As we wait for returns to come in Tuesday evening in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Mississippi, here's a data point to chew on: Outside groups have spent a whopping $8 million in the campaign. That's about double what both the candidates spent. Yes, combined.
When it came to candidate spending, McDaniel was no match for Cochran. The incumbent spent about $3 million, compared to $1 million for McDaniel.
The biggest spender overall was the Club for Growth, an anti-tax group that backed McDaniel from the outset of his campaign. The Club spent about $2.5 million.
The biggest pro-Cochran spender was Mississippi Conservatives. The super PAC designed specifically to help the senator dished out nearly $1.7 million on the campaign.
Polls showed a razor-tight race between Cochran and McDaniel headed into the day. It's also possible that we won't know the winner by this time Wednesday. With a third candidate in the race, Cochran and McDaniel could each fall short of winning a majority, thereby triggering a runoff later this month.
So, this might not be the end of the spending barrage.