The Senate elects the leadership position and it is “by tradition” given to the longest-serving senator of the majority party. Cochran, 80 is now third in line for the presidency, behind the Speaker and vice president. To allow Cochran to win the seat, Republicans must maintain majority control in 2018, and Cochran would have to continue serving – both of these are under threat. Republicans only have one seat left to give before losing a majority, with the Alabama Senate seat being handed to Doug Jones by Democrats in December. Democratic operatives believe that several Senate seats currently held by Republicans could be up for grabs in 2018. Cochran has been suffering from a variety of health issues in recent weeks. At least one of his Senate colleagues publicly stated that the senator will retire in 2018 before his term ends. Hatch, 83, is a member of the oldest U.S. Senate. Cochran is also 83. Hatch has been a senator for 40 years. At 38 years, Cochran is the longest-serving Republican senator. Cochran’s friend, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), has been in the Senate for longer but would not be eligible for pro tempore due to the current Republican majority. Cochran is the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, which controls hundreds of billions of dollars in spending each year and steers much of it to Mississippi. Due to Senate term limits, Cochran’s chairmanship will expire in 2018. Mississippi could benefit from a Cochran promotion for 2019._x000D