Mike Espy is polling better in his race against GOP U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi than Amy McGrath is against Mitch McConnell in Kentucky.
Dems have donated $47.3 million to McGrath.
They've given $1.35 million to Espy.
He'd be MS's first Black senator since 1881.
People always, always write off Mississippi. It's cross partisan and it's across all sorts of topics—from weather to political campaigns. The soft bigotry of low expectations, indeed.
In 2018, during a special election, Mike Espy came closer to winning a Mississippi US Senate seat campaigning against Cindy Hyde-Smith than any Democrat since 1982—when segregationist Dixiecrat Sen. John Stennis last ran for re-election. jacksonfreepress.com/news/2018/nov/…
Mike Espy became Mississippi's first Black congressman since the 1800s in 1986. He would also be the first Black senator since the 1880s if elected.
CORRECTION: ActBlue did not list the top 10 candidates to donate to. This is the top 10 recipients of the prior month.
Amy McGrath, who's behind by 12 points in KY, tops the list.
Mike Espy, who came within 8 pts of winning a MS US Senate seat in 2018, isn't even on the list.
UPDATE: Mike Espy has raised at least $100,000 in the hours since Ruth Bader Ginsberg's death, a source says.
*Ginsburg
UPDATE: Mike Espy has raised at least $200,000 in the hours since Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death, a source says.
That's up from $100,000 this morning.
UPDATE: In Mississippi, Democratic US Senate candidate Mike Espy's 24-hr haul since Justice Ginsburg's death has now surpassed $212,000.
That's more in 24 hrs than his GOP opponent, US Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, raised in all of Q2 from April 1 to June 30.
Average donation? $30.
UPDATE: Democratic Mississippi US Senate candidate Mike Espy raised more in one day than any candidate in state history after Justice Ginsburg's death.
NEW: After discovering that some officials in Mississippi and nationwide were keeping unidentified bodies for "personal collections" and refusing to return them, Pascagoula Lt. Darren Versiga began pushing for a law to regulate how remains are handled. mississippifreepress.org/40991/cold-cas…
Lt. Versiga told @Shaunicy_ that he uncovered the problems when he began looking into decades worth of unsolved cold cases in Pascagoula.
@Shaunicy_ Lt. Versiga also said the bill, introduced by Sen. Brice Wiggins, could also help prevent cases where counties bury bodies without ever informing families of a loved ones' death—as happened to at least seven families in Hinds County. mississippifreepress.org/38668/mothers-…
NEW: The Mississippi Senate stripped out the House Medicaid expansion bill and replaced it with one that could cost the State millions more while covering less people.
Sen. Kevin Blackwell estimates that 80,000 Mississippians would qualify for Medicaid coverage under the Senate plan, but said he expects as few as 40,000 may actually enroll—significantly lower than the House’s estimation of up to 200,000 for its version. mississippifreepress.org/40893/senate-m…
The House plan includes full Medicaid expansion under the ACA, allowing residents who make up to 138% of the federal poverty level ($20,120 for an individual) to qualify. The Senate plan only allows people making up to 100% (~$15k) to qualify. mississippifreepress.org/40893/senate-m…
To quote Taylor herself reflecting on her eating disorder:
“If you’re thin enough, then you don’t have that ass that everybody wants. But if you have enough weight on you to have an ass, your stomach isn’t flat enough. It’s all just f—ing impossible.” variety.com/2020/music/new…
Here's how people reacted after she stopped starving herself (yes, she really did that).
"'No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage [Russia] to do whatever the hell they want,” Trump said, recalling a conversation with an American ally's president. mississippifreepress.org/39734/trump-en…
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NEW: Brett Favre was interrogated by state attorneys for nine hours Monday during a secret deposition about the Mississippi welfare scandal and the millions in TANF funds that went to him, a volleyball stadium and a drug company he was heavily invested in. mississippifreepress.org/38290/brett-fa…
Favre's deposition was originally scheduled for October, but the State rescheduled it for after the statewide elections.
Hattiesburg Patriot's Tom Garmon found out about the deposition's secret location and staked it out. Clip courtesy @HPatriot mississippifreepress.org/38290/brett-fa…
It is unlikely that the transcript will become public anytime soon. In October, a judge agreed to a request from the State, Favre and other defendants to issue a protective order sealing certain discovery documents—like deposition transcript.
NEW: Some Mississippi voters were left in line for hours as election officials printed new ballots after at least 9 Hinds County polling places ran out.
Voters told the Mississippi Free Press earlier today that the McLeod Elementary polling place ran out of ballots as early as 8:30 a.m.; voting began at 7 a.m. and lasts until 7 p.m.
“We were not prepared for this amazing turnout,” Hinds County Democratic Executive Committee member Jason McCarty said today, calling the ballot shortages "unacceptable." mississippifreepress.org/37392/nine-hin…