Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., is up with her first television ad as she moves to hold off a potentially stiff challenge from Chris McDaniel, a state senator, in a November special election.
Hyde-Smith was appointed to the Senate after Republican Thad Cochran resigned, and she is competing with McDaniel for the right to serve out the remaining two years of Cochran’s term. In her new campaign ad, running in most of Mississippi’s major media markets, Hyde-Smith ties herself to President Trump, who has yet to endorse her.
“Our country faces tough challenges, like securing our borders, making our military stronger and reducing the debt. With President Trump, I’m working to be a part of the solution,” Hyde-Smith says in the spot, speaking straight to camera.
Hyde-Smith was appointed earlier this year by Republican Gov. Phil Bryant. She was serving as Mississippi’s elected agriculture commissioner at the time. McDaniel ran for Senate in 2014 and nearly toppled Cochran in the Republican primary, but GOP insiders in Mississippi and Washington are wary of his ability to win a general election against Democrat Mike Espy, given a long history of provocative and at-times offensive statements.
The special election is set for the same day as the midterm elections, with the top two finishers advancing to a run-off three weeks later if the winner doesn’t garner 50 percent.
