美国国家公共电台 NPR Racial Controversy Stirs Mississippi Senate Runoff

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Mississippi has a Senate race to settle next week. It's a runoff, and it's been overshadowed by one event. Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith made a comment. She said of a man at an event with her that she liked him so much, quote, "if he invited me to a public hanging, I'd be on the front row."

For many, this recalled lynchings in the Jim Crow South. Last night, Hyde-Smith, who is white, had to answer for her comment at a debate with Democrat 1 Mike Espy 2, a former congressman 3 and Cabinet member who is black. NPR's Sarah McCammon was at the debate and is on the line from Jackson, Miss. Hi there, Sarah.

SARAH MCCAMMON, BYLINE 4: Morning, Steve.

INSKEEP: I guess we should mention this comment is about the only thing we've heard about this Senate race on the national level. When you go to Mississippi, as you have done, is it the central part of the race?

MCCAMMON: It is on people's minds. I've been talking with voters for a couple of days, and people seem to be aware of this controversy 5. A lot of people, kind of shaking their heads about it, really on both sides of the aisle 6. But there are other issues. I visited a state university the other day. A student mentioned things like student debt. And I've heard talk about health care. And agricultural issues came up in the debate last night. So certainly, there are other issues at stake here.

INSKEEP: But this remark was something that Hyde-Smith had to address last night. What did she say?

MCCAMMON: Right. She has defended herself by saying that this comment about attending a public hanging was an exaggerated expression of affection for this supporter, and she said any suggestion there was a negative connotation to it was ridiculous. She was asked to explain that last night, and she said she was sorry if people found her remarks offensive.

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CINDY HYDE-SMITH: You know, for anyone that was offended from my - by my comments, I certainly apologize. There was no ill will, no intent whatsoever 7 in my statements.

MCCAMMON: And this is really the farthest she's gone in terms of apologizing. She's stood by her statements before. But she's under a lot of pressure here, getting a lot of national attention. And I should say, Steve, there have been other controversies 8 around Hyde-Smith. She joked about making it harder for liberals to vote at one point, and a photo she posted on Facebook back in 2014 resurfaced. In it, she's seen wearing a Confederate hat, holding a rifle. And the caption 9 says, Mississippi history at its best.

INSKEEP: Well, what did her Democratic opponent, Mike Espy, have to say about all this last night?

MCCAMMON: So he put out an ad shortly before the debate that said, quote, "we can't afford a senator who embarrasses us and reinforces the stereotypes 10 we've worked so hard to overcome," some of those stereotypes about the Deep South. And he struck a similar theme during the debate last night on stage.

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MIKE ESPY: Well, no one twisted your comments because your comments were live. You know, it came out of your mouth. And I don't know what's in your heart. But we all know what came out of your mouth. And it went viral, you know, within the first three minutes around the world, and so it's caused our state harm. It's given our state another black eye that we don't need. It's just rejuvenating 11 the old stereotypes, you know, that we don't need anymore.

INSKEEP: Sarah, very briefly 12, does this issue make the race potentially competitive for Democrats 13?

MCCAMMON: I mean, this is still a red state. A Democrat hasn't won a Senate race since 1982. But this is a special election. It's a runoff. Anything could happen. It's hard to know.

INSKEEP: OK. NPR's Sarah McCammon in Jackson, Miss. Sarah, thanks so much.

MCCAMMON: Thank you.