CUNA-Backed Hyde-Smith Wins Despite Racial Controversy

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Ms.), the CUNA-backed Senate candidate who faced allegations of racism, was elected in a runoff election Tuesday.

She will fill the term of Senate term of Sen. Thad Cochran, who retired.

Hyde-Smith had faced former Democratic Rep. Mike Espy in a runoff.

And despite allegations of racism, CUNA does not intend to ask Hyde-Smith to return the $5,000 campaign contribution it made to her campaign. CUNA officials said the contribution was made before the racial controversy surfaced.

CUNA spent $200,000 in an independent expenditure on television advertising on behalf of the Hyde-Smith campaign. The advertisement said that Hyde-Smith is the state’s first woman senator and highlights her position on defense spending and de-regulation.

Because the $200,000 was spent as an independent expenditure, CUNA could not ask for the Hyde-Smith campaign to return the money even if association officials wanted to do so.

CUNA could request Hyde-Smith to return the $5,000 campaign contribution, as several other companies have done.

However, CUNA will not do that.

“Our initial support prior to the November 6th general election was to maximize the opportunity to have two credit union-friendly candidates make the runoff,” said Trey Hawkins, CUNA’s vice president of political affairs. “That support was made prior to these recent revelations and comments, which CUNA does not condone, and we have made no contributions or expenditures since.”

Hyde-Smith and Espy were forced into a runoff election after no candidate running in the general election earlier this month received at least 50% of the vote.

Between the general election and yesterday’s runoff, several revelations led to racism charges against Hyde-Smith.

She said she would be willing to sit in the front row if a supporter invited her to a public hanging—a reference that conjured up memories of Mississippi’s racist past.

In the past, she also praised a Confederate soldier’s efforts to defend his homeland and was pictured in confederate garb. In addition, she and her daughter attended private high schools that had been established to fight integration.

Following those revelations, companies such as Google, Facebook, AT&T, Walmart and Pfizer have asked Hyde-Smith to return their campaign contributions.

While CUNA will not request that Hyde-Smith return the money, the Northwest Credit Union Association has asked a state legislator to return a $1,000 campaign contribution after he admitted writing an offensive document.