The spokesperson for Republican interim senator Cindy Hyde Smith stated Tuesday that Cindy Hyde Smith’s decision to not debate his opponent before the Nov.6 election has not been changed. Although U.S. Senator Roger Wicker is a Tupelo Republican and did not respond to questions about the debate, he stated that he doesn’t intend to debate state Rep. David Baria from Bay St. Louis. Hyde-Smith is open to a debate in the event of a runoff election. A candidate must win a majority vote to capture the special election. The top two vote-getters will advance to a second round three weeks later. Hyde-Smith, in a video last week, stated that she doesn’t want to be on the same stage as Chris McDaniel (Republican from Ellisville), who is running in special election as an anti–establishment candidate. She had previously stated that she didn’t have the time to debate McDaniel before the Nov.6 election due to her work in Washington, D.C. Melissa Scallan, Hyde-Smith spokesperson, said Tuesday that she is not afraid to debate McDaniel. She doesn’t fear to debate. Chris McDaniel has run out of time and money, and is trying to get free publicity. We won’t give him a platform for spreading lies about Sen. Cindy Hyde Smith.” Tuesday’s NBC News/Marist poll showed Hyde Smith leading Democrat Mike Espy (a former U.S. House Member and secretary of agriculture) by 38 percent to 29 percent. McDaniel was at 15 percent, and Gautier Democrat Tobey bartee was at 2 percent. In a possible runoff, Hyde-Smith defeated Espy by 50 percent to 36% in the poll. The poll of 511 Mississippians took place Oct. 13-17 with a margin error of 6.1 percent. The poll showed Espy leading 36% to 36% if McDaniel and Espy reached a runoff. Tanner Watson, McDaniel spokesperson, stated that “When almost half of voters (3/8), aren’t likely to vote, the margin for error isn’t either 4.7 or even 6.1.” According to this poll, 43 percent of registered voters voted for Espy. This is a man who has never been on the ballot in statewide elections and for whom no money was spent. This Marist/NBC poll does not seem credible. This pollster said that Trump would lose North Carolina and Pennsylvania, Florida, and Wisconsin a week prior to the 2016 election.” Danny Blanton, an Espy spokesperson, stated, “After spending almost two million dollars on advertisements that have been unchallenged,” that the appointed senator still hasn’t convinced voters that Mississippi will be her first choice. Instead, she is hiding on a bus in order to avoid having to discuss issues such as her position on pre-existing medical conditions. “Meanwhile Mike Espy is talking to voters about how to strengthen our state. This includes improving health care, keeping our hospital open, and making it a better place for our youth. This is where our campaign will focus.” Poll respondents were also asked about debates. 60% said they would not vote for a candidate refusing to debate. However, Hyde-Smith’s and Wicker’s commanding leads might make this result irrelevant. Scallan stated that Hyde Smith’s lead is trending up due to people realizing that Cindy Hyde Smith is the only candidate capable of beating Mike Espy. We believe that President Trump’s visit boosted enthusiasm for the senator. He is very popular in Mississippi and it was obvious from the endorsement and rally that she was his choice.” The other Senate election poll results show that respondents prefer Wicker 60% to Baria 32%. Justin Brasell stated that Wicker’s campaign doesn’t pay attention to polls. “Sen. “Sen. Wicker is running on the record of his accomplishments for Mississippi. Brasell stated that Wicker is campaigning across the state and looking forward to the Nov.6 election. Alyssa Mills, spokesperson for Baria said that she saw positives from the poll, including Baria’s strong showing with suburban women and millennials. She said that high turnout among these groups could be a positive for Baria. She said, “This year is the year for women and young voters and we have seen record turnout in early voting in these groups.” She said that the poll reinforces the fact Mississippians want to see candidates debate. Miller stated that Wicker would have understood this fact if he was not in California sipping Chardonnay with a high-dollar donor. To win the Nov. 6 Baria-Wicker race, the winner does not need to receive a majority vote. This poll has some surprising nuggets, which are contrary to past election results. Espy, who was the first African American to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in modern times, received only 66 percent support from black voters, while Baria, a fellow Democrat, earned 68 percent during the other Senate election. Recent years have seen a significant increase in African American support for the Democratic candidates to be closer to 90 percent, and a similar rise in white support for Republican candidates. To support this important work, you can make a regular donation to the Spring Member Drive today.