Could Mississippi Elect a Black Democratic Senator?
Odds are against an Alabama-style upset. But not for lack of trying by both Mike Espy, President Bill Clinton’s scandal-bruised agriculture secretary, and his Republican opponent, appointed Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who stirred controversy by using a phrase that makes light of hanging in a state notorious for racist lynchings. Hyde-Smith has double-digit polling leads in Tuesday’s special election runoff to replace retired Sen. Thad Cochran, but her contentious remark might inspire more Black voters — a third of the electorate — to narrow that gap.
