OPINION:
What should have been an easy Senate election to win by Democrat-turned-Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi has not been so easy due to her missteps.
Mrs. Hyde-Smith defeated Democrat Mike Espy by more than 7,000 votes in the midterms. Another Democrat, Tobey Bartee, got more than 12,000 votes, and another Republican, Chris McDaniel, got 146,000-plus votes. So overall, Mississippi is a solid red state, with the Republicans leading the Democrats by more than 141,000 votes.
Last year in a special Senate election, Democrat Doug Jones defeated Republican Roy Moore in the red state of Alabama. African-American voters were crucial for Doug Jones’ victory, because exit polls said more than 95 percent of African-Americans voted for him.
Even if Mrs. Hyde-Smith manages to win, I believe a stronger Republican candidate should represent Mississippi in 2020. Mrs. Hyde-Smith clearly is no politician. After all, it doesn’t look good to be apologizing and looking down at your notes on camera. Democrats lost this Senate seat 40 years ago due to the retirement of James Eastland. It was the now-retiring Sen. Thad Cochran who made that feat possible.
Mrs. Hyde-Smith’s likely loss will surely lift the spirits of the Democrats.
TEDDYLEE GRAY
St. Ann, Jamaica
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