On Friday, Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith received the endorsement of the Mississippi Association of Realtors, but she continues to operate without President Trump’s endorsement.
Hyde-Smith obviously has the Governor’s support after he appointed the former Commissioner of Agriculture to the seat in the wake of Thad Cochran’s retirement, but Trump has yet to follow suit.
Hyde-Smith has four opponents for the seat, and those opponents include State Senator Chris McDaniel (R), Tupelo Mayor Jason Shelton (D), former Congressman Mike Espy (D), and Gautier resident Tobey Bartee (D). So, while Trump hasn’t endorsed Bryant’s appointee, he hasn’t endorsed anyone else either. Governor Bryant says that after Republicans lost in both Alabama and Pennsylvania, he believes that the President will stay out of the race for now, and he agrees with that strategy.
“I think it’s a very wise idea…If I were them, I would do the same thing. I don’t want to help the Senator win this in August or September, I want her to win it in November. So, we’ll see as the President moves along, and understands how important it is to have Cindy Hyde-Smith in the United States Senate,” Governor Bryant said.
For now, Hyde-Smith is not concerned with the President’s endorsement, and she says that while it is a lengthy process, it is underway.
“I’m the senator from Mississippi, and the people in Mississippi are the ones that are going to support me,” Hyde-Smith said. “I have a very good relationship with the President, and no that doesn’t concern me. There’s a lot of steps to get there, and we are going through those steps, and we’re going to be absolutely fine.”
When asked if she believes if she’ll have Trump’s endorsement when it comes closer to election day, she said that she cannot speak for him, but said that they have had “very good meetings.”
Governor Bryant and President Trump’s friendship has been well-documented, and it was widely reported that Trump wanted the Governor to fill Cochran’s seat. Governor Bryant decided not to run, and instead, he put his support behind Hyde-Smith. As the campaign moves along, the Governor will not pressure the President into endorsing Hyde-Smith, but he also reiterated that there have been positive meetings between the new Senator and the President.
“When the President decides to make an endorsement, if he does, we would welcome that endorsement. There is not an effort by me to push on the President or take advantage of our friendship; he’ll know when the time comes to endorse Cindy Hyde-Smith,” the Governor said.
Governor Bryant also praised Hyde-Smith’s actions of supporting legislation in D.C. to help registered gun owners as they cross state lines and voting for a bill to help speed up the process of confirming President Trump’s judiciary appointees. The campaign will only get more intense in the coming months, and Hyde-Smith says that she is ready to go.
“There’s not anybody out there that can outwork me,” Hyde-Smith said. “I am a fierce campaigner, I’ve been through campaigns before. I know what it takes, and it takes a strong start and a strong finish, and we plan to be there every step of the way.”
The race to replace Senator Thad Cochran in the U.S. Senate will conclude on November 6, and because this is a special election, there will be no primary. This means that all of the candidates will appear on the election day ballot. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote a run-off will be held on the 27th.
