Hyde-Smith has drawn fire for a video showing her praising a supporter by saying, « If he invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row. »
TUPELO, Miss. (AP) — President Donald Trump stumped in Mississippi on Monday for a Republican Senate appointee who wants voters to focus on her unwavering support for him, and not the racial questions that have made Tuesday’s runoff election a much closer contest than anyone expected.
« She votes for us and she votes for ‘Make America Great Again,' » Trump said at a rally in Tupelo, where he was accompanied by Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.
Trump called Hyde-Smith « a truly incredible leader and tireless champion » for Mississippi.
« She stood up to the Democrat smear machine, » Trump said, praising her for voting to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
Hyde-Smith told the crowd in Tupelo: « I worked very, very hard for you. I have stood up for you and you know I will continue to stand up for the conservative values of Mississippi. »
She has made the Trump rallies a highlight of her runoff campaign against Democrat Mike Espy, and the president thanked her on Twitter for voting for « our Agenda in the Senate 100% of the time. »
But race has become a dominant issue as Hyde-Smith faces Espy, a former congressman and U. S. agriculture secretary who would become Mississippi’s first black senator since Reconstruction.
Hyde-Smith has drawn fire for a photo showing her wearing a replica hat of a Confederate soldier, and a video showing her praising a supporter by saying, « If he invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row. »
Mississippi has a history of racially motivated lynchings and violence against people who sought voting rights for black citizens. About 38 percent of the state’s residents are black.
