Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Mike Espy shake hands following their Senate debate. | Rogelio V. Solis, Pool/AP Photo Elections Hyde-Smith apologizes 'to anyone offended' by public hanging remark In the sole debate of her Senate runoff against Democrat Mike Espy, the Republican accuses her rivals of twisting her words for political gain.

Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith on Tuesday offered her first qualified apology to “anyone that was offended” by her remark that she would gladly attend a “public hanging” if one of her supporters invited her.

In the lone public debate of the runoff Senate election between Hyde-Smith and Democrat Mike Espy, the Republican senator said she meant no ill will by her remark, which she said was made to express her deep regard for a young supporter. But then she accused Democrats of distorting her comment, which was caught on video, for political gain.


"My comments [did not] mean I would enjoy any type of capital punishment sitting there witnessing this. You know, for anyone that was offended by my comments, I certainly apologize. There was no ill will, no intent whatsoever in my statements," she said. But Hyde-Smith added, "This comment was twisted and it was turned into a weapon to be used against me. A political weapon used for nothing but personal and political gain by my opponent."

Espy, who is African-American, said the episode has been an embarrassment to Mississippi, reinforcing stereotypes and giving "our state another black eye that we don't need."

"No one twisted your comments because your comments were live, it came out of your mouth," Espy said. "I don't know what's in your heart, but we all know came out of your mouth."

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The exchange came during an hourlong debate in which the two sparred over ethics, health care, President Donald Trump and his proposed wall on the Mexican border. Hyde-Smith attacked Espy over money he'd received from an Ivory Coast dictator as a lobbyist — a charge to which Espy had an anemic response. Espy tried to portray Hyde-Smith as a blind ally of the president, even when his policies hurt Mississippians, such as farmers and people with pre-existing health conditions.

The debate came one week before the Nov. 27 election between the two, which was forced when neither candidate received more than 50 percent in the first round of voting on Nov. 6. Hyde-Smith opened and closed the debate by hyping two campaign rallies Trump is holding to support her Monday, the eve of the election, a sign of how much she is relying on the president to help turn out voters given the unusual timing of the runoff.

Hyde-Smith also repeatedly attacked Espy as a liberal who would follow Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer's marching orders.

She repeatedly brought up the hundreds of thousands of dollars Espy received from a former Ivory Coast dictator, attacking his past work as a lobbyist as corrupt. Espy said he went to the Ivory Coast to help local farmers, and that once he learned about the nation's leader, he reported those facts to the CIA and canceled the remainder of his contract.

Espy tried to paint himself as above partisan squabbling. He also disagreed with several administration policies, calling Trump's tariffs a "wrongheaded policy" that hurt Mississippi farmers and labeling the proposed border wall "impractical."

He attacked Hyde-Smith repeatedly on health care, claiming that her opposition to a resolution that would have banned skimpy insurance plans was a vote against protections for pre-existing conditions. Hyde-Smith said she knew what she was voting for, and claimed the bill would not have hurt patients. She also touted her co-sponsorship of a bill from Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) that would protect patients with pre-existing conditions. Espy said that particular bill was a "sham" that wouldn't actually provide those protections.

Hyde-Smith came under fire in the days leading up to the debate over her remark to a supporter early this month that she would be in "the front row" if he invited her to a “public hanging.” In addition to repeatedly attacking her about it during the debate, Espy released a TV ad hours before in which a narrator warns Mississippians, “We can’t afford a senator who embarrasses us and reinforces the stereotypes we’ve worked hard to overcome.”

Outside Democratic groups have pounced on the "public hanging" remark and another offhand comment by Hyde-Smith, also caught on video, that it was a "great idea" to make it harder for "liberal folks" to vote. Hyde-Smith said she was joking in both cases and that there was no racial intent in her remarks.

Several major companies, including Walmart, asked for their campaign donations to Hyde-Smith to be returned.

Republicans, meanwhile, have attacked Espy, a former congressman and Cabinet secretary, as both a run-of-the-mill Democrat and a corrupt Washington insider. They’ve criticized Espy for his past as a lobbyist and for his time as Agriculture secretary under President Bill Clinton. One ad, from the super PAC Senate Leadership Fund, called him a “shady Clinton crony.”

Espy was forced to resign following an indictment on charges that he improperly took gifts while in office, though he was later acquitted on all charges.

Hyde-Smith has also leaned heavily on Trump in a state he won by nearly 20 percentage points. Her campaign released a TV ad this week featuring clips of Trump bashing Espy and endorsing Hyde-Smith during his most recent rally in Mississippi, in early October.

A Democrat hasn’t won a Senate seat in Mississippi since 1982, and both parties view Hyde-Smith as a clear favorite in the race, though Democrats hope that the combination of Hyde-Smith's recent remarks and the odd timing of the election just a few days after Thanksgiving could give Espy a boost.

Hyde-Smith was appointed to the seat by Gov. Phil Bryant earlier this year after Republican Sen. Thad Cochran retired for health reasons. Hyde-Smith and Espy are in a runoff after neither candidate received a majority in the first round of voting on Election Day. Republican Chris McDaniel, who nearly toppled Cochran in a primary four years ago, finished a distant third.

If Hyde-Smith wins, Republicans will have a 53-47 Senate majority in the next Congress.

