I'm hereby calling the Mississippi Senate race for Hyde-Smith

[sandensea]

This is based on my reading of the AP's real-time map of returns, and my knowledge of the state from the several years I lived there.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/live-mississippi-senate-runoff-election-results

With 60% of the vote in, Espy is getting only 44%.

There just isn't enough left in the Democratic-rich Delta and Hinds County (Jackson, the capital) to allow him to overcome that, I'm sorry to say.

[cilla4progress]

1. Wow.

Sorry for them.

[sandensea]

4. Same here.

Espy ran as good a campaign as anyone could have, and did as well as anyone could expect.

By any objective standard, the better candidate lost; but there's just so much racial hatred there.

[elleng]

2. and you feel a need to announce it here?

[sandensea]

3. For anyone that might be interested.

Not all the important news can be good news, unfortunately.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

5. Thanks. I turned it off. Funny, but you can tell

By the way MSNBC and CNN announce that they know the end game.

[sandensea]

10. I hear you.

Still, with a likely 45-46% of the vote Mike Espy has done better than any Democratic Senate candidate in many years.

There's real hope for 2024.

[Tipperary]

16. Do we not care about political news here?

I mean, why do you object?

[sandensea]

23. It's alright.

These weren't exactly good news, and those are never easy.

2024 will be better in MS.

[Va Lefty]

6. Disappointed, but not really suprised

only good thing out of this result is that she'll have to run again in '20

[bearsfootball516]

7. Getting presidential turnout in 2020 probably helps her.

Lot of Trump voters probably stayed home tonight, and they’ll be going to the polls and voting straight party in 2020.

[sandensea]

9. It was definitely a longshot - almost Quixotic.

But absolutely: there's always a next time.

And with a likely total of 45-46%, Espy can certainly be proud of the result. It's the best for any Democratic Senate candidate in many years.

By 2024, there'll be some real hope for change down there.

[awesomerwb1]

8. Shocker

[karynnj]

11. Thanks for your informed opinion

That kind of looked to be the case looking at the NYT map. Apparently NBC just called it for Hyde-Smith.

[sandensea]

14. You're welcome.

Wish it had turned out differently of course; but with about 45%, Espy did better than any Democratic Senate candidate down there in many years. He ran a good campaign, and can be proud of tonight's result.

2024 will be better.

[karynnj]

24. I agree that he ran a great race

I was trying to follow the returns using the NYT web site and a county map of Mississippi showing the % African American. I then had to look for a map showing the population by county. The comparisons that MSNBC had showing that he out preformed Obama (and by even more - Clinton) had made me hopeful and curious enough to try to follow it.

It is a shame that such a terrible person will remain the Senator.

[sandensea]

26. Thanks for those. I'll look them up.

Just from some of those county results, I can tell you that Black turnout was decent but not nearly enough to create an Alabama surprise.

Many of them, I suspect, may have been intimidated into staying home or at work.

It's a tradition down there, sorry to say.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

29. Yes...why we were so despondent here in TX...being stuck

ith Cruz for six effin more years. At least you can get rid of a gov or rep or even prez in less time.

[sandensea]

34. I can't help but suspect Rafael stole that one

Lots of electronic machines switching votes from Beto to the Doughboy, reportedly.

[Recursion]

12. Yep

Mississippian here. This is true.

[sandensea]

17. It was a longshot at best - but Espy did as well as could be expected from any Democrat there

Definitely gives one more hope for 2024 - and hey, time flies.

[brooklynite]

13. Espy needed one of three very unlikely scenarios...

1. The Chris McDaniel votes went to Mike Espy

2, A significant share of Cynthia Hyde-Smith votes switched to Mike Espy

3. A very large share of Democratic/African-American non-voters decided to vote in the runoff

[sandensea]

19. Excellent recap.

To paraphrase Rumsfeld: candidates run in the electorate they have, not the ones they wished they had.

[at140]

15. It is Mississippi after all, and that was expected?

and thanks for posting based on your personal knowledge of the state.

[sandensea]

22. You're welcome. Any Democrat who runs for statewide office is a brave soul almnost by definition.

Wish it had turned out differently of course; but Espy did better than any Democratic Senate candidate down there in many years. He ran a good campaign, and can be proud of tonight's result.

2024 will be better.

[SoCalDem]

18. Whoopeee..... the she-racist for the win,...

..obviously

[sandensea]

20. Sad, but true.

She should be ashamed of herself, and more Mississippi voters should've been ashamed of her.

Maybe one day soon they will be.

[world wide wally]

21. Never expected anything else

I still wonder why they are even part of the United States.. They are still Confederates. (Traitors to the USA)

[sandensea]

25. A lot of the white voters there really are - but by no means all.

People can change - albeit gradually. And they will.

[GulfCoast66]

27. Because without Federal dollars they would be a 3rd world country

I go thru and stay in Mississippi a couple of times a year. They prove they will vote racist vs self interest. The more federal funding reduces the poor they will become. Their industries; cotton, corn and beans compete with 2nd and 3rd world nations. Left to their own devices that is what they would be.

Except for the gambling coast.

[sandensea]

30. Pretty much

It was disappointing to see Lafayette County, home of Ole Miss, give Hyde-Smith a win, albeit by a 2-point margin.

Ole Miss, and the city of Oxford around it, is the very epitome of just what you described: basically a very pretty federal pork satellite; but one in which a lot of voters just aren't aware (or don't care) just how dependent they are on taxpayer largesse.

[GulfCoast66]

32. One correction to your post...

Blue state taxpayer largesse! Otherwise agree 100%

[sandensea]

33. +1

[Initech]

28. Gross. Just... fucking gross.

Seriously, Mississippi, you can do better than that.

[sandensea]

31. A state sweltering with the heat of oppression, as Dr. King put it.

It's more subtle now; but that's still there.

[Stand and Fight]

35. Were people here honestly expecting anything more from Mississippi?

I mean, how delusional are people about how deep racism is in this country? It's a-okay -- even by some so-called liberals.

[sandensea]

36. It's lonely being a white moderate or liberal in Mississippi, no doubt about that.

They're there - but at most as only 20% of the white voters.

The rest are stuck with one foot in the 1950s, and the other in the 1850s.

They do love 21st-century federal pork though (MS is the nation's most dependent state).

[roamer65]

37. That should be cut to zero.

I am getting tired of funding these stupid religious nutbag states.

[sandensea]

39. There goes Ole Miss, I can tell you that.

It always gave me a good chuckle when I heard the local Republicans pound their chests about "cuttin' pork." I don't know who, exactly, they thought was keeping them high on the hog (so to speak).

I remember when their former school chancellor was fawning over Dan Quayle. He was convinced Potatoe-head would be the next president in '96.

Oh, well.

[grantcart]

38. Thanks for the update

There is one upside. Two dozen national reporter's are going to follow her and make all the other Republicans have to defend what she says.

[sandensea]

40. You're welcome.

Sad news; but hardly surprising ones.

Still, at 46% Espy did better than any Democratic Senate candidate there since '88.

2024 looks good for them, I think.