Tag: Robert E. Lee

CNN's Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon discuss the ongoing debate surrounding the removal of Confederate statues. #CNN #News

View more opinion articles on CNN. In the November 6 election, none of the candidates -- Hyde-Smith, Democrat Mike Espy or Republican Chris McDaniel -- received a majority of the vote. When the runoff takes place this Tuesday, Mississippi voters will offer the nation evidence as to whether "moderate white voters" still exist in the Deep South. These voters may signal if Democrats or moderate Republicans can be viable future candidates in red states, and in rural areas in otherwise purple states. Senator Hyde-Smith is an ultra-conservative politician. Espy, a moderate African-American who has devoted a good deal of his campaign trying to engage the state's business community and white suburban voters who don't like to see Mississippi's image tarnished, is hoping to put together the same kind of coalition as Jones. His goal is to win over a combination of African Americans and moderate suburban whites. The outcome in Mississippi is particularly important since the midterm results in the Senate were much more mixed than in the House. Trump's ability to hold white Republican voters in those states will be crucial to his chances for re-election in 2020, where he will aim to recreate the same narrow Electoral College victory that hinged on the support of Republican voters while making small inroads into Democratic constituencies. It would mean that moderate white voters are not really a major presence in these parts of the country.