President Trump offered a full endorsement Sunday of embattled Mississippi Republican Senate candidate Cindy Hyde-Smith ahead of two appearances he will make this week in support of her campaign in the traditionally red state.
“I will be in Gulfport and Tupelo, Mississippi, on Monday night doing two Rallies for Senator Hyde-Smith, who has a very important Election on Tuesday,” Trump tweeted. “She is an outstanding person who is strong on the Border, Crime, Military, our great Vets, Healthcare & the 2nd A. Needed in D.C.”
I will be in Gulfport and Tupelo, Mississippi, on Monday night doing two Rallies for Senator Hyde-Smith, who has a very important Election on Tuesday. She is an outstanding person who is strong on the Border, Crime, Military, our great Vets, Healthcare & the 2nd A. Needed in D.C.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 25, 2018
Hyde-Smith, who replaced GOP Sen. Thad Cochran in April after the longtime senator resigned over health concerns, is vying against Democratic opponent Mike Epsy, a black former congressman and Clinton-era agriculture secretary, in their runoff election on Nov. 27.
Hyde-Smith has come under fire for racially insensitive comments she has made on the campaign trail. She was recorded in a viral video joking at a campaign event this month about how she would watch “a public hanging” in “the front row.” Hyde-Smith later dismissed complaints about her remarks, saying criticism she had received was “ridiculous” because the phrase was an “expression of regard” for a supporter.
Republicans are hoping to shore up their majority in the Senate after losing the House to the Democrats in the 2018 midterm election cycle. The GOP has 52 seats in the upper chamber, while 47 of those seats are held by Democratic senators.
Trump’s first stop will be in Tupelo, Miss., on Monday afternoon, according to his official campaign website. His second rally will be in Biloxi on Monday night.
