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>>Cindy Hyde-Smith
2018 special election campaign
Main article: 2018 United States Senate special election in Mississippi
The Trump administration reportedly did not support Hyde-Smith's appointment because of her history as a Democrat,[21][22] but in August, Trump endorsed her candidacy.[23] He stumped for Hyde-Smith in suburban northern Mississippi.[24]
Hyde-Smith declined to debate her Democratic opponent, Mike Espy, before the November 6 special election; Cochran had often done the same.[25] After she and Espy each finished with about 41% of the vote,[26] she agreed to debate Espy on November 20.[27] The runoff election was held on November 27, 2018. With nearly 99% of the vote counted, Hyde-Smith was declared the winner with 53.8% of the vote.[28][29]
Controversy
During the runoff campaign, while appearing with cattle rancher Colin Hutchinson in Tupelo, Mississippi, Hyde-Smith said, "If he invited me to a public hanging, I'd be in the front row." Hyde-Smith's comment immediately drew harsh criticism, given Mississippi's notorious history of lynchings and public executions of African-Americans. In response to the criticism, Hyde-Smith downplayed her comment as "an exaggerated expression of regard" and characterized the backlash as "ridiculous."[30][31][32][33][34][35]
On November 12, 2018, Hyde-Smith joined Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant at a news conference in Jackson, Mississippi, where she was asked repeatedly about her comment by reporters. She repeatedly responded, "I put out a statement yesterday, and that's all I'm gonna say about it."[36][37] When reporters redirected questions to Bryant, he defended Hyde-Smith's comment and changed the subject to abortion, saying he was "confused about where the outrage is at about 20 million African American children that have been aborted."[38]
On November 15, 2018, Hyde-Smith appeared in a video clip saying that it would be "a great idea" to make it more difficult for liberals to vote.[39] Her campaign said Hyde-Smith was obviously joking and that the video was selectively edited. Both this and the "public hanging" video were released by Lamar White Jr., a Louisiana blogger and journalist.[40]
In November it was noted that Hyde-Smith attended a school that was created to avoid court-mandated racial integration and made use of various confederate symbols, and that she sent her daughter to a similar school.[10][41]
Political positions
Hyde-Smith identifies herself as a conservative Republican.[43] From 1999 to 2010, she served in elected office as a Democrat. She voted in the Democratic primary in 2008[44] and described herself as having been a conservative Democrat during her tenure in the state legislature.[45] She switched to the Republican Party in 2010.
In 2012, Hyde-Smith endorsed Republican nominee Mitt Romney for U.S. President.[46] In 2018, as a Republican, she faced a primary challenge from Chris McDaniel, who criticized her past Democratic affiliation. Hyde-Smith responded that she had "always been a conservative" and had the support of Republican Governor Phil Bryant.[47] She highlighted her support for Second Amendment rights, opposition to abortion, and advocacy for the state's defense business.[48]
FiveThirtyEight, which tracks congressional votes, reported that as of May 2019 Hyde-Smith had voted with Trump's position approximately 96% of the time.