Republican are worried that pro-public hanging Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) could lose her Senate seat in the upcoming run-off election, the Washington Post reports.
Since making a statement that evoking Southern lynchings of black men—"If he invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row,” she said of a cattle rancher—Hyde-Smith has stumbled.
"She has struggled to grapple with the fallout, baffling members of her party and causing even faithful Republicans to consider voting for her opponent, former congressman Mike Espy," the Post reports. "Republicans with access to private polling say Hyde-Smith’s lead has narrowed significantly in recent days."
In Alabama, accused child molester Roy Moore was defeated by Democrat Doug Jones last year, which has increased their fear.
Democrat Espy is running an upbeat campaign with national starpower making frequent visits to support him.
“We may have all come over here on different ships, but we’re all here now,” Espy is quoted as saying at a recent event. “Yes, there are race issues in Mississippi, can’t sweep those under the rug. But I don’t want to dwell on that. I want to be the senator of everyone, irrespective of race, irrespective of gender, irrespective of party, irrespective of religion. I want to be the vehicle of progress in Mississippi.”