Republican U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Senate candidate Mike Espy had a debate tonight before the the runoff election that will take place next week, November 27th.
On the November 6th election, both candidates hovered around 40% throughout the night, and eventually the race was called. Here’s what Mississippians from both parties had to say before and after the debate.
Before the debate, Governor Bryant made a statement on his Facebook page wishing Senator Hyde-Smith luck.
Espy also posted on his Facebook page stating that he is “ready for this state to see the clear choice they have on November 27th”.
Following the debate, public reaction spilled in on social media.
Mississippi Republican Party (MSGOP) Chairman Lucien Smith released the following statement:
“Tonight we saw a clear contrast between the two candidates,” said Chairman Lucien Smith. “Cindy Hyde-Smith spent the night highlighting her conservative record working alongside the president in support of a pro-growth agenda. Her opponent underlined his liberal policy preferences, opposing border security and lower taxes while reiterating his support for Obamacare. As was shown tonight, Mike Espy will be another vote for Chuck Schumer’s efforts to obstruct the president and roll back conservative policy successes. Cindy Hyde-Smith is a candidate of integrity who will continue working to advance good policy in the U.S. Senate by supporting our military, protecting the sanctity of life, defending our Second Amendment rights and helping grow our economy through lower taxes and less intrusive regulation. Tonight’s debate confirmed that Cindy Hyde-Smith is the clear choice on November 27th.”
Mike Espy’s Campaign Spokesman Danny Blanton also made the following statement:
“Tonight Mike Espy showed why he’s the only candidate Mississippians can trust to move our state forward. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s goal was to distract from her record because she can’t defend her comments that embarrass our state and cost us jobs. Either she cannot or will not stand on her own to protect Social Security and Medicare and make insurance companies cover pre-existing conditions. From Hyde-Smith, voters saw the same tired and divisive politics they’re sick of, while Mike proved that he is the only candidate prepared to stand up for all of Mississippi in the Senate.”
Espy spoke to the media following the debate and said:
“The style was pretty clear. They gave us both a notepad and I wrote on a couple of pages and she maybe had 30 pages,” said Espy. “She was reading everything, even her apology. I’ve never seen anything like that.”
The live Facebook video can be viewed here:
Hyde-Smith did not make an appearance following the debate, and had U.S. Senator Roger Wicker speak on her behalf.
His statement from our Facebook live can also be viewed here:
