President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd of supporters during a campaign rally at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Nov. 5, 2018. Carlos Barria | Reuters

President Donald Trump held two campaign rallies and one roundtable event in Mississippi, part of an 11th hour swing through the state aimed at boosting Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who faces former Rep. Mike Espy, D-Miss., in a Senate race runoff on Tuesday. The race has drawn national attention ever since Hyde-Smith made a joke about attending a "public hanging." Critics said it was racially insensitive, given Mississippi's history of lynching black people and the fact that Espy is African-American. Hyde-Smith insists she meant no "ill will" by the phrase and has repeatedly dodged media questions about it. Trump defended Hyde-Smith several times during his visit on Monday, telling reporters, "her heart is good," and noting that she has issued a public apology. Hyde-Smith has said she made the remark in jest and that she was sorry if people were offended by them. The backlash extended to corporate America, as several major companies and organizations, such as Google and Walmart, asked the Hyde-Smith campaign to refund their donations. There was no indication the donations would be given back, however. Watch: Who really won the midterms?

The controversy didn't end there. Hyde-Smith also talked about how suppressing voter turnout would be a good idea. Then, earlier this month, a 2014 Facebook post featuring an image of Hyde-Smith wearing a Confederate hat at the Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library — with a caption saying "Mississippi history at its best!" — resurfaced. Davis was president of the Confederacy. Despite the controversies, however, polls indicate that Mississippi will elect Hyde-Smith, who was appointed to replace GOP Sen. Thad Cochran after his resignation earlier this year over health concerns. Trump carried the state by 18 points in 2016. Regardless of the result, the GOP will maintain its majority in the Senate. If Hyde-Smith wins, the Republicans will hold a 53-47 edge in the chamber. Even as Trump defended Hyde-Smith, he also used the rallies to attack Espy, who was Agriculture secretary under President Bill Clinton. During his first rally in Tupelo, Trump said of Espy, "How does he fit in with Mississippi? I mean, how does he fit in?" Espy is a former three-term congressman who was born and raised in Mississippi.

Trump links Hyde-Smith to his agenda