Brett Favre Goes Long for Cochran

Mississippi-born NFL legend Brett Favre is tossing his support to Mississippi Republican Sen. Thad Cochran in a new campaign advertisement aimed at scoring a runoff win for the incumbent against tea party-backed rival Chris McDaniel.

The three-time League MVP and former Southern Mississippi star praises Cochran as the state's "strong voice in Washington" in the spot financed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has been one of Cochran's biggest allies, reporting a half-million dollars in independent expenditures so far on ads supporting the senator's bid for a seventh term, Politico reports.

Favre, sporting a beard, makes his endorsement perched on the back of a utility vehicle on a golf course.



"I've learned through football that strong leadership can be the difference between winning and losing," he says. "Mississippi can win, and win big, with Thad Cochran as our strong voice in Washington."

"Thad Cochran always delivers, just like he did during [Hurricane] Katrina," Favre, who made his name with the Green Bay Packers, adds.

The Gulfport, Miss., native also touts Cochran's help with education funding, a big campaign issue. McDaniel called federal spending on education unconstitutional, the Clarion-Ledger reported.

Favre is Cochran's first high-wattage celebrity endorsement. McDaniel has political heavyweights in his corner, including Sarah Palin and Rick Santorum, and also landed an endorsement from game show host Chuck Woolery, the Clarion-Ledger reported.

The newspaper said Favre's endorsement could help Cochran most in southern Mississippi, especially around the Hattiesburg area, where McDaniel had his strongest showing in the deadlocked primary that forced a runoff set for June 24.

Cochran has been lagging in most polls, and his campaign has resorted to pushing for Democratic votes, the Clarion-Ledger reported Tuesday.

But the tactic could backfire, and the conservative Club for Growth ran a recent ad accusing Cochran of trying to "hijack" the runoff with Democratic votes, The Hill reported.

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