Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith attended segregational school, praised Confederates in legislation: reports – By Christal Hayes (usatoday.com) / Nov 24 2018
WASHINGTON – Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith attended a segregation academy in high school and praised a Confederate soldier’s attempts to “defend his homeland,” according to reports.
The reports, from the Jackson Free Press, an independent newspaper in Mississippi, and CNN, are the latest that attempt to pair Hyde-Smith with Mississippi’s racist history ahead of a tense runoff election against Democrat Mike Espy, who is vying to become the state’s first African-American in the Senate since the Reconstruction.
In recent weeks, Hyde-Smith was criticized for a joke where she said she’d gladly attend a “public hanging” and be in the “front row.” She was also captured on video making a joke about voter suppression, and photos posted to Facebook in 2014 show her with Confederate items and a caption reading, “Mississippi history at its best!”
Espy has pointed repeatedly to the comments while campaigning. Hyde-Smith apologized for the “hanging” comments during a debate earlier this week and dubbed the voting suppression comments a “joke.”
But the continued reports have garnered national attention to the runoff race, which is expected to see a higher-than-average turnout. President Donald Trump is planning multiple rallies next week ahead of the election to help lock another Republican seat in the Senate after large losses in the House allowed Democrats to gain control.
