By The Associated Press

JACKSON – State Sen. Chris McDaniel says if he’s elected to the U.S. Senate, he wants to reduce federal spending and work with Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah, who were elected with the help of tea party voters.

McDaniel, who was first elected to the state Legislature in 2007, is challenging longtime U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran in the June 3 Republican primary.

The contest has been dominated recently with news about a Mississippi blogger photographing Cochran’s wife in the nursing home where she has lived the past 13 years with dementia. However, both candidates have said repeatedly that they want to discuss issues.

The Associated Press recently interviewed both candidates. Here are excerpts from the interview with McDaniel, which was done May 15 outside the state Capitol in Jackson:

AP:You’ve said many times that Thad Cochran has been in Washington too long, has spent too much money and is too liberal. Could you elaborate?

McDaniel:“He’s voted to fund Obamacare, he’s voted to increase the debt ceiling … he’s voted to increase his own pay multiple times. He’s voted to increase the U.S. share of UN peacekeeping costs. He’s voted against the border fence…. He voted to confirm Chuck Hagel. He voted to confirm John Kerry. He voted to confirm Ruth Bader Ginsburg. These are the votes of a senator who’s been in Washington so long, he’s forgotten his Mississippi conservative values.”

AP: You criticize Cochran on spending, but the Cochran camp criticizes you for some of the projects you have voted for at the state Capitol.

McDaniel: “In just the last few years, I’ve voted against more than $1 billion in bond bills…. Compare the records. He’s voted for $17.5 trillion in spending, and they claim I’ve voted for about half a billion? It’s not even a close call.”

AP: You’ve had a couple of different answers about Hurricane Katrina relief.

McDaniel:“I really haven’t.”

AP:What is your position on that?

McDaniel:“Absolutely to disaster relief…. It’s a legitimate function of government that’s supposed to be done…. When you have a bill that’s designed for disaster relief in a region, the money has to reach the intended beneficiaries of that region. You can’t have a region affected, like the Gulf Coast, and then send $55 million to Nevada or $100 million to Maine…. Likewise, we have to make sure there are structural oversights in the plan, or in the bill, where fraud, waste and abuse are curtailed.”

AP: You voted for the $17 million of tornado relief in the recent special legislative session?

McDaniel:“I did. Absolutely…. It’s a legitimate function of government.”

AP: A lot of top Republicans in this state, including former Gov. Haley Barbour, are supporting Cochran. Barbour says that if you were elected, you would be brand new and wouldn’t do the state much good. What’s your response?

McDaniel:“Well, they’re all brand-new at one point or another, are they not?”

AP: Do you think it would be good for Mississippi to receive less federal money for projects like university research?

McDaniel:“I’m not saying it’s good for any state to necessarily receive less federal money. All of the states are addicted, to some extent, to federal money…. The question is what happens if we don’t curb the abuse? What happens if we don’t become more fiscally responsible?”

AP: You’ve been criticized for your attendance record in the state Senate this year. How do you respond?

McDaniel:“I think out of 740-plus votes, I only missed 31. And of those 31, almost all were … nonbinding resolutions. I did my job.”