Senate race in Mississippi turns into racial melee

Elections

An advertisement showed Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith with black men in flowing knots.

The Republicans hoped to spend the final days of the Mississippi special election to crown Cindy Hyde-Smith as the first woman to represent the state in the Senate.

Instead, the race became a naked-finger fight, steeped in racial political help.

History continues below

Hyde-Smith's comments on her participation in a public hang-up and the crackdown on Liberal votes – her joking assertions – thwarted a contest that a week ago was considered a mere formality for the GOP . Democrats and outside allies seized on Hyde Smith's thinking to push black voters to the polls and paint it as an embarrassment to the state. They are trying to open a narrow path for Democrat Mike Espy – a secretary of the Bill Clinton-led Cabinet that would be the first African-American to represent Mississippi in the Senate since the reconstruction – as a viable alternative.

California-based PowerPACPlus Political Action Committee published an announcement presenting images of Hyde-Smith and black men hanging in a noose. The Black Voters Matter Fund, an advance voting group, has been organized in the state to energize Espy. The PAC at the Senate majority, a super-PAC of the pro-democracy Senate, is paying $ 500,000 in the state to help Espy.

Hyde-Smith's remarks "aroused much indignation among the progressive white community of Mississippi – which is a small but growing group – and also caused much outrage among African-Americans," he said. said Rickey Cole, former chairman of the governing board of the Democratic Party of Mississippi.

"Our hope is that, contrary to popular belief, instead of the participation rate going down during this period, the participation rate of Blacks actually increases," said Black Voters Matter Fund Co-Founder, Black Voters Matter Fund. .

Sign that the Republicans take the threat seriously, President Donald Trump must go Monday in Mississippi to campaign for Hyde-Smith. The outgoing Senator was appointed in April to succeed Thad Cochran and stands to fulfill his mandate.

Democrats are striving to keep Hyde-Smith's comments in the spotlight while Espy remains largely on the fray, campaigning on issues such as health care and accessibility financial college. Hyde-Smith is the undisputed favorite of the Nov. 27 win, but the GOP's staggering defeat in a special election for last year's Senate showed nothing was guaranteed.

Hyde-Smith's comments – she was filmed telling a supporter that she would be at the forefront of a public hanging when he invited her, and that the Mississippi should perhaps making it more difficult for the "liberal people" to vote – are expected to be the focus of debate on Tuesday in the only debate between Espy and Hyde-Smith. His campaign has issued statements denying any malicious intent.

Democrats say they're not under any illusions, but winning in a state as red as Mississippi is a bit more realistic after the race in the Senate last year in Alabama, when Democrat Doug Jones, backed by the support of African Americans, defeated Republican Roy. Moore Mississippi has a larger African-American population than Alabama, and arguably more active. African-Americans helped Cochran to defend himself from the state, Senator Chris McDaniel, during the second round of a Republican primary in the Senate, thus allowing Cochran to be re-elected.

Democrats believe that Espy needs at least a quarter of white voters to support him, as well as the strong participation of African-American voters to win the race. However, according to voter survey data in the first round of voting on November 6, Hyde-Smith won 57% of the vote, compared to 21% for Espy and 18% for McDaniel. Among black voters, Espy was 83% supported, while Hyde-Smith received 8% and McDaniel 3%. These figures are based on a Fox News analysis conducted in partnership with The Associated Press.

The democratic brigade is not limited to outside groups. In recent days, some of the party's most popular representatives from the black community have come to help Espy. Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) Campaigned for Espy in Mississippi. Former Mayor of New Orleans Mitch Landrieu did the same. Then, Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) Arrived in the state on Monday, the same day that former Vice President Joe Biden had approved Espy. All these figures are under consideration for the presidential election in 2020.

Substitutes used the comments to describe Hyde-Smith as a dividing factor, as opposed to Espy.

Landrieu was right about Espy with a predominantly African-American audience and stated that it was clear that they were aware of Hyde-Smith's remarks and that they they were offended.

"It reminded them of the stakes," Landrieu said in an interview Monday. "It certainly made [the race] a little more prominent than it was at the beginning ".

Harris, during his stint in the state, said: "Racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, these problems are real in this country … Let's say these truths so we can do it face".

When in a hurry, Espy said that Hyde-Smith's comments exposed him as a relic of the past.

"We are in 2018. The Mississippi is entering the third decade of the 21st century and we must have a senator who will reunite everyone, like me, without dividing," said Espy in an interview with Sirius XM. Espy added that "his comments are hurtful to all those in Mississippi, white or black."

Republicans remain optimistic about the race, but private polls have shown a reduction in the margin between Espy and Hyde-Smith.

Hyde-Smith's comments, Trump's visit, and recent popular Democrat visits among African-Americans have prompted Republicans and Democrats to expect a turnout higher than that seen in the past. special elections.

"That's the reason why Trump comes in," said an interview on Sunday the former Mississippi Senator, Trent Lott, one of the leading Republican leaders before he left the bedroom. Lott, now a lobbyist, raised funds for Hyde-Smith. It will draw the public's attention to Trump, "he said," elections will take place in a week and will take place in a week, so do not forget to come and vote. "

For most of this year, the Mississippi Senate race has been an afterthought for the Democrats who aim to elect African Americans to positions of responsibility. They focused on more publicized races, such as the Florida governor Andrew Gillum's campaign for Florida and Stacey Abrams' candidacy for governorship in Georgia.

But after Hyde-Smith's comments, Landrieu says, the focus has turned to Mississippi.

"Elections across the country were coming to an end, we had countdowns," Landrieu said. "I think in Mississippi, African Americans watching the Gillum race or the Abrams race suddenly said," We have one more thing to do here before we finish. "