In more evidence that no Republican candidates are completely safe heading into the 2018 midterm elections, a Democratic candidate is leading his Republican opponents in the Mississippi Senate race.
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According to The Clarion-Ledger, Democrat Mike Espy is beating his closest GOP rival Cindy Hyde-Smith by seven percentage points. The poll has Espy winning 34 percent of the vote, with Hyde-Smith carrying 27 percent and Chris McDaniel taking 21 percent.
As The Hill noted on Tuesday, “The special election to serve out the last two years of Cochran’s term will be a ‘jungle primary’ where all candidates from both parties compete in the same race. If no one gets more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two finishers advance to a runoff three weeks later.”
Given that the top two Republican candidates aren’t even pulling in 50 percent of the vote, and the fact that Democratic voters all across the country are energized to cast their vote against Trump-appeasing Republicans, this race should be considered in reach for Democrats.
According to the same The Hill report, “Democrats believe [Espy will] be able to mobilize black voters in a state where they make up more than a third of the voting-age population.”
Never say never
While it’s easy to scoff at Democratic hopes of winning a U.S. Senate seat in Mississippi – a state Donald Trump won by nearly 20 points in 2016 – recent elections show it’s possible.
In stunning fashion, Democrat Conor Lamb defeated GOP opponent Rick Saccone last month in a district Trump carried by 20 points.
In December, Democrat Doug Jones shocked the political world by defeating Trump-endorsed Republican candidate Roy Moore in Alabama – a state that the president carried by nearly 30 percentage points.
Up and down ballots all across the country, from Virginia to Missouri to Wisconsin, Democrats are showing they have the momentum heading into this fall’s elections.
Voters who stayed home in 2016 – allowing Trump to eke out an electoral victory over Hillary Clinton – won’t be staying home in 2018. They’ve seen the damage Trump has done to America, both at home and abroad, and are ready to elect as many Democrats.
Given Trump’s unpopularity and Democratic momentum, no Congressional seat is safe for Republicans in 2018.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
