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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
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JACINTO, Miss. (AP) — A Republican U.S. senator from Mississippi says she wants to strengthen the nation’s border with Mexico.

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith tells WCBI-TV that she has visited with farmers living along the border, and they face threats from Mexican drug cartels.

Hyde-Smith was among 18 politicians speaking on the Fourth of July at an old courthouse in Jacinto in northeastern Mississippi.

WTVA-TV reports that Democrat Mike Espy and Republican Chris McDaniel, who are challenging Hyde-Smith in a November special election, also spoke.

Espy, a former U.S. agriculture secretary, says he will work across party lines “for the common good.”

McDaniel, a state senator, says he wants to go to Washington to help President Donald Trump.

Gov. Phil Bryant appointed Hyde-Smith to temporarily succeed longtime Sen. Thad Cochran, who retired in April.

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