Sen. Cindy Hyde Smith, R-Miss., said the backlash to a supposed joke about attending a "public hanging" in the front row is "ridiculous."

Hyde-Smith is facing a Nov. 27 runoff for the U.S. Senate seat in Mississippi against Democrat Mike Epsy. Hyde-Smith made the comment during a Nov. 2 campaign event with cattle rancher Colin Hutchinson, according to the local WLOX station.

"If he invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row," Hyde-Smith said to laughs from supporters. A video of her comment went viral Sunday.



"If he invited me to a public hanging, I'd be on the front row"- Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith says in Tupelo, MS after Colin Hutchinson, cattle rancher, praises her.



Hyde-Smith is in a runoff on Nov 27th against Mike Espy. pic.twitter.com/0a9jOEjokr — Lamar White, Jr. (@LamarWhiteJr) November 11, 2018



Epsy, who is black, condemned Hyde-Smith's comment.

“Cindy Hyde-Smith's comments are reprehensible," Epsy said in a statement. "They have no place in our political discourse, in Mississippi, or our country. We need leaders, not dividers, and her words show that she lacks the understanding and judgement to represent the people of our state.”

Hyde-Smith excused her comment as "an exaggerated expression of regard."

"Any attempt to turn this into a negative connotation is ridiculous," she said.