Jungle primary on Nov. 6; runoff election on Nov. 27
Mike Espy is running for the runoff--the sort of election that some African Americans have said for years is designed to keep them from winning.
The runoff is baked into Espy's campaign strategy against Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and conservative firebrand
Chris McDaniel, Republicans who he'll face in a so-called "jungle" primary special election Nov. 6 to finish the final two years of GOP Sen. Thad Cochran's six-year term. Cochran retired in April citing health reasons, and
Hyde-Smith was named to replace him until the election determined a successor. If none of the candidates receive 50 percent of the vote on Nov. 6, the top two finishers will square off in a Nov. 27 runoff.
The thinking about runoffs goes like this:
A black candidate in the South could easily win a multi-candidate primary, as long as they get most of the black vote, which could be as high as the mid-to-low 30s. But in a one-on-one contest, the potential to add to that total is diminished.
Jungle primary on Nov. 6; runoff election on Nov. 27
Mike Espy is running for the runoff--the sort of election that some African Americans have said for years is designed to keep them from winning.
The runoff is baked into Espy's campaign strategy against Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and conservative firebrand
Chris McDaniel, Republicans who he'll face in a so-called "jungle" primary special election Nov. 6 to finish the final two years of GOP Sen. Thad Cochran's six-year term. Cochran retired in April citing health reasons, and
Hyde-Smith was named to replace him until the election determined a successor. If none of the candidates receive 50 percent of the vote on Nov. 6, the top two finishers will square off in a Nov. 27 runoff.
The thinking about runoffs goes like this:
A black candidate in the South could easily win a multi-candidate primary, as long as they get most of the black vote, which could be as high as the mid-to-low 30s. But in a one-on-one contest, the potential to add to that total is diminished.
Emulate Clinton's style, comfortable in mixed-race crowds
Q: Did the Congressional Black Caucus criticize your early support of Bill Clinton?
A: Yes. I wanted to be known as President Clinton's best friend in the Black Caucus. They used me a lot, during the campaign, to answer charges. The Sister Souljah
thing was one [where Jesse Jackson criticized Clinton on race].
Q: What was Bill Clinton's relationship with Jesse Jackson?
A: Jesse was used to being the emissary for white politicians in the black community, and Bill didn't need that. He could go
himself. Bill operated in a world that was truly diverse, where he was comfortable, and Jesse operated in a world that was a bit limited. He was the foremost black leader, and Bill wanted to be the foremost leader. That's where they began to diverge,
and it was resented in some ways. I tend to follow Bill Clinton's style of leadership, where you're comfortable in all crowds, where you don't compromise your principles, but you try to explain what you did. That's how I try to pattern myself.