Mississippi Senate Race: no split vote possible

Making his final tour of the state before Mississippi's special election for U.S. Senate Tuesday, Chris McDaniel pulled into Hattiesburg to meet voters and candidly answer questions in an informal roadside setting. In the middle of five stops planned for the last campaign day, McDaniel addressed voter concerns with equanimity despite the exhausting schedule. Unlike other candidates stumping for votes, he has gone so far as to publish his personal cell phone number, inviting people to call or text their concerns, which he has faithfully answered.

---

Explaining that Mississippi's is a jungle primary of nonpartisan candidates, McDaniel clarified how this election was different from the other senate races in the nation. When asked if there was one thing he wanted to get across to citizens going to the polls on Tuesday, he emphasized, “There is no risk in a split vote.” The republican establishment has been making it appear that voting for the conservative McDaniel would create a problem for the republican party by “splitting” the vote. In effect, there is no vote to split. If any one of the candidates doesn't receive at least 50% plus one vote then there will be a runoff between the two highest vote getters from Tuesday's special election to replace the retired Thad Cochran. It doesn't matter to which party the candidate claims allegiance or whether they happen to currently hold the seat by appointment – meaning Cindy Hyde-Smith. The upshot is that voters don't need to settle for a candidate who doesn't really represent their values, which is what a large voting block of Mississippians believe about Hyde-Smith as a latecomer to the republican party who previously voted for Hillary Clinton and supported funding Planned Parenthood. Tony Smith, a former Mississippi state senator, who organized the Hattiesburg campaign stop, had this to say about Washington, D.C. politics… “[electing] true conservatives like Chris will force republicans to the right,” creating a route to get the president's agenda passed in Congress. Mississippi's election cycle is down to the wire and citizen's can feel confident about voting their conscience.

---