Former Congressman Mike Espy is no stranger to the people of Mississippi. The three-term legislator-turned Secretary of Agriculture won four elections in one of the most conservative states in the United States by positioning himself as a Blue Dog Democrat willing to put Mississippi above the sport of politics. And he might just be the first Democratic U.S. Senator from The Magnolia State in almost three decades.
Prior to his election to Congress in 1986, Espy served as assistant attorney general for the state, a role in which he directed Mississippi's consumer protection division. Espy’s work on the House Agriculture Committee led to his service as President Bill Clinton’s Secretary of Agriculture from 1993 to 1994. Since leaving Washington over 20 years ago, he has worked as a private attorney with Morgan & Morgan, a law firm in his home state.
After announcing his Senate candidacy earlier this year, Espy spent time with renowned conservative intellectual and columnist George F. Will. In an opinion piece titled “How a Democrat could finagle a win in Mississippi,” Will expounds on the mathematical realities of the race. He predicts that Espy’s ability to engage the state’s large black voting bloc while garnering support from his white former constituents could lead to his victory in November. Espy’s election would make him the first African-American senator to represent Mississippi since 1871, and only the 11th black senator in American history.
The context of the race makes Espy’s victory even more likely. Earlier this year, at the age of 80, Senator Thad Cochran retired for health reasons, prompting Governor Phil Bryant to fill the seat. He chose Cindy Hyde-Smith, the state’s commissioner of agriculture and commerce, to hold Cochran’s seat until a special election could be held on Nov. 6. While she was originally seen as a shoo-in for reelection this fall, an infamous fire-breather has entered the race and made it all the more complex.
State Senator Chris McDanielnearly ousted Cochran in a 2014 Republican primary, and now he is back to take on Hyde-Smith. Pointing to her record as a former Obama supporter and Democrat, McDaniel has argued that Hyde-Smith isn’t nearly conservative enough to represent Mississippi. Due to Mississippi’s non-partisan primary system — should no candidate receive more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election between the top two finishers will be held in December — the Republican vote may be split on Nov. 6, which creates space for Espy’s candidacy.
While it is possible that Espy receives the requisite 50 percent on Election Day, it is far more likely that he and one of the Republicans engage in a blitzkrieg runoff campaign lasting only a few weeks. And should the control of the U.S. Senate come down to Espy vs. the GOP, you can expect a hailstorm of TV ads, presidential endorsements and 2020 hopefuls barn-storming Mississippi in December.
