Is Mississippi in Play? Senate Republicans Weigh Late Cash as Trump Plans Rally for Hyde-Smith
Senate Republicans are weighing an unexpected late cash infusion to protect Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, a state where no Democrat has won a Senate race since 1982.
The party is also considering more money for South Carolina and Kansas, Axios reported Wednesday, calling the moves ones that “would have been unimaginable six months ago.”
Kansas has not elected a Democratic senator in 94 years and South Carolina in 28, according to Axios. One Republican operative told the outlet the party is still “going to hold the Senate at the end.”
The Senate Leadership Fund, the main GOP Senate super PAC, has already put a $5 million “insurance policy” into South Carolina to help Sen. Darline Graham, Axios reported earlier this month.
Axios also reported that the National Republican Senatorial Committee took out a $20 million loan as it spends heavily on its coordinated campaign effort, despite raising $31.4 million last month.
Democrats are moving the other way. Senate Majority PAC, the top Democratic Senate super PAC, announced a $1.2 million ad buy in Mississippi this week to boost Democratic nominee Scott Colom, a district attorney.
“It is clear Colom is running a competitive race that has put Hyde-Smith on her heels,” Lauren French, a spokesperson for the group, said in a statement, according to NBC News.
Mississippi is the reddest state the group has entered this year. Trump won it by 23 points in 2024, NBC reported.
Trump plans to campaign for Hyde-Smith on Monday night at the Crossroads Arena in Corinth, Mississippi Today reported, citing multiple sources. The campaign has not confirmed the visit.
Hyde-Smith told the outlet that Trump is “trying to be helpful.” “We feel very good about this,” she said, adding that late-race chatter about a tight contest is “just noise.”
Colom said in a statement that Hyde-Smith “is scared and that’s why she’s sending Donald Trump down here.” Former Vice President Kamala Harris is set to campaign with Colom in Columbus on Thursday, Mississippi Today reported.
Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said he believes Hyde-Smith still leads. “This is very much a Republican state at the federal level,” Wicker told Mississippi Today.
Some of the buzz about a close race rested on bad data. A Wedgewood Polls survey showing a close race, which Colom’s campaign promoted, came from a firm that has since admitted its polls were fabricated, Magnolia Tribune reported.
Most national forecasters still rate the race solid or likely Republican, according to Mississippi Today. Independent Ty Pinkins is also on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Republicans can still keep their Senate majority, Axios reported, but the polling gives them little confidence. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win control, according to NBC.
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