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Democratic Senate candidate Mike Espy has raised $1M since Justice Ginsburg’s death
Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today, Report For America
Mike Espy, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate this November, has raised $1 million since Friday.
Democrat Mike Espy, who is challenging incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in November, said Tuesday morning his campaign has raised $1 million since Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death on Friday.
“Since Friday, September 18, Mike Espy has raised five times more than Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith did during the entire second quarter,” Espy’s campaign said in a press release. “Last quarter, Espy for Senate outraised Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith three-to-one.”
Democratic donors nationwide have been pouring money into Senate races since Ginsburg’s death and ensuing debate over whether Republican President Donald Trump should quickly name a replacement for the iconic liberal judge or wait until after the presidential election.
Both Hyde-Smith and Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi have sided with Trump, saying a replacement for Ginsburg should be nominated post-haste and ratified by the Senate before the election.
READ MORE: Wicker, Hyde-Smith want to consider Trump’s Supreme Court nominee in 2020
Mississippi’s Senate race this year has not been considered competitive by most pundits, with Republican incumbent Hyde-Smith expected to easily win reelection in one of the reddest states in the country.
But one poll released this week showed Hyde-Smith with only a one-point lead and the Espy campaign said it has “momentum,” as evidenced by its historic fundraising levels and other polls showing he is closing the gap with Hyde-Smith. The campaign said that over 23,000 first-time donors to the campaign since Friday made an average donation of $23.
READ MORE: Democrat Mike Espy within 1% of GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, new poll shows
While a fundraising advantage doesn’t translate to votes, an influx of cash 42 days from Election Day could loom large for Espy, who has acknowledged his need to reach more Mississippi voters during the COVID-19 pandemic and has largely been ignored by national Democrats.
Hyde-Smith, meanwhile, has struggled raising cash this cycle. Among incumbent senators, Hyde-Smith has raised less than 96 incumbent senators, including Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, who doesn’t face another election until 2024. The three Senate incumbents who raised less than Hyde-Smith have announced they will not seek re-election.
“It’s more clear than ever that people are tired of Senator Hyde-Smith’s record of hurting this state and holding it back,” Espy’s campaign manager Joe O’Hern said. “Mississippians are looking for an independent leader who is standing up for them — not a Senator who has hidden from them during a pandemic and the crushing economic crisis.”
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Food Truck Locations for Sept. 22. Get Your Grub On.
*****UPDATE****Local Mobile has had to cancel their day due to truck issues. We wish them good luck getting it back in order.
A6 is at the Exon on 45 in Guntown
Gypsy Roadside Mobile is in Baldwyn at South Market
Taqueria Ferris is on West Main between Computer Universe and Sully’s Pawn.
First day of Fall forecast for North Mississippi
Good Tuesday morning and welcome to the first day of Fall ya’ll!! Temperatures are hovering around 60°F this morning, under mostly cloudy skies. We have a slight chance of showers today, but the greater chance will come overnight. Expect mostly cloudy skies, with a high near 75. East wind 5 to 10 mph.
TONIGHT: A 50% chance of showers overnight. Otherwise, expect cloudy skies, with a low around 60. East northeast wind around 5 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Prime Time aced his introduction to JSU. Now comes the really, really hard part.
(Charles A. Smith/University Communications)
Deion Sanders was all dressed up in JSU colors just before his introduction.
Yes, winning the introductory news conference is a real thing in 2020. And Deion Sanders, introduced as head football coach at Jackson State on Monday morning, knocked his out of the park like a 450-foot, walk-off grand slam home run.
Clearly, he is, not for nothing, known as Prime Time.
Dressed in a blue sports coat with red buttons, Sanders killed it is what he did, drawing loud cheers from the socially distanced crowd in the Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center. He spoke with the fervor of a Baptist minister and received more than a few “Amens.” He shed tears. Then he flashed that wide smile. He even invoked a call and response toward the end.
Rick Cleveland .
“Do you believe?” he shouted to his audience.
“We believe,” they shouted back.
On a scale of 1 to 10 for enthusiasm, he was a solid 12. JSU faithful ate it up.
He promised much: to bring Jackson State football back to prominence, to win the SWAC, to successfully recruit players recruited by power five conference teams, to help recruit for all the other JSU athletic programs, to play hard, fast, tough disciplined football, to look good winning and to win professionally.
“I have a commitment to excellence. I believe this is going to be a marriage made in heaven,” Sanders said.
Now then, comes the hard part: Doing it.
(Charles A. Smith/University Communications)
Deion Sanders lived up to his Prime Time nickname Monday.
His job is to rebuild a once proud program that hasn’t experienced a winning season since 2013. The combined record of the last three JSU head coaches over the past five seasons: 21 victories, 40 defeats.
Sanders has to hire a staff, which he has never done before. He has to be the CEO of a team, which he has never done before at this level. He has to supervise an offense, a defense and special teams, which he has never done before, at least at the college level. He has to recruit, which he has never done before (again, at least at the college level).
All this Sanders must do with resources that are minimal and in facilities that are lacking.
You should know Sanders was in the Jackson area in August as the offensive coordinator at Trinity Christian (near Dallas), when Trinity played at Madison Ridgeland Academy. Trinity was led by quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Deion Sanders’ son, a four-star recruit who has committed to Florida Atlantic over Alabama, Florida State, Georgia and others.
MRA, the defending state private schools champion, won the game, scoring late for a thrilling 27-26 victory. I watched it. Both teams appeared well-coached until a questionable decision late in the game. Trinity led 26-20 with under two minutes remaining, needing only to run out the clock behind a big, physical offensive line to win. Instead, on second and seven (from their own 23) the visitors ran a risky reverse, fumbled and MRA recovered and went in for the winning score.
On the other hand, with Sanders calling the plays, Trinity has averaged 46 points a game in the four games since. And, no, we don’t know yet whether or not Shedeur Sanders, clearly a big-time talent, will follow his father to JSU.
We do know from multiple news reports that Deion Sanders was previously involved with another coaching job at another private Texas high school. In fact, Prime Prep Academy, a grouping of charter schools in north Texas, was co-founded by Deion Sanders in 2012. It did not end well. After numerous and well-publicized problems, the school was closed in January of 2015 due to financial insolvency.
Of course, none of that mattered to Jackson State faithful Monday morning when Deion Sanders added to the lengthy list of Pro Football Hall of Famers associated with JSU. The school of Walter Payton, Jackie Slater, Robert Brazile and Lem Barney is now also the school of Deion Sanders.
Winning the introductory press conference does not count in the standings. But for the man known as Prime Time, it was a promising start.
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Marshall Ramsey: Our State’s Coaches Are More Interesting Than Your Coaches.
Coach Deion Sanders, welcome to the home of interesting coaches.
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Lucien Smith out as MSGOP chair; Gov. Reeves backs Gulf Coast businessman to replace him
Lucien Smith, chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party, speaks as early results come in at a state GOP election night victory party, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Lucien Smith on Monday announced he’s stepping down as Mississippi Republican Party chairman, with Gov. Tate Reeves backing Coast businessman Frank Bordeaux to replace him.
Smith said Monday he intends to call a state GOP Executive Committee meeting to elect a new chair.
The move was not unexpected. Numerous Republican sources in July told Mississippi Today that Reeves, as new de facto head of the party in his first term as governor, wanted new leadership. It’s typical for a sitting Republican governor, as head of the state party, to pick a new chairman. While the executive committee technically elects a GOP chairman, a governor’s choice is typically installed by acclamation. There has been no major executive committee challenge to a Republican governor’s chairman nomination in recent history.
“All Republicans should be grateful for Lucien Smith’s steady stewardship of the party,” Reeves said in a statement on Monday. “He has been a great chairman, and will continue to be an important figure in Mississippi.”
“I support Frank Bordeaux, and believe that if the Committee chooses to elect him that he will do an excellent job growing the Republican Party,” Reeves said. “His work ethic, integrity, and conservative credentials are unmatched.”
Frank Bordeaux
Bordeaux, an insurance executive, was chair of Reeves’ Harrison County campaign committee, and a strong showing on the Coast was crucial to Reeves winning last year’s GOP primary and general election. The governor recently appointed Bordeaux to a commission that came up with a new design for the state flag that will go before voters for an up-or-down vote on Nov. 3.
The change in state party leadership, some GOP leaders said, was not because of any major political dispute, and Smith has appeared to be widely respected among party leaders. It’s partly because Smith is an attorney at a major law firm that does millions of dollars in business with the state and Reeves believes that is untoward and wanted a chairman with no such entanglements.
Reeves and Smith did appear to be politically crosswise recently over the Legislature changing the state flag, with its divisive Confederate battle emblem. Although the party proper didn’t take a position, Smith told Mississippi Today, “Now is the time … for Mississippi to retire its current flag and adopt a flag that unifies all Mississippians.”
Reeves, at the time, had opposed the Legislature making the change, saying that decision should be made by popular vote.
Smith on Monday said serving as GOP chair “has been the greatest honor of my professional life and I am proud of what we have achieved.”
Former Gov. Phil Bryant nominated Smith as the 12th chairman of the MSGOP in 2017 after then-Chairman Joe Nosef abruptly resigned.
Smith, an attorney with Balch and Bingham law firm, previously served as chief of staff to Bryant and as counsel and budget adviser to former Gov. Haley Barbour. Smith ran unsuccessfully for state treasurer in 2011.
Smith was at the helm of the party during one of its most politically prosperous times. In last year’s elections, Republicans took all eight statewide elected seats including the the governor’s office, most districtwide seats and increased their supermajority control over the Legislature.
Smith said: “The Republican Party is as strong as it has ever been in Mississippi, and the state is better for it. After three years in this role, I believe it is time for a new chairman … Frank is a friend and a strong Republican. I’m confident the party will continue to prosper under his leadership.”
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Speaker Gunn: Lawsuit over Gov. Reeves vetoes ‘unfortunate,’ but necessary
Kayleigh Skinner, Mississippi Today
House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, speaks to reporters after the 2018 legislative session ended.
House Speaker Philip Gunn said his pending lawsuit against Gov. Tate Reeves over the governor’s partial veto of a bill spending federal COVID-19 relief funds is “an unfortunate situation,” but important to pursue on precedent.
“It sets a precedent, if we allow this type of veto to stand, when there is case law as I understand it going back maybe 100 years that says this is not a proper veto,” Gunn said Monday. “I went to the governor after the vetoes, and said if I knew of another avenue to take, I would take it … What we have here is an infringement of the executive branch into the duties of the legislative branch. We are just looking for the court to uphold the law.”
Gunn addressed the Stennis Institute of Government and Capitol Press Corps in an online forum on Monday. The Republican speaker covered numerous topics, including the lawsuit he and Speaker Pro Tem Jason White filed in early August over Reeves’ line-item vetoes. Reeves vetoed about $8 million in legislative spending for Mississippi hospitals and other health care providers from federal funds the state received for COVID-19. The governor also vetoed much of the annual budget for K-12 education, but lawmakers have since returned and overridden that veto.
The state constitution provides the governor with partial veto authority, but court rulings over many years have held that authority is very narrow and have typically sided with the Legislature. The Legislature is given authority over state spending in the constitution, and Gunn and others said Reeves’ vetoes of specific spending infringes on that authority.
Gunn said both sides have agreed that the facts of the case are not in dispute, and that they agreed to try the case based only on filed briefs, not oral arguments. The case is before Hinds County Chancery Court, but likely to be appealed by either side to the state Supreme Court.
Reeves, who has clashed early and often with lawmakers in his first term as governor, primarily over spending authority for federal COVID-19 money, has called the lawsuit “yet another power grab by some members of the House.”
In the Stennis forum on Monday, Gunn also:
- Said lawmakers will return in session sometime before Oct. 5. He said the main order of business will be evaluating federal COVID-19 relief spending and programs. He said much of the spending faces a late-December deadline and lawmakers will evaluate how much has been spent on various programs and whether money left at that point should be shifted or redirected. He said the return to session will be “very focused, and very narrow.”
- Praised legislative colleagues for the historic vote to remove the state’s embattled Confederate-themed flag. Gunn has been the staunchest, and at times only, state Republican leader to advocate removing the 1894 state flag with its divisive Confederate battle emblem. In June, the Legislature voted to remove the flag, and voters in November will vote whether to ratify a new design. Gunn said he didn’t “twist arms” to get the historic vote in the House, but that his colleagues realized they wanted to be “on the right side of history.”
- Said the state budget is in surprisingly good shape, given the pandemic. A recent report shows that through the first two months of the new fiscal year, state revenue is up $259 million, or about 35%, above collections for the same period last year. Gunn said the state is still in unchartered territory with the pandemic and may face more fiscal challenges, but he chalks the current stability to past frugality by the Legislature. This week, lawmakers will hold budget hearings, starting the process of setting next fiscal year’s budget.
- Said lawmakers are not likely to address medical marijuana or expanding early voting opportunities as a pandemic safeguard before the Nov. 3 elections. Voters will choose between dueling constitutional amendments on medical marijuana — or reject both.
- Said he is aware of no pending legislative push to make changes before the election. Mississippi’s absentee and other voting laws are among the most restrictive in the nation. Most states have expanded early voting to avoid long lines or crowded conditions at polls during the pandemic. Mississippi has not.
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New poll: Democrat Mike Espy within 1% of GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith
Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith has a slight 41% to 40% lead over Democratic challenger Mike Espy in a poll released Monday morning by the Tyson Group.
The same pollster had Hyde-Smith up on Espy 54% to 28% in March.
The Tyson Group recently conducted polls in Gulf Coast states for the Consumer Energy Alliance on the issue of offshore drilling. FiveThirtyEight, which rates national pollsters, gives Tyson a B/C grade.
In addition to asking questions on offshore drilling, which was supported by a majority of respondents in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Mississippi, the poll also surveyed political issues. It is one of few public surveys in the 2020 election cycle that polled voters about the Hyde-Smith vs. Espy race.
The poll provides the best showing yet for Espy, the former congressman and secretary of agriculture in the Clinton administration. In August, his campaign released an internal poll showing him within 5 percentage points of Hyde-Smith. But at the same time, the Hyde-Smith campaign released its own internal poll that indicated the race was not as close.
READ MORE: Espy, Hyde-Smith campaigns release dueling polls in Mississippi Senate race.
Black Mississippians made up 29% of those polled by Tyson — which, if the poll results are accurate, would be welcomed news for Espy. The Espy campaign has said that the African American share of the electorate needs to be more than 35% for him to have a chance of prevailing on Nov. 3 against the incumbent Hyde-Smith.
Hyde-Smith garnered more than 53% of the vote in November 2018 to defeat Espy in a special election runoff, when the two were competing to finish the term of long-time Sen. Thad Cochran who retired for health reasons.
The poll shows Hyde-Smith with a 45% to 35% lead among male voters, but Espy has a 44% to 37% advantage with female voters. Espy, who in 1986 became the first Black elected to Congress from Mississippi since the 1800s, has an 83% to 4% lead among African Americans.
The poll found that 18% of Mississippians were undecided.
READ MORE: Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith ducks questions at rare public event after months of laying low.
In recent weeks, Hyde-Smith has made few public appearances. Most political forecasters have tabbed the race as a safe or a least likely hold for Republicans who are struggling to maintain their slim majority this election cycle in the U.S. Senate.
The same poll gives President Donald Trump a 50% to 40% lead over former Vice President Joe Biden in Mississippi.
In terms of job approvals, the poll finds:
- Governor Tate Reeves with a 51% to 41% positive rating.
- Sen. Roger Wicker with a 45% to 29% positive rating.
- Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith with a 45% to 37% positive rating.
In Florida, considered a key swing state, especially for Trump’s potential path to victory, Biden holds a slim 46% to 44% lead.
In neighboring Alabama, Trump has a surprisingly slim 48% to 44% lead over Biden.
The poll of 600 Mississippi voters was conducted on Aug. 28-30 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4%.
Espy began his television advertising campaign on Sept. 1. Hyde-Smith is slated to begin running television ads later this week.
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