美国参议院选举在历史上属于共和党大本营的密西西比州引发新关注，正值中期选举冲刺阶段，总统唐纳德·特朗普计划举行集会助选共和党候选人，而参议院控制权取决于两年前特朗普获胜的几个州的选举结果。
A US Senate contest in the historically Republican state of Mississippi is drawing fresh attention in the final stretch of the midterm election cycle, with President Donald Trump planning a rally to boost the GOP candidate and control of the chamber hanging on the outcome of races in states the president won two years ago.
共和党全国委员会周三在一份声明中说，特朗普将于10月26日在科林斯市主持集会，距离选举日还有八天。此举发生在特朗普2024年在该州以超过22个百分点优势获胜的背景下，当时总统支持率跌至历史低位，民主党仅需反转四个席位即可重夺参议院控制权。
Trump will headline a rally in the city of Corinth on Oct. 26, eight days before the election, the Republican National Committee said in a statement Wednesday. The move, in a state Trump won by more than 22 percentage points in 2024, comes with the president’s approval rating hitting record lows and Democrats needing to flip just four seats to retake the Senate.
《库克政治报告》最近将共和党现任议员辛迪·海德-史密斯与民主党人斯科特·科洛姆之间的竞争评级从“稳固共和党”下调至“倾向共和党”。尽管这仍有利于共和党，但支持度的软化反映了共和党全国性趋势，他们正在得克萨斯州、俄亥俄州、南卡罗来纳州和阿拉斯加等多个共和党优势州苦苦捍卫参议院席位。北卡罗来纳州的一个共和党把持席位普遍被认为几乎无望守住，共和党团体正将资源从该州转移出去以防守其他战场州。
The Cook Political Report recently shifted the race between GOP incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Scott Colom from “solid Republican” to “likely Republican.”While that still favors the GOP, the softening of support reflects a national trend for Republicans, who are fighting to keep Senate seats in several other GOP-friendly states including Texas, Ohio, South Carolina and Alaska. A Republican-held seat in North Carolina is widely considered all but out of reach, with GOP groups shifting resources out of the state to defend other battlegrounds.
密西西比州并非传统政治战场。该州四名联邦众议员中有三名是共和党人，两名参议员和州长泰特·里夫斯也是共和党人。全国层面上唯一的民主党人是联邦众议员本尼·汤普森，他是该州任职时间最长的黑人官员，也是密西西比州共和党人在2028年总统大选前重新划分国会选区边界的持续行动的目标。
Mississippi isn’t a traditional political battleground. Three of the state’s four House lawmakers are Republican, as are the state’s two senators and Governor Tate Reeves. The lone Democrat on the national level is Representative Bennie Thompson, the state’s longest-serving Black official and the target of an ongoing effort by Mississippi Republicans to redraw congressional boundaries ahead of the 2028 presidential election.
鉴于该州长期倾向于在联邦职位上支持共和党，海德-史密斯的竞选大半时间未进入全国视野。距离选举日不足两周，她仍被看好获胜。
Hyde-Smith’s race hasn’t been on the national radar for most of the campaign given the state’s long history favoring Republicans for national office. And with less than two weeks until election day, she’s still favored to win.
然而，特朗普的支持率下降，以及人们对负担能力和物价上涨（包括食品、汽油和柴油价格）的担忧，让全国民主党重新评估他们在该竞选中的胜算。
Yet Trump’s declining popularity and concerns about affordability and increasing prices, including for food, gasoline and diesel, have national Democrats rethinking their chances in the race.
以牛肉价格为例。海德-史密斯对高价格问题的回答——她说人们“有这么多蛋白质可供选择”——引发了科洛姆发布的一条病毒式传播广告。
Consider beef prices. Hyde-Smith’s response to a question about high prices — in which she said people “have so many proteins to choose from” — prompted a viral ad from Colom.
“换种蛋白质？”一名正在烤汉堡的男子在广告中说，“我倒宁愿换个参议员。”作为地区检察官的科洛姆，获得了包括前总统巴拉克·奥巴马、佐治亚州参议员拉斐尔·沃诺克和新泽西州参议员科里·布克在内的民主党人的支持。反映出乐观情绪升温，本周与少数党领袖查克·舒默有关联的参议院多数党政治行动委员会宣布在该州投入120万美元购买广告。
“Pick another protein?” said one man grilling burgers in the , “I’d rather pick another senator instead.”Colom, a district attorney, has benefited from support from Democrats including former President Barack Obama, Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. And, reflecting increased optimism, this week the Senate Majority PAC linked to Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced a $1.2 million buy in the state.