JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith has been reelected in Mississippi. She defeated Democrat Mike Espy in a repeat of a 2018 special election.
By 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Hyde-Smith was ahead of Espy 58% to 40%.
Hyde-Smith presented herself as a loyalist to President Donald Trump.
Espy said Republican policies have failed to help many Mississippians, particularly those who need health care.
Hyde-Smith is the only woman to have represented Mississippi in the House or Senate. She didn’t accept debate invitations this year, drawing criticism from Espy.
He’s a former U.S. agriculture secretary and was trying to become Mississippi’s first Black senator since Reconstruction.
A Libertarian candidate, Jimmy Edwards, spent little to campaign in the race.