/In GOP battleground of DeSoto County, Hyde-Smith needs Trump to buck a McDaniel surge

In GOP battleground of DeSoto County, Hyde-Smith needs Trump to buck a McDaniel surge

Consider this: In the 2014 primary against Thad Cochran, U.S. Senate veteran, State Senator Chris McDaniel (R-Ellisville), the anti-establishment conservative who was running for the U.S. Senate, won DeSoto County 40 points. Based on his performance in the past, McDaniel appears to have lost DeSoto County. It is the third-most populous county in the state and a Republican hotbed. He won more than 13,500 votes in his 2014 campaign against Cochran — more than any other county in the state. A rare scene will unfold Tuesday night when a Republican president visits one the reddest counties in the country to stump for an incumbent senator, who has been endorsed by party fathers including Gov. Phil Bryant and Roger Wicker, a senior U.S. senator. Hyde-Smith, establishment Republicans and Mississippi Today are likely to be even more upset by a poll released Tuesday morning by NBC News/SurveyMonkey. According to the poll, 25 per cent of respondents would vote to elect Mike Espy to replace Cochran. 24 percent would vote to elect Hyde-Smith. 19 percent would vote to McDaniel. 4 percent would vote to elect Democratic candidate Tobey Barrtee. The poll shows that 27 percent of respondents are still undecided on who they will vote for. John Caldwell (DeSoto County chairman) said, “At the risk to quoting Donald Trump. The visit is yuge.” It’s going make a huge difference in the vote up there. “We don’t discount the fact that there may be opposing views we have to deal with, but he (McDaniel), won’t receive anywhere near the support he received in 2014,” McDaniel, who is a strong Trump supporter has had to contend the endorsement of his opponent. Sources say McDaniel instructed his supporters to attend the rally on October 2. This was a decision that worried Hyde-Smith’s campaign staff. McDaniel dismissed Trump’s endorsement of Hyde-Smith via Twitter on Aug. 23. He said that Trump needed to endorse established Republicans in order to remain in the good graces and favors of Republican congressional leaders. Brian Hodges (DeSoto County chairman) said that McDaniel’s visit will not have any impact on him. “What I see right now is that the support for Chris McDaniel has grown stronger than in 2014. The crowds grow larger. It is amazing to see the excitement in the crowd. The excitement of the supporters is amazing. State Senator David Parker, R.Olive Branch was a top DeSoto county sergeant for McDaniel. He is now supporting Hyde Smith. Every year is different. Parker stated that there are two Republicans running for the election. As a Republican, it is up to you to choose the right candidate for you at the moment. We’ll see how the first primary goes. But right now, the things that I hold dearest, I feel like Trump has done an excellent job. “I’m supporting his chosen Candidate.” Steve Hopkins, R-Southaven is a state representative who supported McDaniel in 2014. He will continue to support him this year. Hopkins stated that he will continue to support McDaniel because he is the most conservative candidate. Chris is a proven conservative. McDaniel’s message was brand new in 2014. It might have felt more exciting because of that. We were going to have this bold, conservative candidate. It’s likely to be the same this year, I think. “There have been some good crowds in DeSoto County when Chris speaks.” McDaniel, for his part, is looking forward to his supporters coming to Southaven and voting next month. McDaniel said that Cindy Hyde Smith is a long-standing Democrat and voted for Hillary Clinton. “We’re confident DeSoto will show up in force for our campaign once again.” “Probably more than in 2014”