1996Final results
1996 election for U.S. Senate in Mississippi
U.S. Senate · Mississippi
Thad Cochran (R) won with 71.0% of the vote, defeating James W. (bootie) Hunt (D) by 43.6 points.
Thad CochranRepublican · winner
71.0%624,154
James W. (bootie) HuntDemocrat
27.4%240,647
Ted C. WeillIndependent
1.6%13,861
878,662 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1996
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
No DemocratThad Cochran
—
Raised by the campaign
$787.2K
—
Spent by the campaign
$828.7K
—
Cash on hand
$600.5K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996