Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant sets special Senate election; Cindy Hyde-Smith to be sworn in

Geoff Pender | The Clarion-Ledger

JACKSON, Miss. — Gov. Phil Bryant has officially set the date for the special U.S. Senate election to replace Thad Cochran, and set the qualifying deadline for April 24.

The Nov. 6 special election will not have party primaries. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff between the top two will be held Nov. 27.

Already, three well-known Republicans and two Democrats have said they are running or seriously considering a run, making a runoff likely.

Cochran officially resigned from the seat Sunday, saying health problems are preventing him serving out his seventh term, which would end in January 2021.

Bryant has announced Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith of Brookhaven, who has been serving as state agriculture commissioner, will temporarily replace Cochran until the eleciton. Hyde-Smith is expected to be sworn in on Monday, when the Senate returns to Washington, and she plans to run in the special election.

Republican state Sen. Chris McDaniel has announced he's running for the seat, and Republican attorney, author and longtime state GOP leader Andy Taggart said he is seriously considering running. Former Democratic U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy has announced plans to run, as well as Democratic Tupelo Mayor Jason Shelton.

A poll commissioned by Espy's campaign shows him leading Hyde-Smith and McDaniel in a three-way race as the two Republicans split votes.

The poll was taken by Chism Strategies in the days after Bryant announced his appointment of Hyde-Smith to temporarily fill the seat.

The poll was taken before Democratic Tupelo Mayor Jason Shelton announced his candidacy, which could siphon votes from Espy, and Republican attorney and author Andy Taggart announced he is "seriously considering" a run. Taggart said he will likely announce a decision by the end of this week.

The poll of 603 likely general election voters shows Espy leading with 34 percent, Hyde-Smith with 27 percent and McDaniel at 21 percent.

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