When seven-term Sen. Thad Cochran stepped down in March for health reasons, it set up Mississippi to have two Senate elections this year. Sen. Roger Wicker (R) is expected to win his first re-election campaign against state legislator David Baria (D). Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R), who was appointed to replace Cochran, will face two Democrats and one Republican in a "jungle election" to serve until the term ends in 2020. Former Rep. and Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy is the leading Democratic candidate, while conservative state Sen. Chris McDaniel, who almost defeated Cochran in a 2014 GOP primary, is challenging Hyde-Smith from her right. If none of these candidates receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff on Nov. 27. None of the candidates' party affiliations will be listed on the ballot.

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