By Merrill Weber
The Mississippi River divides Mississippi from New Orleans just like the Tea Party divides the Republican Party. After incumbent Thad Cochran dealt Chris McDaniel a losing hand in June’s runoff election, Tea Party candidate McDaniel turned to the Mississippi GOP for redemption. Unsurprisingly, the GOP dismissed McDaniel’s circumstantial accusations, leaving the Mississippi Supreme Court as McDaniel’s only avenue to challenge what he perceives as a corrupt election. McDaniel’s frustration over the results reflects a serious chasm within the right-wing as the Tea Party pokes a thorn into the Republican Party’s side.