Former Vice President Joe Biden easily won Mississippi's Democratic presidential primary Tuesday, outdistancing Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. MPB's Kobee Vance reports.
At a campaign watch party in Jackson Tuesday night, supporters of former Vice President Joe Biden are celebrating his Mississippi victory. The Associated Press declared Biden the winner just after the polls closed. His win was boosted by strong support from African Americans. Colendula Green of Jackson believes if Biden goes on to win the presidency, it will be good for the nation, and Mississippi.
"People are tired. People want change. And people want people that's gonna be able to work with them and also be progressive. So I'm glad that tonight spoke for itself. I'm glad that my hometown [in] Michigan stood up. And also Mississippi. So this is a big win."
Former Mississippi congressman Mike Espy easily defeated two challengers to face Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and a Libertarian candidate in November. In 2018, Hyde-Smith defeated Espy in a hard-fought special election. Espy says he's ready for a rematch.
"What you're gonna see in November is gonna be all-out war. It's gonna be my team against her team. And we fell a little short last time, 47 percent, you know, the most votes that any Democrat's ever won in Mississippi in 30 years, and we're just getting started."
Hyde-Smith is seeking a full six-year term and was unopposed for the GOP nomination. Republican political analyst Austin Barbour says Espy won't be able to compete with an incumbent Hyde-Smith.
"Espy is gonna struggle this time because of money. There's so many more races on the ballot this time. We got a presidential race. The out of state money, millions and millions of out of state money that came into Espy in 2018, it's just not gonna be there for him this time. Therefore making it more difficult for him to run a serious campaign."
Barbour isn't surprised by Biden's Mississippi win Tuesday night, but he expects President Trump to carry the state in November.
