The Daily Mississippian - March 7, 2018

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MISSISSIPPIAN

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

T H E S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D OX F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1

Volume 106, No. 82

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ASB elections: Over for some, others head to runoff

Presidential candidates Wister Hitt and Elam Miller and write-in secretary candidates Cady Cooper and Reagan Moody will compete in runoff election Thursday

PHOTO BY: MARLEE CRAWFORD

PHOTO BY: BILLY SCHUERMAN

LEFT PHOTO: Wister HItt (CENTER) is embraced by supporters after hearing he made it to the runoff election. RIGHT PHOTO: Elam Miller (SECOND FROM LEFT) and his supporters react to the announcement of him advancing to the runoff election. The ASB attorney general announced the officer results on the steps of the Lyceum last night.

TAYLOR VANCE STAFF WRITER

Associated Student Body candidates and their supporters gathered anxiously outside of the Lyceum last night to hear the executive officer election results. After the more than 4,000 votes were counted, the officers elected were Walker Abel for vice president, Jonathan Cox for treasurer, Alex Crouch for judicial chair and Katherine

Sistrunk for attorney general. The presidential election ended in a two-way tie. The candidates who will be in Thursday’s runoff are Elam Miller and Wister Hitt. The election was a close race, with Miller receiving 36.34 percent of the vote and Hitt getting 35.63 percent of the vote. For secretary, write-in candidates Cady Cooper, who garnered 44.99 percent of the vote, and Reagan Moody, who received 31.89 percent of the vote, will also be on the

runoff ballot. Miller said he is grateful to be in the runoff and will continue to share his ideas of transparency and allowing everyone to be involved in ASB leading up to the runoff. “I was nervous, but I’m excited,” Miller said. “There’s a lot of great candidates that ran for the election. I’m excited I made it (to the runoff), and I’m excited so many students have seen the platform.”

Hitt said he plans to do what he’s already done to prepare for the runoff and share his message of unity and respect. “It’s an honor to be here in the runoff,” Hitt said. “I hope over the next 48 hours, the energy level and the passion we’ve shown will increase.” Secretary candidate Cady Cooper said she was excited to make it to the runoff, especially as a write-in candidate.

SEE ELECTIONS PAGE 3

Ole Miss community reacts to Cochran retirement BLAKE ALSUP

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

KIMBERLY RUSSELL ONLINE EDITOR

Sen. Thad Cochran has certainly made his mark on the state of Mississippi and his alma mater, Ole Miss, during his 40 years in the U.S. Senate. And now he’s retiring. Cochran earned a psychology degree and then a law degree from the university, which is now home to the Thad Cochran Research Center that is part of the School of Pharmacy. A press release from Cochran on Monday said he will officially resign April 1 due to health problems. “I regret my health has become an ongoing challenge,” Cochran said. “I intend to fulfill my responsibilities and com-

mitments to the people of Mississippi and the Senate through the completion of the 2018 appropriations cycle, after which I will formally retire from the U.S. Senate.” Cochran, 80, was first elected to the Senate in 1978 and is the 10th-longest serving senator in American history. The Ole Miss community had a lot to say following Republican Sen. Cochran’s resignation announcement. Cody Smith, a second-year law student at Ole Miss, works as an extern for Gov. Phil Bryant’s office. During his undergraduate career, Smith worked on Cochran’s 2014 campaign. He said the senator’s departure is detrimental to the university. “Sen. Cochran was always helpful to student advocates,” Smith said. “Every time a del-

egation would go to D.C., he would meet with them personally to hear their thoughts. Ole Miss is losing one of its biggest advocates in Washington.” Smith said attacks on Cochran’s character drove him to get involved with the campaign. “Sen. Cochran represents a time where you could disagree without anger and where you could disagree on issues but still find common ground to work AP FILE PHOTO COURTESY: ROGELIO V. SOLIS for a better future,” Smith said. U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran waves to supporters and volunteers at his runoff election victory “We need more leaders in the party in 2014 at the Mississippi Children’s Museum in Jackson, Miss. mold of the ‘quiet persuader.’” Senior international business government. of the internship, the staffers and French double major Terri“Everyday felt like a made me feel like I belonged to us Harris interned in Cochran’s combination of ‘House of a family,” Harris said. office last summer. Although he said he’s sadCards’ and ‘Full House,’ as the Harris said although he work that was being done and dened by Cochran’s retirement worked with the assistant to the subjects discussed were vital announcement, especially since chief of staff rather than with to the safety and well-being of it’s due to health issues, Harris Cochran directly, he gained in- the American people, but even is choosing to focus on the legvaluable knowledge about U.S. among all of the seriousness SEE COCHRAN PAGE 3