Miss. senator jokes about sitting 'front row' if invited to 'public hanging' — but Twitter is unamused
A Miss. senator said she’d sit front row if she was invited to a public hanging — and Twitter is unamused.
Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican who has been in office since April 2018, is currently campaigning in a runoff election against Democrat Mike Espy.
"If he invited me to a public hanging, I'd be on the front row"- Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith says in Tupelo, MS after Colin Hutchinson, cattle rancher, praises her.
Hyde-Smith is in a runoff on Nov 27th against Mike Espy. pic.twitter.com/0a9jOEjokr
— Lamar White, Jr. (@LamarWhiteJr) November 11, 2018
In a video shared on social media Sunday by Lamar White Jr., the publisher of The Bayou Brief, Hyde-Smith can be heard addressing a crowd saying, “If he invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row.” The he in question, according to The Clarion Ledger, is apparently a cattle rancher.
The 10-second video was viewed nearly 800,000 times in just a few hours.
Chrissy Teigen and Shaun King were among those criticizing Hyde-Smith.
uhhhhhhhhhhhhh https://t.co/5S1X2ux9ij
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) November 11, 2018
Hold up. Hold up. Stop EVERYTHING.
A sitting United States Senator, IN MISSISSIPPI just said “If he invited me to a public hanging I’d be on the front row.”
REALLY?
She just said this in the heart of lynching country.
SHE’S RUNNING AGAINST A BLACK MAN!
Unthinkable. https://t.co/UTfKiVsF0P
— Shaun King (@shaunking) November 11, 2018
The two were not alone.
According to @NAACP, “Mississippi had most lynchings from 1882-1968 with 581.” And here’s the incumbent US Senator from Mississippi telling a “lynching” joke to a group of white people, who belly laugh afterwards. She’s in a Nov. 27 runoff against Mike Espy, a Black man. Vote. https://t.co/RFK6N2MlO4
— Scott Hechinger (@ScottHech) November 11, 2018
This Republican white woman offered to attend the public hanging of her African-American opponent. Donate to Mike Espy- the runoff for that Senate seat is Nov 27th. https://t.co/eETFr14bPT https://t.co/pTEere8ylC
— Laurie Kilmartin (@anylaurie16) November 11, 2018
More than three-quarters of a million people have now seen this clip in which U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith jokes about attending a public hanging in the state that had the most lynchings from 1877 to 1850. She is running against @espyforsenate, an historic black candidate. #MSSen https://t.co/8t7eytHSGG
— Ashton Pittman (@ashtonpittman) November 11, 2018
Wtf is this? Seriously? This woman needs to go back into her cave. https://t.co/nggBejC7vG
— Melissa Dawn (@MelissaFlagg2) November 11, 2018
I'm sorry what https://t.co/RezRlzxr4I
— Carrie (@FrickinCarrie) November 11, 2018
This is Mississippi. A Mississippi Senator.
Sen Cindy Hyde-Smith is in a runoff race now for the seat. Her opponent is Dem Mike Espy @espyforsenate https://t.co/k9UZmJAZLW— undaunted (@signifyify) November 11, 2018
Yahoo Lifestyle has reached out to Hyde-Smith’s office for comment and will update when we hear back.
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