Mississippi Democrats are hoping for a repeat of the political “miracle” that handed their counterparts in Alabama a U.S. Senate seat last December.
Alabama voters had not elected a Democrat to represent them in the U.S. Senate since 1986 when they chose current U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby. Shelby was elected as a Democrat in 1986 and was re-elected in 1992.
But in 1994, two years into his second term, Shelby switched parties to the GOP after Republicans won control of both houses of Congress in the 1994 mid-term elections. Shelby this week assumed the chairmanship of the Senate Appropriations Committee, a post previously held by former U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, the Republican from Mississippi who just stepped down on April 1.
Fast-forward to 2017 in the state where Republican President Donald Trump – according to the polls - enjoys his greatest popularity. A special U.S. Senate election was held to fill the vacancy created when then-Alabama Republican U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions was named to the post of U.S. Attorney General by Trump.
In that race, marred by wild sexual misconduct allegations against controversial Republican nominee and former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, Democrat Doug Jones pulled one of the biggest upsets in modern Southern political history by winning the race.
Now, in a non-partisan special election made necessary by Cochran’s retirement due to declining health, Mississippi faces a Nov. 6 special election to choose Cochran’s permanent successor. That race will pit Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith, who took office this week as Cochran interim successor in the U.S. Senate against GOP State Sen. Chris McDaniel, former Democratic U.S. Secretary of State and Mississippi congressman Mike Espy, and Democratic Tupelo Mayor Jason Shelton.
After focusing over the last couple of columns on the Hyde-Smith and McDaniel standoff for winning the votes of Mississippians predisposed to vote for Republicans, let’s take a look at the choices facing state voters predisposed to vote for Democrats.
The two Democrats who have formally entered the race are a study in contrasts – not the least of which are their ages and their political experiences.
Espy, 64, a native of Yazoo City, is the scion of one of Mississippi’s most influential black political families. He is the grandson of legendary African-American businessman and entrepreneur T.J. Huddleston Sr. Espy became the first black Mississippi elected to Congress since Reconstruction in 1986 when he unseated Republican incumbent U.S. Rep Webb Franklin. He was re-elected to that post three times.
In 1993, Espy became the first African-American to hold the post of U.S. Secretary of Agriculture after being appointed by Democratic President Bill Clinton. In 1994, Espy resigned from the cabinet post after accusations and a later 30-count federal indictment alleging that he accepted over $35,000 in illegal gifts from the industries he regulated.
Espy was in 1998 acquitted of all 30 counts, with most neutral observers dismissed as appearing to be yet another political assault through the onerous and often partisan special prosecutor system in Washington. Current Republicans in Washington are complaining about the same system today.
Espy’s brother, Henry W. Espy Jr., is the former longtime mayor of Clarksdale, a post currently held by his nephew, Chuck Espy. Chuck Espy is a former four-term state legislator. That’s where Espy’s political history may hit a snag among the state’s black voters loyal to Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, seen by many as the state’s most powerful black political figure.
Thompson, D-Bolton, defeated Henry Espy in the 1993 special congressional election that first sent him to Congress as successor to Mike Espy. Chuck Espy also was an unsuccessful challenger to Thompson for his U.S. House seat in 2006.
Shelton, 41, is the Democratic wild card in the Senate race. Outside of the northeast Mississippi media market, Shelton’s name recognition is suspect when compared to Espy. Still, his success in coalition building is evidenced by his mayoral election in a town that has long favored GOP mayor.
Those factors noted, the likelihood of the Alabama “miracle” replicating in Mississippi is slight but not impossible. Proponents of open primaries should love this special election free-for-all.
Sid Salter is a syndicated columnist. Contact him at sidsalter@sidsalter.com.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Sid Salter: Can Mississippi Democrats replicate the "Alabama miracle?"
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32 comments:
If it's between McDaniel and Espy, I'm voting for Espy!
In the past few years neither party has shrunk from hanging their hopes on seriously flawed candidates. Those candidates are often extremists appealing to the fringes of both parties in the primaries. There is no miracle when one of these oddballs loses. The miracle is when one wins. Especially when both parties offer an oddball. (See the presidential election)
I dont trust any of them!
Either McDaniel is not a Republican or I am not a Republican; therefore, I’ll vote for his opponent-no matter who he or she is-if he makes the runoff.
If it's between Reeves and Hood, I'm voting for Hood.
Give it a rest 7:53. You've already made the same comment repeatedly.
I pray they can. Mississippi needs a change in leadership so bad, and Democrats deserve a chance to try to improve our lot. We don't fund mental health programs, public schools, or senior services adequately. We need to do better for the next generation!
The special election was "made necessary" by Cochran's running for re-election when everyone knew there was no way he would be able to complete another term. He could barely campaign. Now we will be treated to a political "free-for-all". Too bad all of them can't lose.
I'm a life long white Republican (75 years old) and I'm voting for ESPY !!!!!
David Baria
9:12, you do realize this is not the ESPN website and it's the wrong time of the year, don't you?
Trump won MS by 57.9% so while that is a decline in support,it is not enough of a decline to beat Hyde-Smith any Republican except McDaniel.
McDaniel, like Roy Moore, has enough self-created baggage given his post campaign nonsense, but the insanity of some of his supporters is a bigger burden. That was true of Moore as well. Moore's supporters' defense of him , like that of McDaniel's supporters, too often crosses the line to a level of crazy and stupid that can't be ignored. Worse, neither candidate had the judgement to disavow the political insanity.
It's Hyde-Smith's election to lose, but there are signs she might if she isn't disciplined and can't control her campaign. She's already made some statements she will hear about again and if she's smart , she'll have recognized those weaknesses and have a calm, non-defensive response ready when reminded.
Since neither of the Democratic candidates have ever embraced the positions of the extreme left wing of the Democratic party, don't suffer from diarrhea of the mouth or key pad, are more like moderate Republicans, and have a decent record of accomplishment in government, this election could be close.
It is very hard for me to understand people who will vote for a proven criminal.
Blah, blah, blah. Sid, please try to come up with something original.
I won't ever vote for a Republican again in my lifetime. You just can't keep enabling a disastrous guy like Trump.
8:32, you said "Democrats deserve a chance to try to improve or lot". Errrr, where ya been the past 50 years or so ? Democrats dominated our state government for at least 50, if not more, years, and did not improve our lot. It was only in the past 10 years that Republicans became the majority party in power here. (Don't get me wrong, I'm not sure the Republicans have improved our lot either, but to say "give the Democrats a chance" when they had a very, very long chance and failed, is disingenuous at best.)
Just curious, but who does Jason Shelton entering the race hurt or help ? Does he pull some conservative north MS voters away from Hyde-Smith or McDaniel, or does he pull some Democratic voters away from Espy ? Or both ?
Kingfish 9:32
That ... was funny.
Republicans make it difficult for the voter who wants authentic conservatism and smaller government. The Barbour/Cochran wing of the party has distinguished itself by failing to stand firm on issues of significance to conservatives like immigration and getting rid of Obamacare. Managers of the gradual decline, they seem satisfied to just let things continue to get worse and worse, with no real action except virtue signaling "bipartisanship". They are primarily, if not exclusively, responsible for Donald Trump being president. They have been better friends to lobbyists for protected corporate interests than they have been to small business. They never had any intention of repealing Obamacare.
At the same time, the Trump/McDaniel wing hasn't made itself easy to support either. Trump seems to be a more principled conservative, at least on some issues like border enforcement and cutting taxes, but the man can't keep his mouth shut (or his twitter silent) when he needs to most. He has done some good things and could be a "winning" president by just acting and letting his actions speak. McDaniel failed to simply concede that he got beat by Cochran and hurt his standing in the eyes of many. Whether he lost as a result of Barbour shenanigans or fairly is open for debate, but once he lost, he should have done so with dignity and let it go until the next round.
It's all very frustrating for those of us who simply want honest, limited government at the federal level. I suppose that's a pipe dream, but it is one that should not be given up on. The answer is not, as some on here suggest, to vote for Mike Espy, who is not a conservative and won't govern like one in Washington. Should we trust Cindy Hyde Smith to be different from Cochran? Maybe so. Tough choice but that may be the way to go.
In an open election Shelton hurts all three of the other candidates in NE MS but probably Espy the most.
Extreme times always call for extreme measures. This is why McDaniel will be elected. This is why Trump was elected. This is why I voted for him. This is why Bush the Younger was elected. In Clinton's embarrassing, declining white house years the Repubs could have run a painted gourd and won the presidency.
Espy hasn't got a snowball's chance in hell notwithstanding that constant yapper on here who posts four times a day that he's voting for him. On election day, that yapper will be sitting at Starbuck's, wearing sandals, and will have forgotten which day the polls are open.
9:46,
Why are you surprised...Downtown Jackson Partners voted to keep Ben Allen, a known convicted felon.
Doesn't change my mind....I'm voting for ESPY !!!!!!!!!!
Thanks,
A Republican
11:39, I hear what you're saying. But in my humble opinion, it is the extremists (both left wing and right wing) that caused the extreme times we're now facing. I don't think we need more extremists, again either left wing or right wing. I think we need more moderates who will actually sit down and talk to one another to try to resolve a problem, versus extremists on both sides yelling, threatening and degrading one another, not listening to the other, and not accomplishing anything.
Whether he lost as a result of Barbour shenanigans or fairly is open for debate ...
No debate. Black Democrats were the margin of victory for Cochran.
Vote for Mike Espy?
10:51 Glad someone besides me got that.
April 11, 2018 at 8:18 AM "Either McDaniel is not a Republican or I am not a Republican..." EXACTLY! I thought I was until he said he was!
And 11:56, agree 100%. Extremists get us nowhere.
I will be voting for Mike Espy and David Baria. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker are huge disappointments. They should be voices for Mississippi but are instead cheerleaders for Trump who will soon be indicted. I worked for Cochran in the last election.
I'm certainly not in favor of every decision Phil Bryant has made but I think he made a smart one here. Lots of folks have decided in the last few years to pass judgement on Senator Cochran for possibly having a relationship with someone other than his wife. His wife who we know was in the advanced stages of dementia and bed bound. The same folks who will support the current President. That aside, Senator Cochran was a work horse. He got agriculture bills passed that benefitted Mississippi by researching and studying other states and finding out what they needed and creating partnerships with other senators. The same thing with the defense funding that created and continues to create jobs in this state. Mississippi doesn't have the luxury of show horses. We need work horses. Chris McDaniel is a show horse and while he will make the Sunday rounds he doesn't have a chance in hell of building the kinds of relationships needed in this state. By all accounts Cindy Hyde Smith is a work horse and will study and learn what she needs to assist this state.
Sid Salter, alias Captain Obvious, strikes again.
But see Betteridge's law of headlines.
"As chairman of the U.S. branch of the Royal Commonwealth Society, I heartily agree with this proposal and intend to send a letter of support for the Queen.
For 70 years now she has sought peace and prosperity for RCS’ 53 member nations. She has labored to right the wrongs of the past and to ensure the well-being of those once oppressed. Since 1952, Her Majesty has been a strong voice for the English-speaking people of the world. She well-deserves this recognition. I support Cindy Hyde-Smith, apple pie and the Queen of England and I used to have a four-oh-wun-kay. 🇺🇸️ 🇬🇧️"
{Feel Brant}
And this morning Feel's handlers have posted yet another video of him congratulating Cindy Smith for the fine job she's doing in Washington.
The man has obviously spiraled either into pre-dementia or an alternative universe where he actually believes people hang on his every freaking utterance.
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