. "The integrity of every future statewide and district wide election hinges on this decision."
At a Wednesday press conference, Tyner said he expected McDaniel campaign's would challenge the runoff's outcome "within the next 10 days." The campaign hasn't yet presented specific evidence of fraudulent or illegal voting.
McDaniel set off on a statewide "Truth and Justice Tour" to keep beating the drum for his cause on Thursday.
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