Jackson Free Press

Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith said her reelection indicates that Mississippians approve of her work in the last two years while speaking about her victory over her Democrat opponent, former U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy.

"What we find out today is that Mississippi is not for sale at all. And the only thing better than beating Mike Espy is to beat him twice," she said Tuesday as it became apparent that Mississippians had chosen her for her first full six-year term in Washington, D.C. "We felt really good coming into the night; I have covered this state campaigning, and I was speaking to people, I was seeing their reaction and how they responded to me, and we knew we had overwhelming support."

With 77% results reported at press time, Hyde-Smith led Espy by double digits, with 55.9% of the vote against 42.2% for her challenger with over a million votes counted. So far, that is a wider margin of victory for Hyde-Smith than in the 2018 special election to fill long-time Sen. Thad Cochran’s open seat. Then, Hyde-Smith defeated Espy 54.6% over 46.4%. Libertarian Jimmy Edwards stood at 1.9% percent as of this morning.

In his concession speech, Espy thanked his staff and said he is leaving politics behind, for now, to return to his law practice.

Hyde-Smith said the election was pivotal for the people of the state, and promised to be a senator for all Mississippians while citing issues that appeal more to conservatives.

"Mississippians sent a message today," she said. "They like the fact that I am fighting for unborn children, the Second Amendment, the military, we are confirming conservative judges like Amy Coney Barrett, that is what they like, and that's why they are sending me back, and I will continue to do that."

"Money flowed in (for my opponent)," she said. "Today, we sent a message that Mississippi is not for sale, not to outsiders. The people of Mississippi voted, and they elect the people that they want to represent them."

In recent weeks, and especially in the wake of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, Espy raised millions of dollars more than Hyde-Smith, who refused to debate him and allowed limited media interviews.

On job creation, Hyde-Smith said that stabilizing the economy is her priority. "We want everyone to have the dignity of a job, and you have to make sure that we have an environment that we can prosper in, and small business and large business can grow so they can employ people to provide that." On health care, she said she supports bringing down the cost of pharmaceuticals and the coverage of pre-existing conditions in health insurance.

While introducing Hyde-Smith at her victory party held at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum, Gov. Tate Reeves said she represents the state’s values well while taking swipes at Espy.

"If you pay any attention to the liberal national pundits, they said you know that person running as a Democrat in Mississippi might have a chance," he said. "But they don't understand that here in Mississippi, we are going to the polls and we are going to elect a conservative, a Republican to the United States Senate. We are going to elect someone who loves Mississippi, someone who loves the industries that are important to our state like agriculture, someone who recognizes that Mississippi is not just one metro area, but Mississippi is 3 million people.

"It is critically important to have someone representing us who understands Mississippi values, someone who understands Mississippi conservative leanings, Mississippi conservative views."

At the event, Republican Micheal Guest, who won Mississippi 3rd Congregational District, said he is excited to return to Washington, D.C., on behalf of the people.

"I believe that as a whole, Mississippi is a very conservative state," he said about Cindy Hyde-Smith's reelection. "We saw a lot of money being poured in in the hope that Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith will be upset. That did not happen. I felt with the president on the ballot that many conservative voters would turn out, which we saw tonight. We are excited that we are going to have the opportunity to serve with her."

Mississippi 2nd Congregational District Rep. Democrat Bennie Thompson won reelection against Republican Brian Flowers with 65 percent of the vote.

Email story tips to city/county reporter Kayode Crown at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @kayodecrown.