Mississippians head to the polls again today to select between two Republican Senate candidates — incumbent U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran and challenger state Sen. Chris McDaniel.

McDaniel, considered a dark horse candidate by most political experts, gained popularity through a high-dollar campaign largely funded by out-of-town political action committees.

To the shock of many long-time Republican Party members, McDaniel pulled in more total votes than Cochran in the first primary, but lacked gaining a majority of votes.

Today, as voters head back to the polls for the primary runoff, Mississippians will decide on experience or youth and on a pledge to help bring money to Mississippi and one aiming to curtail it.

Cochran who has served in the U.S. Senate since 1978 has brought piles of federal money to Mississippi through the years — it’s among his biggest feathers and his biggest points of political vulnerability, too.

Many Mississippians look around the highly impoverished state and suggest bringing federal dollars to Mississippi is not only a good thing, it’s a great thing. They say such federal spending helps equal the inequalities Mississippi faces.

McDaniel suggests such spending is a waste of taxpayer money and aims to end it. He cannot do this alone, mind you, but if enough Tea Party politicians get elected perhaps that’s possible.

At the moment, McDaniel and other Tea Party candidates seem long on sound bytes and short on specifics of what, exactly, they can do alone.

The challenge for voters will be determining which path is better for Mississippi’s future. Regardless of what you think, we urge you to vote today.