Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS), who has been the subject of retirement rumors in recent weeks, has still not decided if he will seek a sixth term in 2008, but is telling local media that he will announce his plans in "a few weeks."

Republicans maintain that Tuesday night's re-election of Gov. Haley Barbour (R) underlines Mississippi's Republican trend, but Democrats have a bench of former statewide office holders here and would like to mount a serious challenge for Cochran's seat should it open up.