Political experts speculate that Mississippi could decide which state controls the U.S. Senate. This is despite the fact that Republicans currently hold a majority. The race to replace the retired U.S. Senator Thad Cochran will be a special election. A runoff would occur if there is no candidate receiving a majority vote. McDaniel’s Senate campaign focused on delegitimizing Hyde Smith’s conservative values through pointing out her former Democratic Party affiliation. He declined to support Hyde Smith, a fellow Republican, in the event he did not make it to the runoff. “From my current position, I can see that they are philosophically very similar. Knowing what I know, McDaniel stated that Mr. Espy’s past convictions and direct work with Clinton, “that causes me grave concern.” McDaniel was asked who he would vote for if he doesn’t make it to the runoff. “Now, Cindy voted Hillary (Clinton), but she wasn’t indicted. While I understand that indictments can sometimes occur, it is my understanding that he accepted a bribe. “That is why I am here today. That causes me grave concern.” Hyde-Smith, a Democratic state senator, voted in 2008’s Democratic primary. However, she says that she doesn’t remember if she voted Clinton or Barack Obama. Obama won the Democratic nomination. McDaniel’s indictments refer to Espy’s tenure as Agriculture Secretary in the 1990s. A grand jury indicted Espy for improperly receiving gifts (not bribery), as McDaniel stated. Although Espy was found not guilty by a federal jury, Mississippi Republicans used the indictments against him to portray Espy as corrupt. McDaniel stated that although his “general rule is not to support the Democrat”, he still wants to see Hyde Smith in a debate before deciding whether he will vote for Espy in a runoff. “I will wait to see her answer the difficult questions. She has not proven to me that she is the Republican she claims she is. If she can show me that she is the Republican she claims she is, then I’m sure. He said that she would have to wait to hear her thoughts on the matter. She can’t hide behind press release to do that. She cannot hide behind communications directors. She must engage with the system. “Come to us, debate with us, tell us why she is a Republican, because I haven’t seen any evidence that she is,” McDaniel of Ellisville said. McDaniel is running against Hyde Smith, Espy, and Democrat Tobey Barrtee in an official nonpartisan special election on November 6. No candidate will receive 50 percent of the votes on Nov. 6. The top two vote-getters regardless of their partisan affiliation will contest the Nov. 27 election.