courtesy Cindy Hyde-smith; Courtesy Mike Espy
“The only people interested in debates are reporters and losing candidates,” U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith said on Oct. 14. She has maintained a consistent strategy of avoiding public scrutiny and most of the press in her 2020 campaign, refusing to debate challenger Mike Espy.
Former U.S. Rep. and Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy spoke to the Jackson Free Press about the contrasts between himself and the incumbent he hopes to unseat. “If you don’t campaign, you’re disrespecting your constituency,” he said. “It’s as if you’re taking them for granted.”
2020 Election Issue
Espy v. Hyde-Smith, Westbrooks v. Griffis by Nick Judin
October 28 - November 10, 2020 • jfp.ms
I 10
t was an early September evening at a Mike Espy rally perfectly suited for 2020. A sea of cars, not people, clustered below the stage. Espy had yet to arrive. The speech of the hour came from Court of Appeals Judge Latrice Westbrooks, a candidate for the Mississippi Supreme Court. “Young people ask me: Why should we vote? Why should we care? And I tell them, see what’s happening in our country. Ahmaud Arbery. George Floyd. Jacob Blake. The decisions that are going to be made in those cases are going to be made by elected officials. Whether you vote or not,” Westbrooks exclaimed. Contained in that speech was all the passion of the moment, the same focused anger that had built all summer long, honed in protests on the street and petitions in the halls of power. “In Mississippi, your coroner is elected. The coroner is the person who decides whether your death is accidental, a sui-
cide, a homicide ... Your district attorney is elected. Your attorney general is elected. Your judges are elected. Your jury comes from registered voters. That,” Westbrooks finished, “is why you should care.” On Nov. 3, 2020, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Mississippi heads to the polls. On the ballot, the presidential election headlines a contest that includes the long-awaited Senate rematch between former U.S. Rep. and Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy and incumbent U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. In addition, a competitive race for Mississippi’s Supreme Court District 1, which includes the Jackson metro area, pits Court of Appeals Judge Latrice Westbrooks against appointed incumbent Justice Kenny Griffis. The nominally non-partisan judicial election has taken on a distinctly political valence with 2020’s presidential elections looming above. Rounding out the ballot, voters are
faced with three initiatives on a broad range of issues. Initiative Measure 65 would enshrine access to medical marijuana in the state’s constitution, mandating a plan to provide the treatment to qualified Mississippians by August 2021. An alternative measure, 65A, provides a murky allowance for a medicalmarijuana program with few concrete steps toward its establishment. House Concurrent Resolution 47 would put an end to the state’s electoralcollege system, which demands candidates for statewide office receive both a majority of the vote and wins in a majority of Mississippi House of Representatives districts. If adopted, a simple majority of voters would suffice for an election. House Bill 1796 may return a state flag to Mississippi: one the State Flag Commission selected earlier this year after the old one finally came down. A ring of stars and the words “In God We
Trust” encircle a magnolia emblazoned on a red, yellow and blue background. Espy vs. Hyde-Smith Rematch After the presidential contest, the rematch between former U.S. Rep Mike Espy and Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith tops Mississippi’s ballot. With Mississippi polling comfortably in President Donald Trump’s favor, it is the Espy-Hyde-Smith election that may hint at the state’s political future. Espy, a Democrat and a veteran of the Clinton administration, has run a campaign that has taken on increasing national significance, drawing the endorsements of former President Barack Obama, current presidential candidate Joe Biden and Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, a party pillar in Mississippi. The former U.S. Agriculture secretary has run a different kind of campaign for a Democrat in Mississippi, clearly betting on a larger and more excited voter base. He hasn’t tiptoed
