United States Senate election in Mississippi, 2020
- Election date: Nov. 3
- Registration deadline(s): Oct. 5
- Online registration: No
- Same-day registration: No
- Recount laws
- Early voting starts: N/A
- Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): Nov. 3 (postmarked); Nov. 10 (received)
- Processing, counting, and challenging absentee/mail-in ballots
- Voter ID: Photo ID
- Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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- Voter information
2022→ ←2018 |
| U.S. Senate, Mississippi |
|---|
 |
| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: January 10, 2020 |
| Primary: March 10, 2020 Primary runoff: June 23, 2020 General: November 3, 2020 Pre-election incumbent: Cindy Hyde-Smith (Republican) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Mississippi |
| Race ratings |
Inside Elections: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate •1st •2nd •3rd •4th Mississippi elections, 2020 U.S. Congress elections, 2020 U.S. Senate elections, 2020 U.S. House elections, 2020 |
Voters inMississippielected one member to theU.S. Senate in theelection on November 3, 2020.
IncumbentCindy Hyde-Smith won election in the general election for U.S. Senate Mississippi.
| Candidate filing deadline | Primary election | General election |
|---|---|---|
The election filled theClass II Senate seat held byCindy Hyde-Smith (R). Hyde-Smith was first appointed in 2018.
Election procedure changes in 2020
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of thecoronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
Mississippi modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:
- Absentee/mail-in voting: Any individual under a physician-ordered quarantine, or an individual caring for a dependent under quarantine, due to COVID-19 was eligible to vote by absentee ballot. The absentee ballot postmark deadline was extended to November 3, 2020, and the receipt deadline to November 10, 2020.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak,click here.
Candidates and election results
General election
General election for U.S. Senate Mississippi
IncumbentCindy Hyde-Smith defeatedMike Espy andJimmy Edwards in the general election for U.S. Senate Mississippi on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) | 54.1 | 709,511 |
 | Mike Espy (D) | 44.1 | 578,691 | |
| Jimmy Edwards (L) | 1.8 | 23,152 | ||
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 1,311,354 | ||
 = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Mississippi
Mike Espy defeatedTobey Bartee andJensen Bohren in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Mississippi on March 10, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mike Espy | 93.1 | 250,496 |
 | Tobey Bartee | 4.1 | 11,148 | |
 | Jensen Bohren | 2.7 | 7,345 | |
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 268,989 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Mississippi
IncumbentCindy Hyde-Smith advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Mississippi on March 10, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cindy Hyde-Smith | 100.0 | 235,463 |
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 235,463 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team. | ||||
Ballot access requirements
The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Mississippi in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Mississippi, clickhere.
| Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2020 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Signature formula | Filing fee | Filing fee formula | Filing deadline | Source |
| Mississippi | U.S. Senate | Qualified party | N/A | N/A | $1,000.00 | Fixed number | 1/10/2020 | Source |
| Mississippi | U.S. Senate | Unaffiliated | 1,000 | Fixed number | $1,000.00 | Fixed number | 1/10/2020 | Source |
Campaign finance
This section contains campaign finance figures from theFederal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[1] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or onspending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[2]
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cindy Hyde-Smith | Republican Party | $3,407,099 | $3,292,471 | $168,543 | As of December 31, 2020 |
| Mike Espy | Democratic Party | $12,320,919 | $12,439,497 | $175,593 | As of December 31, 2020 |
| Jimmy Edwards | Libertarian Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
Source:Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). *According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." | |||||
Race ratings
- See also:Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets:The Cook Political Report,Inside Elections,Sabato's Crystal Ball, andDDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe andSolid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[3]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[4][5][6]
| Race ratings: U.S. Senate election in Mississippi, 2020 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| November 3, 2020 | October 27, 2020 | October 20, 2020 | October 13, 2020 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report | Likely Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | Likely Republican | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season. | |||||||||
Election history
2018
General runoff election
Special general runoff election for U.S. Senate Mississippi
IncumbentCindy Hyde-Smith defeatedMike Espy in the special general runoff election for U.S. Senate Mississippi on November 27, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) | 53.6 | 486,769 |
| Mike Espy (D) | 46.4 | 420,819 | |
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 907,588 (100.00% precincts reporting) | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
Special general election for U.S. Senate Mississippi
IncumbentCindy Hyde-Smith andMike Espy advanced to a runoff. They defeatedChris McDaniel andTobey Bartee in the special general election for U.S. Senate Mississippi on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) | 41.2 | 389,995 |
| ✔ | | Mike Espy (D) | 40.9 | 386,742 |
 | Chris McDaniel (R) | 16.4 | 154,878 | |
| Tobey Bartee (Nonpartisan) | 1.5 | 13,852 | |
| Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 945,467 (100.00% precincts reporting) | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jason Shelton (D)
2014
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Thad CochranIncumbent | 59.9% | 378,481 | |
| Democratic | Travis Childers | 37.9% | 239,439 | |
| Reform | Shawn O'Hara | 2.2% | 13,938 | |
| Total Votes | 631,858 | |||
| Source:Mississippi Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
2012
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Roger Wicker | 57.2% | 709,626 | |
| Democratic | Albert N. Gore, Jr. | 40.6% | 503,467 | |
| Constitution | Thomas Cramer | 1.2% | 15,281 | |
| Reform | Shawn O'Hara | 1.1% | 13,194 | |
| Total Votes | 1,241,568 | |||
| Source:Mississippi Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Mississippi, 2020
- United States Senate elections, 2020
Footnotes
- ↑Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
- ↑Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
- ↑Inside Electionsalso usesTiltratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
