Biden, the former vice-president, was supported by the African American community, as he easily defeated U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont in a presidential primary. Tuesday’s results are the second consecutive presidential election in which Sanders has struggled hard in Mississippi. Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State, won 83 percent of the vote for Sanders in the 2016 Democratic primary. She was also supported by the African American community. Biden was supported by many state Democratic leaders. This included, according to their caucus chair, all Democrats who are in the Legislature. Although Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba endorsed Sanders, it was not enough for Biden to overcome his advantages in the state. Trump won the GOP vote easily and the Republican primary with the support of the state. Mississippi was among six states that held primaries on Tuesday. It was also the only state to have congressional primaries. Espy, who was the first African American to be elected to the U.S. House in modern times and a former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, easily defeated two of her opponents, Tobey Bartee, and Jensen Bohren, to win the Democratic nomination to the U.S. Senate. Espy will be facing Cindy Hyde-Smith (an incumbent Republican U.S. Senator), in the November general election. There was no primary challenger. In early 2018, Hyde-Smith was elected to the position by then-Gov. Phil Bryant will replace Thad Cochran, a long-standing senator who had to resign due to health reasons. In a special election that took place later that year, Hyde-Smith beat Espy. Espy, who received more than 46 percent in the special election, said that he is better prepared to face Espy in 2020. He said that he hadn’t been elected to office in Mississippi since 1990 and needed time to get to know the voters. There was speculation that Hyde-Smith would be facing a primary challenge after she won the 2018 special elections. However, the Republican establishment of Mississippi rallied behind Hyde-Smith. Hyde-Smith is the first female to be elected to a federal office in Mississippi. If Espy wins in November, he will be the first African American to represent Mississippi in U.S. Senate. A number of people gathered at Johnny T’s Bistro downtown Jackson Tuesday night for a joint Biden/Espy watch party. Biden was declared to be the winner of primary after polls close at 7 p.m. Espy was declared the victor of primary at 8:15 p.m. Soon after the race was called Espy made a complete shift to November’s general elections. Espy stated to Mississippi Today, “What’s next? Building the greatest Mississippi’s history coalition.” “I have no illusions that it will be hard, but it is possible.” Espy stated that his general election strategy would be to increase black voter turnout as well as convince suburban college-educated voters to vote against Hyde Smith. Espy stated, “We’re going to go back (to suburban regions) now that we’re the official nominee and speak to them in our living rooms about Mississippi — what I want it look like in 20 years against Hyde-Smith’s vision.” Espy sharply criticized Hyde-Smith’s track record since her arrival in Washington. “She is an incumbent, so that’s usually an advantage. It’s a disadvantage this year because she’s revealing who she really is. She hasn’t done anything. Mitch McConnell has promoted generic votes through what she has done. She’s my third Kentucky senator. She hasn’t done anything, she’ll do whatever he tells. In the congressional races, all four incumbents — Democrat Bennie Thomson of the 2nd District, Republicans Trent Kelly of the 1st District, Michael Guest from the 3rd District, and Steven Palazzo in the 4th District — advanced without any runoffs to the general election. Palazzo will not be challenged in November. Although all three incumbents will face November opponents in November, Palazzo is the clear favorite. To support this important work, you can make a regular donation to the Spring Member Drive today.