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Republicans on Tuesday expanded their incoming Senate majority to 53 seats, as incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith handily beat back an insurgent challenge by Democrat Mike Espy in Mississippi’s special election runoff to become the first woman ever elected to Congress from the state.
With 95 percent of precincts reporting, Hyde-Smith had 446,927 votes to Espy’s 374,880 — a commanding margin of 54.4 percent to 45.6 percent, according to state election officials. The race marks the final midterm contest of 2018.
“I want everybody to know, no matter who you voted for today, I’m gonna always represent every Mississippian,” Hyde-Smith said at her victory party late Monday night. “Being on that MAGA-wagon, the Make American Great Again bus, we have bonded, we have persevered, we have gotten through things, we were successful today.”