Control of the U.S. Senate could be uncertain for weeks following the midterm elections, hinging on the an unusual circumstance causing two Senate elections to be on the ballot this year in Mississippi, The Natchez Democrat reported Tuesday.
Mississippi voters were already poised to vote on one Senate seat due to the normal election cycle in this fall’s midterms. But a second seat in the state became vacant when Republican Sen. Thad Cochran stepped down this past April due to health reasons, thereby causing the need for a special election.
Mississippi law regarding a special election to fill Cochran’s seat requires no party primaries to be held. So, on Tuesday’s ballot for that seat, two Republicans and two Democrats will battle it out. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two contenders will head to a runoff on Nov. 27, regardless of their party.
Recent polls put Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, appointed to fill Cochran’s seat, in the lead and Democratic challenger Mike Espy in second place, the paper reported.
“Mississippi could be the deciding factor in who controls the Senate,” said Melissa Scallan, Hyde-Smith’s spokeswoman.
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