MIKE ESPY.
THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH FOR
JOINING US TONIGHT, SECRETARY
ESPY.
WHAT DO YOU THINK EXPLAINS YOUR
RISE IN THE POLLS AND YOUR
OPPONENT’S COLLAPSE IN THE
POLLS?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, LAWRENCE,
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME
ON.
THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY.
I THINK THERE ARE THREE REASONS.
ONE, MISSISSIPPI IS JUST TIRED
OF BEING LAST, TIRED OF HAVING
LESS.
YOU KNOW, WE’RE JUST SO TIRED OF
IT.
I’M 66 YEARS OLD, AND EVER SINCE
I’VE BEEN, YOU KNOW, HERE IN
THIS STATE, WE’RE LAST IN
EDUCATION, LAST IN HEALTH CARE,
LAST IN JOB OPPORTUNITIES.
WE’RE JUST TIRED OF IT, AND THEY
WANT SOMEONE NOW WHO IS
ACCESSIBLE, AVAILABLE, WHO
BELIEVES IN A NEW MISSISSIPPI, A
MISSISSIPPI THAT’S WELCOMING, A
MISSISSIPPI THAT WILL LEAD THIS
STATE INTO THE THIRD DECADE OF
THE 21st CENTURY.
THE SECOND REASON IS THAT PEOPLE
NOW ARE LOOKING AT CINDY
HYDE-SMITH.
LAWRENCE, SHE IS UNIQUELY AWFUL.
NOT ONLY IS SHE AGAINST
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, NOT ONLY
DOES SHE WANT TO CUT
PRE-EXISTING ILLNESS CONDITIONS,
COVERAGE FOR THAT, NOT ONLY IS
SHE NOT DOING ANYTHING TO STOP
THE TIDE OF ALL OF OUR RURAL --
CLOSING, SHE LOVES MISSISSIPPI,
BUT SHE LOVES MISSISSIPPI OF
OLD.
SHE DOES.
SHE HAS A PENCHANT TO GLORIFY
CONFEDERATE SYMBOLS.
IN 2014, SHE WENT INTO THE
JEFFERSON DAVIS MUSEUM HERE IN
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI.
NOW, THAT’S FINE TO GO TO THE
MUSEUM.
OUR FLAG THAT WE’VE TAKEN DOWN
IS NOW IN THE MUSEUM.
BUT SHE WENT THERE, LAWRENCE.
SHE TRIED ON THAT LITTLE
CONFEDERATE HAT.
SHE TRIED ON A WAISTCOAT AND
HELD A RIFLE AND THEN SHE SAID,
THIS IS THE BEST OF
MISSISSIPPI’S HISTORY.
NO, IT’S NOT.
IT’S NOT.
I DON’T BELIEVE THAT.
SO THEY WANT SOMEONE WHO WILL
LEAD THIS STATE INTO THE FUTURE,
WELCOMING AND UNITING.
AND THEN THE THIRD REASON IS
FRANKLY I RAN BEFORE 18 MONTHS
AGO, AND YOU KNOW THAT.
I RAN AGAINST THE SAME UNIQUELY
AWFUL SENATOR, AND WE GOT 47%
EVEN THOUGH WE ONLY HAD SIX
MONTHS TO RUN.
OUR RACE WAS THE LAST SENATE
RACE IN THE UNITED STATES
BECAUSE COCHRAN FELL ILL AND
RESIGNED.
SO WE HAD TO IN APRIL DECIDE TO
RUN, STAND UP A CAMPAIGN, FIND A
STAFF, RAISE THE MONEY.
WE GOT 47% OF THE VOTE.
THAT’S WHY I KNEW WE COULD WIN.
WE HAD TO RUN THEN TO WIN NOW.
YOUR VIEWERS SHOULD KNOW HERE IN
MISSISSIPPI, WE HAVE MORE BLACK
VOTERS PER CAPITA THAN ANY STATE
IN THE NATION.
SO WE HAVE A LOT TO WORK WITH
FROM THE BEGINNING.
SO ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS BUILD A
COALITION.
JUST GET OUT THE BLACK VOTERS
LIKE NEVER BEFORE AND GET ENOUGH
WHITE VOTERS IN THE SUBURBS, IN
THE COLLEGE TOWNS OR THE
MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST TO BUILD
THAT COALITION TO DO WHAT WE
NEED TO DO, AND WE ARE DOING IT.
>> YOURS IS NOT THE HIGHEST
PROFILE SENATE RACE THAT THE
NATIONAL MEDIA IS COVERING.
HAVE YOU HAD TROUBLE GETTING THE
ATTENTION AND THE SUPPORT FROM
THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY
FOR YOUR RACE IN MISSISSIPPI?
>> YES, YES.
YOU KNOW, IT’S LIKE THEY’RE
BEGINNING TO NOW, AND I’M VERY
GRATEFUL.
IF YOU HAD ASKED ME THAT
QUESTION TWO MONTHS AGO, I WOULD
HAVE BEEN -- I WOULD HAVE GIVEN
YOU A DIFFERENT ANSWER.
BUT RIGHT NOW I’M VERY GRATEFUL.
THEY’RE BEGINNING TO COME NOW.
I DID A CALL WITH TOM PEREZ AND
THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC DONORS
YESTERDAY.
BUT THIS IS MISSISSIPPI,
LAWRENCE.
I’M USED TO THIS.
IT’S LIKE CATCH-22.
THEY IGNORE YOU UNTIL YOU CAN
PROVE YOUR OWN VIABILITY.
AND IT’S HARD TO PROVE YOUR OWN
VIABILITY IF THEY IGNORE YOU.
SO HERE IN MISSISSIPPI, WE GOT
ALL THESE BLACK VOTERS, BUT 20%
OF THEM ARE BELOW THE POVERTY
LEVEL.
THERE ARE 100,000 INFREQUENT
VOTERS.
I WISH I COULD AUTOMATICALLY SAY
JUST COME AND VOTE FOR ME, BUT
THEY’RE IN GRINDING POVERTY.
IT’S HARD TO PICK YOURSELF UP
AND GO VOTE FOR A CANDIDATE IF
YOU DON’T HAVE ANY SENSE THAT
THAT CANDIDATE COULD HAVE AN
IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE.
SO THAT’S OUR CHARGE, TO TAKE
OUR GLOVES, OUR MASK, AND OUR
PPE, AND I REALLY HELP FOR THAT
WITH YOUR VIEWERS, TO GO AND GET
THOSE 100,000 VOTERS THAT
HAVEN’T VOTED FOR ANYONE SINCE
BARACK OBAMA 2008.
THEY DIDN’T VOTE FOR HIM IN ’12.
THEY DIDN’T VOTE FOR HILLARY IN
’16.
THEY DIDN’T VOTE FOR ME IN ’18.
BUT WE KNOW WHO THEY ARE.
WE KNOW WHERE THEY ARE.
WE HAVE THEIR CONTACT.
I NEED TO BE ABLE TO GET THEM.