PASCAGOULA, Mississippi — The Pascagoula Metal Trades Council, which represents nearly 6,000 craft workers at Ingalls Shipbuilding, today endorsed U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran for reelection.
Cochran faces challenger state Sen. Chris McDaniel, who is tea party-backed, in a June 24 Republican primary runoff.
“The continued operation and health of the shipyard is vital not only to these workers but also to the economic prosperity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast area and the nation’s military readiness,” Pascagoula Metal Trades Council President Mike Crawley said in a news release.
The announcement came as Cochran made a campaign stop to meet with Jackson County business leaders at Merchants & Marine Bank in Pascagoula on Thursday afternoon.
Business leader Jerry St. Pe said the announcement makes it “loud and clear what the people who built that shipyard think about Thad Cochran.”
McDaniel “has demonstrated a position that rejects federal investment in states and programs,” the release said. “His position on federal funding raises the very real possibility that he would fail to support such investments, even when they are needed to assist community devastated by natural disasters or economic challenges.
“The Pascagoula shipyard is too important to the state of Mississippi, the employees of Ingalls Shipbuilding and our national defense to risk the possibility that McDaniel might replace an experienced U.S. senator who has supported manufacturing and infrastructure development,” the council said.
Gulflive
6/12/14
Magnolia Tribune
