Eyes Turn to Mississippi Senate Races Where Both Parties Are Now Investing Millions, as Trump, Harris Travel to State

One of the reddest states, Mississippi, in the nation is seeing an influx of campaign cash now that this year’s Senate race has become surprisingly competitive. Republicans are so nervous about a potential upset that President Trump himself is set to travel to the state for a rally next week. Though it’s known as one of the country’s most heavily Republican states, Democrats have made some big bets in the past. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican appointed to the seat in 2018, faced off against one of President Clinton’s former agriculture secretaries, Mike Espy, who lost that year’s special Senate race by only seven points. In a 2020 rematch, Mr. Espy lost by ten points in a much redder electorate. Now, Ms. Hyde-Smith is facing off against Scott Colom, the district attorney for the 16th judicial district in the eastern part of the state. Mr. Colom launched his campaign against Ms. Hyde-Smith last year after she personally blocked his nomination to be a federal district court judge during the Biden administration. Mr. Colom says Mississippi deserves better than the woman he refers to as “Cindy High-Prices.”This week, Senate Democrats’ outside spending groups poured more than $1 million into the race to boost Mr. Colom, a prosecutor who has pitched himself as a moderate, tough-on-crime Democrat who can win over voters in rural parts of the state. Mr. Colom began running an ad last week featuring Ms. Hyde-Smith’s comments from a news interview she did earlier this year in which she urged Mississippians to choose “proteins” other than beef in order to save money. “Pick another protein?” voters ask in the direct-to-camera ad after Ms. Hyde-Smith’s comments are played. “I’d rather pick another senator.”Republicans have decided to invest money, as well, after Democrats announced their $1.2 million ad reservation. The Senate Leadership Fund — the Senate GOP’s main super PAC — will spend upwards of $1 million to save Ms. Hyde-Smith. The first ad reservations were filed on Thursday. The decision by Republicans to start spending money on their candidate’s behalf was first reported by Semafor. Mississippi will see far more than just ads on television, however. According to the Republican National Committee, Mr. Trump will hold a rally on Monday with Ms. Hyde-Smith at Corinth, Mississippi, about 100 miles northeast of Oxford. The rally plans were announced as several election forecasters moved the Mississippi Senate race out of their “safe” Republican columns to their “likely” Republican columns. Mr. Trump seemed aware of the Mississippi plans as he left the White House on Thursday, telling reporters that he would be happy to go if they needed him. “I mean, I’m pretty well booked-up,” the president said, “but if I need to go, I’d go.”Democrats are also heading to the state to help their nominee. On Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris held a rally at Columbus, Mississippi — Mr. Colom’s hometown — after the two attended a nearby roundtable focused on healthcare. According to Mr. Colom’s campaign, more than 1,000 signed up to attend the rally with Ms. Harris. Earlier this week, Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia — who is thinking about running for president — visited Mississippi to hold events with Mr. Colom as part of his own swing through the Deep South. Reverend Warnock says Mississippi — the state with the highest share of Black residents in the country — could be a blue state if Democrats were willing to put in the work. “I’m here because I’m tired of the South being overlooked or diminished in terms of its electoral importance,” Reverend Warnock told reporters at a campaign stop this week. “We ignore the South at our own peril. Democrats are investing here. I would like to see more, for the sake of the country.”

Eyes Turn to Mississippi Senate Races Where Both Parties Are Now Investing Millions, as Trump, Harris Travel to State

Eyes Turn to Mississippi Senate Races Where Both Parties Are Now Investing Millions, as Trump, Harris Travel to State

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