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Tea party candidates have made gaffes before, but Mississippi Senate candidate Chris McDaniel is caught in a scandal over a secret video of his opponent's ill wife allegedly made by a supporter.

The tea party's brief history has been marred by candidates making deeply offensive comments that sent their election hopes crashing. Now, that storyline could be getting a new twist in Mississippi.

Staff writer

Mark is deputy national news editor for the Monitor.

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Chris McDaniel, who is running a tea party-fueled primary challenge against Sen. Thad Cochran (R), didn't say anything troublesome at all this weekend. Yet his campaign could be in serious trouble because of what one of his supporters did.

The supporter was arrested Friday and accused of breaking into a senior care facility and taking a video of Senator Cochran's wife, who has been diagnosed with an advanced stage of dementia and is currently bedridden. The supporter then incorporated the video into a homemade attack piece against Cochran.

There has been no claim on either side that the McDaniel campaign was behind the video. Mr. McDaniel released a strong statement Saturday morning.

"I have reached out to Sen. Cochran directly to express my abhorrence for the reprehensible actions of this individual. This criminal act is deeply offensive and my team and I categorically reject any such appalling behavior. My thoughts and prayers are with Sen. Cochran and his family. Politics is about the exchange of ideas and this type of action has no place in politics whatsoever and will not be tolerated."

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New tea party twist: Mississippi candidate in trouble for 'offensive' video (+video)