All you need to know about the second round of Mississippi in the US Senate



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No, the election season is not over.

There are still ballots to count in some indecisive races in California, and the second round for the Mississippi Senate will end on Tuesday. This contest is more and more interesting every day.

Candidates are Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith, who was named to headquarters in April, and Democrat Mike Espy, former representative and secretary of the Cabinet in the Clinton administration.

On polling day, Hyde-Smith led the pack of three candidates, but did not reach the required 50% threshold, forcing the vote to a second round. The candidate who finished third and did not make the second round was a conservative – making Hyde-Smith the favorite for a full term. In addition, it is Mississippi – a state that Donald Trump won with nearly 58% in 2016.

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But recent events in the race have led some Democrats to believe that the competition could be competitive. Here's everything you need to know about the race.

The Republican alluded to the "public hanging". In Mississippi

The most significant story of this race is a comment made by Hyde-Smith at a campaign event in which she hired a supporter and told the crowd if he invited her to "a public hanging, I would be first rank ".

The video, posted by a liberal blogger, has become viral.

For days, Hyde-Smith refused to apologize and Walmart, among others, began to demand the return of his political donations. Then, during a debate last week, she said that she did not mean "bad will" and apologized to anyone who was offended.

By the way, while Hyde-Smith was a senator (and Democrat), she has already sponsored a bill to rename a highway after Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy.

Oh, and Espy, the Democratic candidate, is African-American.

This could be the race of Alabama Doug Jones again

During last year's special elections in Alabama's Senate, the race began with Republican Roy Moore, who had a strong lead over a moderate Democrat – then everything went downhill. In Moore's case, it was reported that he had repeatedly engaged in inappropriate behavior with teenage girls.

Finally, Jones won a surprise victory that left Democrats excited about their prospects in the mid-term elections.

But the Democratic candidate is not the next Beto O'Rourke

The last time Espy took part in the vote in 1992, he ran for re-election in the House for the last time. President Bill Clinton appointed him Secretary General of Agriculture, but Espy resigned by scandal two years later. He was later found not guilty during a corruption trial, to find out if he had accepted inappropriate gifts.

After that, he became a lobbyist, where, among other clients, he represented an Ivorian dictator for $ 750,000.

The outcome of the race counts

Although Republicans have increased their majority in the Senate in the 2018 elections, there is still a small enough margin for even one seat to block a more controversial bill, especially if some Republicans oppose a bill. particular.

But the real impact of this transfer of a seat could be achieved in 2020, when Democrats will try to win back the majority in the Senate.

James Pindell can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @jamespindell.

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