JACKSON — Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mike Espy has accepted an invitation to join incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., for a runoff debate that will be broadcast across the state live on Nov. 20.
In a press statement, Hyde-Smith said she looked forward to participating in the debate “to discuss the key issues and clear differences in this runoff election.” She accepted the invitation last week.
In April, Gov. Phil Bryant appointed Hyde-Smith to the U.S. Senate after former Sen. Thad Cochran resigned. That triggered a special election, and Hyde-Smith and Espy snagged the top two spots in the Nov. 6 election, moving on to a runoff set for Nov. 27.
Cloud ‘Hanging’ Over Hyde-Smith
A debate could present perils for Hyde-Smith. Since Sunday, her campaign has been embroiled in controversy over a video surfaced from a Nov. 2 campaign event in Tupelo. In the video, which progressive blogger Lamar White of The Bayou Brief first obtained, Hyde-Smith says she would “be on the front row” of “a public hanging” if a cattle rancher invited her.
Critics pointed out that the comment is, at best, tone-deaf. Historically, Mississippi had the most lynchings of African Americans of any Southern state, and her opponent, Espy, would be the first black U.S. senator from Mississippi since Reconstruction if he won. Hyde-Smith ignored those facts in a terse statement Sunday, calling criticisms “ridiculous.”
During a press question-and-answer session at a campaign event on Monday, reporters repeatedly tried to ask her questions about the video. Each time, though, Hyde-Smith deflected.
