Mississippi Senate race cyberwar heats up with social media barrage

Geoff Pender | The Clarion-Ledger

JACKSON, Miss. — The #MSSEN cyberwar has begun: Candidates for Mississippi's open U.S. Senate seat and their supporters have taken to social media with a barrage of attacks and counter-maneuvers.

This follows in the grand tradition of the nasty 2014 Senate race, although that would be hard to top — people were convicted of felonies and one went to prison from that online battle.

Chris McDaniel on Wednesday night went all Wyatt Earp on potential Republican candidate Andy Taggart, who on Thursday announced he would not run.

McDaniel appeared to be prodding Taggart with a meme from the movie Tombstone, and a message to Taggart, "Enough talk, old pal. I'm your huckleberry." Taggart had for weeks been considering a run — apparently McDaniel was trying to call him out like Doc Holliday did Johnny Ringo in the movie.

Ringo — I mean Taggart — couldn't let this pass. He responded: "Great movie — one of my favorites! But this is real life, not Hollywood. You're not Val Kilmer. I'm not your pal ... Win a few prelims, then let's talk."

Great movie — one of my favorites!



But this is real life, not Hollywood.



You’re not Val Kilmer.



I’m not your pal.



And you haven’t qualified for a bout with me.



Win a few prelims, then let’s talk. — Andy Taggart (@Andy_Taggart) April 5, 2018

McDaniel responded: "Well then, keep clucking from the cheap seats." Then various supporters and detractors jumped in to gig both of them, and so on and so forth.

McDaniel opened cyber battles on multiple fronts Wednesday. In a mass emailed fundraising letter, he accused Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith of being "a life-long Democrat" and accused the lifetime National Rifle Association member with an A rating of having pushed for gun control.

The McDaniel online war machine may be a little rusty from 2014: He inadvertently accused Hyde-Smith of pushing for gun control in Alabama.

"Cindy Hyde-Smith even pushed for gun control while serving as Commissioner of Agriculture in Alabama," McDaniel's fundraising email claimed. He went on to say that Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is taking Hyde-Smith to "cocktail parties and high dollar dinners all over D.C. and Georgetown" to raise money.

Hyde-Smith campaign manager Jordan Russell fired back: “As usual, Chris McDaniel can’t get his facts straight even when it comes to geography. It’s strange but not surprising given how McDaniel is all over the map on so many issues, especially when he’s called President Trump economically liberal, not conservative, and even calling the tax cut bill an embarrassment.”

McDaniel in his email also said: "Friend, they’re planning to use that money to blow me out of the water to avoid their worst nightmare of a November 26 run-off against you and me." But I'm thinking another candidate would actually love for McDaniel voters to show up to vote Nov. 26 for a runoff — considering the runoff would actually be held Nov. 27.

Hyde-Smith has kept her powder dry on social media responses to McDaniel (I bet we will see something soon on the gun control claims) but instead lobbed a red-meat hand grenade via Twitter at U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who visited Mississippi. She basically tweeted that he wasn't welcome in the "Hospitality State."

Vermont’s Bernie Sanders came to Jackson today. Why one of the Senate’s most liberal, anti-gun, pro-choice, socialist voices would want to plant his flag in Mississippi is BEYOND understanding. Like and RT if you agree—Mississippi doesn’t need Bernie’s liberal policies #Cindy2018 pic.twitter.com/ZXeEuBrOR2 — Cindy Hyde-Smith (@cindyhydesmith) April 5, 2018

But the #MSSen (it's a Twitter hashtag, made nationally famous in the 2014 race) cyberwar is only now warming up. We likely ain't seen nothing yet. Any voters who get bored or believe the mudslinging in mainstream media is too tame or high-minded can just check out #MSSen. Where else can you see a fake Gov. Phil Bryant account accusing McDaniel of trying to goad Taggart into running with mean tweets because he needs to split the vote to make it into a runoff? And Taggart clicking "like" on it.

Hilarious to see all of McDaniel’s minions groveling and begging @Andy_Taggart to run because they know the only way Chris’ 20% gets him in the runoff is with a highly divided field. #mssen — Dewey Phillip Bryant (@DeweyTheGuv) April 5, 2018

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Follow Geoff Pender on Twitter: @GeoffPender