On Tuesday, Sen. Thad Cochran spoke to a group of several hundred Madison County business and civic leaders gathered at the Jackson Country Club. Billed as “Coffee with the Senator,” the event was actually a very nice luncheon, complete with live entertainment from the Raphael Semmes Ensemble and Derrick Burt.
The event was sponsored by the Madison County Business League and its members and supporters.
“We really feel that Sen. Cochran has done great things for Madison County through the years, and we wanted to show our appreciation” said Jan Collins, Executive Director of the Madison County Business League. “Our county has grown so much in the past 35 years, and we have to give strong credit to Sen. Cochran for helping to make that growth possible.”
Cochran was introduced by Haley Fisackerly, president and CEO of Entergy Mississippi, who worked on Cochran’s staff for several years. He credits his association with Cochran as an important part of his own success.
Currently running for his seventh term in the United States Senate, Sen. Cochran touched on some of his key campaign themes in his remarks to the group, including fiscal conservatism, improved infrastructure, a strong national defense and the need to support small businesses who are some of the most important “job creators.”
He pointed out that excessive business regulation can harm small business, and indicated that an important part of his work in Washington is to work with others to rein in the growth of such regulation.
“Madison County is one of the most proactive counties in Mississippi in terms of business growth and development,” he said, naming numerous highly successful businesses that claim the county as home.
He also touched on his work in getting the national flood insurance bill passed and signed into law, and indicated that “we will work to insure that this is properly implemented” so that property owners aren’t hit by ruinous premiums.
While there was some initial speculation that he might not run for a seventh term, he has come out in an active and vigorous campaign mode against Chris McDaniel, his Republican challenger for the seat.
At the close of the meeting, when asked whether he thinks the Republican Party will win control of the Senate this fall, Sen. Cochran replied with a smile, “Let’s just say I think we have a good chance.”
From the Mississippi Business Journal
by Alan Turner
Published: April 25, 2014
