McDaniel’s political future had been an open question in Mississippi since his defeat.
Some believed he might wait to either challenge Cochran in 2020, or run for Cochran's seat if the 79-year-old senator stepped down for health reasons in the interim.
With his state’s filing deadline on Thursday, McDaniel had to make up his mind. But a bid wouldn't preclude him from running for Cochran's seat if he was to retire at some point before the primary, and would put him in a strong position if he's already campaigning statewide. The state senator is no question a tougher candidate than he was in 2014 - he has supporters and experienced gleaned from his last statewide bid as well as a super PAC in his corner that has about $1 million in the bank