Former Sen. Thad Cochran, a longtime Republican lawmaker from Mississippi, died Thursday morning at age 81.
During his 45 years in Congress — six years in the House and the rest in the Senate — he ascended the heights of Washington power, becoming chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
He was among the leading edge of a Republican surge in the south that eventually saw Democrats lose their lock on the region, turning it into a GOP bastion.
He won reelection in 2014, but resigned last year amid health problems.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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