Rose Cochran, 73, the wife of GOP Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, died Friday morning, the senator’s office said.
“Senator Cochran and his family extend their gratitude to those who cared for Mrs. Cochran during her extended illness,” read a statement from Mr. Cochran’s office.
Mr. Cochran won re-election to his seat this year after surviving a runoff contest against Republican Chris McDaniel.
The race took an ugly turn in the spring when a conservative blogger supportive of Mr. McDaniel was arrested for taking pictures of a bedridden Rose Cochran, who had been suffering from dementia and had been in a nursing home.
The McDaniel camp denied involvement. Three others were also arrested in connection to the incident and one, lawyer Mark Mayfield, later committed suicide.
The blogger, Clayton Kelly, along with Mayfield, John Mary, and Richard Sager, was charged with conspiracy. Mary pleaded guilty in August.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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