It’s Run-Off Day, Mississippi… Go Vote!
Polls are open in Mississippi. We need Cindy Hyde-Smith in Washington. GO OUT AND VOTE. Thanks!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2018
#MSSen: President Trump, VP Pence stump for Hyde-Smith in Biloxi
WTOK – Trump campaigns in Mississippi ahead of Senate run-off election
WLOX – President, Vice President discuss prison reform at roundtable before rally
The eve of the midterm runoff was not just about drumming up support for Cindy Hyde-Smith. President Trump and other dignitaries gathered in Gulfport before the campaign rally to hold a round table meeting on prison reform.
In addition to the president, other notable officials attending the meeting included Vice President Mike Pence, Hyde-Smith, presidential adviser Jared Kushner, Gov. Phil Bryant, Sen. Lindsey Graham, and Sen. Roger Wicker. Newly appointed district attorney Angel Myers-McIlrath also weighed in, along with the 2018 Miss Mississippi Asya Branch, who has advocated strongly for the children of incarcerated parents.
WJTV – Mike Espy focuses Election Eve efforts in Jackson
WDAM – MLB asks for the return of its $5,000 donation to Cindy Hyde-Smith
Over weekend, Major League Baseball created a firestorm of controversy for itself when it made a $5,000 donation — the maximum donation allowed under the law — to Mississippi senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. The donation, which was made on November 23, was first reported by Judd Legum of Popular Information. Charles Johnson, part owner of the San Francisco Giants has also made a donation to Hyde-Smith.
The donation was controversial because Hyde-Smith recently told a crowd at a campaign event that she would be “in the front row of a public hanging,” if invited. She also posed in a photo wearing a Confederate hat and holding a rifle that made the rounds on Facebook, and it was just uncovered that she sponsored a resolution praising Confederate soldiers’ “defending their homeland.” She has since (sorta) apologized for some that, but her comments and acts have stirred up racial animus and have come to dominate the news surrounding her campaign. All of that has caused corporate donors such as Walmart, Union Pacific and AT&T and others to request refunds of their donations to her.
CLARION LEDGER – MSSen: Democratic ads call Hyde-Smith a ‘disaster’; GOP ads tie Espy to ‘leftist mob’
Attempting to prevent an upset in Tuesday’s Mississippi Senate race runoff, Republicans have aired four television ads for every three paid for by Democrats, according to figures compiled for USA TODAY by Kantar Media/CMAG.
While Democratic challenger Mike Espy remains the underdog in a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat since 1982, ads by him and his allies hope to take advantage of missteps by GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.
Espy’s commercials argue that Hyde-Smith is a disaster and embarrassment for Mississippi.
“We can’t afford a senator who embarrasses us and reinforces the stereotypes we’ve worked so hard to overcome,” one spot says.
WLOX – Seven nooses, signs found at Mississippi State Capitol
Seven nooses and several signs were found at the Mississippi State Capitol Monday, prompting more nationwide attention and outrage ahead of Tuesday’s election.
Early Monday morning, two nooses were found at the Capitol. According to the Associated Press, five more have been found since. The nooses and signs, referring to the state’s history of lynchings, were found one day before the U.S. Senate runoff between Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Mike Espy.
Hyde-Smith has drawn criticism after a comment she made on the campaign trail referring to “public hanging”.
State Capitol police took the nooses and signs down and are investigating.
THE HILL – State senator defends Hyde-Smith: Public hangings ‘would deter a lot of crimes’
State Sen. Charles Younger (R), at a rally in support of Hyde-Smith, said he believes Democrats criticizing the senator over her comments would support the death penalty for Charleston shooter Dylann Roof, local outlet Mississippi Today reported.
“[Hyde-Smith] said something out of jest that wasn’t the most politically correct thing to say but, you know, I bet you nine out of 10 Democrats would vote to execute the young man that killed the nine black people in the church in South Carolina — the African Americans that were killed in South Carolina,” Younger told the outlet. “I bet you nine out of 10 Democrats would vote to have him executed any kind of way.”
Roof last year was sentenced to death for murdering nine African-Americans in a historic black church in Charleston, S.C., in 2015.
When the Republican state senator was pressed over his comments on Roof, he replied with a defense of public hangings.
“Public hanging was an execution style,” Younger said. “It wasn’t lynching — it was a public hanging where it had to pass through the courts and it wasn’t a color or a race issue. It was just a means of punishment.”
“And, frankly, if it was back again I think it would deter a lot of crimes,” he added.
Congressman Palazzo supports border actions
Those who wish to enter our country must do it legally. I support @realDonaldTrump actions to safely secure our border. I support building the wall and fixing our immigration system. https://t.co/8XfiJzBuUj
— Cong. Steven Palazzo (@CongPalazzo) November 25, 2018
MBJ – Brandon Presley: Rural Mississippians deserve internet service the same as anyone else
In every state bordering Mississippi, and across the nation, electric cooperatives owned by the people, are bringing affordable, high-speed internet service to their members. Fiber-to-the-home internet service through rural electric cooperatives is happening in almost every state, but Mississippi. Currently, several electric cooperatives in our state want to provide internet service to their people and many more have conducted studies to look into the idea. Sadly, a 1942 state law is handcuffing them from providing internet service. This summer, the statewide association of electric cooperatives voted unanimously to ask legislators to change that law. This is a simple fix that could save our rural communities, keep our children and grandchildren home and change the future of our state.
Earlier in November, the association of electric cooperatives presented the “Mississippi Broadband Enabling Act” to legislators. This proposed change in state law does not take one penny from the state treasury and doesn’t prohibit any other telecommunications company from providing internet service anywhere. The proposed law gives rural Mississippi a chance to get the internet service they desperately need and it un-cuffs the hands of the electric cooperatives to improve the quality of life of their people. It is no mandate and asks for no money. It is an example of free market competition.
Rural Mississippians deserve the same quality of life as anyone else. I hope passing the “Mississippi Broadband Enabling Act” will be a top priority for the Legislature in 2019. Improving the quality of life in our rural areas should be a top priority for Democrats, Republicans and everyone in between. It is time to bring high-speed internet service to every dirt and dusty road in Mississippi. It is time to bring rural Mississippi out of the “digital dark.”
Magnolia Tribune
