Mississippi state House minority leader Democrat David Baria launched a long-shot bid for his state's Senate seat on Wednesday, hours after Sen. Roger Wicker Roger Frederick WickerHillicon Valley: DOJ indicts Chinese, Malaysian hackers accused of targeting over 100 organizations | GOP senators raise concerns over Oracle-TikTok deal | QAnon awareness jumps in new poll Shakespeare Theatre Company goes virtual for 'Will on the Hill...or Won't They?' Republican Senators raise concerns over Oracle-TikTok deal MORE (R-Miss.) also drew a primary challenger.





Baria's Wednesday announcement, which was first reported by Missisippi Today, gives Democrats a candidate with some profile in a deep-red state they aren't expected to win.

“I want to give voters a true choice, and I plan to spend the campaign listening to voters and working hard to earn their trust,” Baria said in a statement.

Democrats face long odds winning any statewide office in Mississippi. Aside from a Democratic attorney general, Republicans hold every other top office in the state.

But Baria's announcement puts a Democratic candidate with political experience in the race, offering Democrats a chance to pick up the seat in case of a massive Democratic wave.

Baria pointed in his interview to the Wednesday decision by Chris McDaniel, a Tea Party favorite who sparked controversy during his 2014 Senate bid, to run against Wicker as a potential opening for the Democrats.

“I think it takes a somewhat unique dynamic to see a path of victory for a Democrat in a U.S. Senate race in Mississippi,” Baria said. “In a vacuum, Chris McDaniel getting in against Wicker creates the kind of dynamic that leads me to believe that might be achievable.”

Democrats would need everything to break right for a shot in the Senate race, and it's not clear whether McDaniel winning the primary would hurt Republican chances to hold the seat.