Dr. Marty Wiseman, a retired director of the Stennis Institute of Government and retired professor of political science at Mississippi State University, gave his thoughts about Senator Thad Cochran, who announced he was retiring.
Dr. Wiseman said that Cochran has led the charge for republicans.
“Senator Cochran, at the time he was Congressman Cochran and Congressman Lott, kicked the door open for the republicans and proved you wouldn’t get terminal illness if you voted republican, and from them on they have led the charge for the republicans,” Wiseman said.
He also talked about what all Cochran has meant to the state.
“He followed the old school model of Mississippi sending somebody to Washington, saying ‘we’ll keep you there if you will bring home the projects and the programs that benefit Mississippians’, and Thad Cochran became a master at that,” said Wiseman. “He was a very skilled legislator regardless of who was in power.”
Dr. Wiseman also said he is a fan of Mike Espy, who announced he will be running for senator.
“He did a tremendous job when he was a congressman,” said Wiseman. “He could have been there for life, and he could have ended up being speaker of the house for that matter.”
Dr. Wiseman said that the Democrats are finally discovering who their bench is, and he thinks we’re going to see their presence in a big way for the first time in a while in all of these elections to come.
“You won’t see a sweet potato truck driver being the only option for the democrats,” said Wiseman.
He added that Republicans are going to have to saw out who they’ve got out there.
