The senator, who’s running for a seventh term, made an appeal for all Republicans to unite so the party can win in the fall election. That appeal came before an overwhelmingly pro-Cochran crowd.




The majority of the overflow crowd in Founders Square backed Cochran and dozens waved “Thad” signs and gave him a standing ovation.

When Cochran came out, he got a standing ovation and held he crowd very well.

“I’m running on my own and trying to do what’s best for Mississippi…” says Senator Cochran.

Republican Sen. Thad Cochran said Thursday that he’s asking for the support of Mississippi voters in November “no matter your skin color, or how much money you have.”

“If you’ve been near a television set, you might have heard or seen some things about me,” Cochran said. “Some of the pictures I saw even made me look a little bit older than I thought I was. But I’m not bothered by it — not too much.”
 
Cochran, 76, then referenced a former Neshoba County Fair speaker who once faced questions about his age — President Ronald Reagan, who spoke here in 1980. “I think Ronald Reagan turned out to be a pretty good president.”

“The past seven months have included a hard-fought primary campaign,” Cochran said before a boisterous and large crowd underneath and surrounding the tin-roofed Founders Square Pavilion where he spoke just after his Democratic challenger, Travis Childers. “I am honored to be the Republican nominee for the state of Mississippi. I accept your nomination.”

The last of the political speeches at the Neshoba County Fair wrapped up Thursday morning, and for some, it was the kickoff for the United States Senate general election.