I couldn’t agree more:
Rep. Bennie Thompson and other Democrats are urging the national party to invest more resources in the South, including Mike Espy’s bid for a Senate seat in Mississippi.
“He’s got a shot. Things need to fall into place,” said Thompson, the lone Democrat in Mississippi's congressional delegation. “He’s setting the building blocks … We just need to make sure at the end of the day we put our best foot forward. A lot of people are committed to doing all they can to help him.”
Espy, a former Democratic congressman and secretary of agriculture under the Clinton administration, is running in a special election to replace Republican Thad Cochran. Cochran retired in April citing health reasons.
Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who in April was sworn in to fill Cochran’s unexpired term, and state Republican Sen. Chris McDaniel are among the other top contenders.
Thompson and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus, mostly Democrats, have been meeting with officials from the Democratic Campaign Congressional Committee to ramp up efforts to win House races, including some in the South.
“The South as a whole is fertile ground for Democratic political growth," he said.
Thompson said he hopes the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which supports Democratic Senate candidates, will include the Mississippi race.
He said Espy has to make the case to the DSCC. “If I get asked, I’ll tell them they should,” Thompson said.
Black Women were essential in helping Doug Jones (D. AL) become a U.S. Senator and we can absolutely pull off that strategy again in Mississippi. We’ll need to see how this race plays out and what type of trouble White Supremacist sympathizer, Chris McDaniel’s (R. MS), causes for his party. Either way, we should help Espy get ready for whatever happens. Click here to donate and get involved with Espy’s campaign.