斯科特·科洛姆在8月1日于密西西比州杰克逊市历史悠久的法里什街浸信会教堂举行的投票权市政厅会议上。
Scott Colom during a voting rights town hall at the historic Farish Street Baptist church in Jackson, Mississippi, on 1 August.
一位密西西比州民主党人意外威胁共和党对该州的控制 斯科特·科洛姆向现任参议员辛迪·海德-史密斯发起挑战，使这个全美最可靠的红州之一在中期选举中可能成为摇摆州 周二，距离选举仅剩一周，斯科特·科洛姆的竞选总部热闹非凡。志愿者们到场进行电话拉票，工作人员则为又一天的竞选活动做准备。这位正在向现任共和党参议员辛迪·海德-史密斯发起挑战的民主党人科洛姆，刚刚在密西西比州科林斯举行了一场新闻发布会。
A Mississippi Democrat is unexpectedly threatening Republicans’ grip on the state As Scott Colom challenges incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith for Senate, one of the country’s most reliably Republican states may be in play in the midterms n Tuesday, with just one week until the election, Scott Colom’s headquarters was buzzing. Volunteers arrived for phone-banking, while staffers prepared for another day of campaigning. Colom, a Democrat who is challenging incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith for US Senate, had just held a press conference in Corinth, Mississippi Trump campaigned for Hyde-Smith in Corinth, a small city near the Tennessee border that typically leans Republican on Tuesday, too.
特朗普周二也在科林斯为海德-史密斯助选，这座靠近田纳西州边境的小城市通常倾向共和党。他对与会者表示，他之所以来到这里，“是因为辛迪表现得很棒，但我必须确保万无一失。我不能冒险。”该州其他知名共和党人也出席了集会并发表讲话，包括州长泰特·里夫斯，他告诉坐无虚席的竞技场内的与会者，“这是我们一生中最重要的选举”。
He told attendees that he was there “because Cindy’s doing great, but I just got to make sure. I can’t take a chance.”Other prominent Republicans in the state attended and spoke at the rally, including the governor, Tate Reeves, who attendees in the nearly full arena that “this is the most important election of our lives”.
但共和党认为有必要请来特朗普助选，被许多人视为其承认处于弱势：密西西比州作为全美最可靠的红州之一，可能在下周的中期选举中成为摇摆州，这将决定哪个党派在总统任期最后两年控制国会。近年来几周，这场竞选吸引了全国关注，因为全国民主党突然向一个原本被认为无望夺回的席位注入了新资金。8月，民主党参议院竞选委员会（参议院民主党的筹款机构）在向摇摆州投入的4000万美元资金中排除了科洛姆。自10月以来，许多全国民主党人已跨越全州为科洛姆站台助选。
But the fact that Republicans viewed it necessary to call in Trump has been seen by many as an admission of their vulnerability: Mississippi, one of the country’s most reliably Republican states, may be in play in next week’s midterm elections, which will determine which party controls Congress for the last two years of the president’s term. The race has attracted national attention in recent weeks as national Democrats suddenly have poured new money into a seat that had seemed out of reach. In August, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the fundraising arm of the Senate Democrats, left Colom out of a $40m investment into battleground states. Since October, many national Democrats have stumped across the state in support of Colom.
但情况并非一直如此。“民主党基本上就是放弃了这个州，”科隆说，形容全国民主党此前对密西西比州的看法。他说，这样做等于向该州忠诚的黑人和白人民主党人发出了冷漠的信号，这些人即便在关系看似并非互惠的情况下，依然持续支持该党：“太长时间以来，我们都不愿对此提出挑战。对我来说，我已准备好挑战。我想向人们展示我有勇气。而这正是此刻所需要的。我们不能害怕揭露谎言。我们不能害怕揭露背叛。”
But that wasn’t always the case. “The Democrats just basically conceded the state,” Colom said, describing the previous view of national Democrats towards Mississippi. In doing so, he said, the party was signaling indifference to loyal Black and white Democrats in the state who continued to support the party even if the relationship did not seem reciprocal: “For too long, we weren’t willing to challenge that. For me, I’m ready to challenge. I want to show the people I have courage. And that’s what it takes in this moment. We cannot be afraid to call out the lies. We cannot be afraid to call out the betrayal.”
科隆在科林斯的新闻发布会吸引了约100人参加，尽管通知时间很短。他还与排队在十字路口竞技场外等待见特朗普的人们进行了交谈。
Colom’s press conference in Corinth attracted about 100 attendees, despite the short notice. He also spoke to people who had lined up outside Crossroads Arena to see Trump.
“[特朗普的选民] 正在遭受背叛，”他说。“他们投的是‘美国优先’。结果却是‘密西西比垫底’。他们指望上任第一天就能降低食品杂货价格。结果上任第一天发生的唯一事，是我们迎来了几十年来最大幅度的销售税增幅。他们投的是不再有无休止的战争。我们又重返战场，且遥遥无期。他们投的是公布爱泼斯坦档案。
“[Trump voters] are getting betrayed,” he said. “They voted for America first. They’re getting Mississippi last. They were voting for lower grocery prices on day one. Well, the only thing that happened on day one is we got the greatest increase in sales tax in decades. They voted for no more endless wars. We’re back at war with no end in sight. They voted for the release of the Epstein files.
“我想确保我去那里的前线，听听他们关心什么。然后告诉他们：‘我只是想确保你们得到你们投票支持的东西。我同意你们的看法。我们需要更低的食品杂货价格。我同意你们的看法。我们需要摆脱愚蠢的战争。而且我同意你们的看法，我们不能在没有检察官的情况下保护恋童癖者。’”密西西比州自1982年以来没有选出过民主党籍参议员。
“I wanted to make sure I go to the lines there and listen to what matters to them. And tell them: ‘I’m just trying to make sure you get what you voted for. I agree with you. We need lower grocery prices. I agree with you. We need to get out of stupid wars. And I agree with you that we can’t protect pedophiles without a prosecutor.’”Mississippi has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1982.
该州选出黑人担任该职位的时间更久远——直到1875年也没有。如果不看党派标签，科洛姆的资历可能使他成为稳操胜券的候选人：2015年，他击败了一位连任近30年的现任官员，当选为第16巡回法院区首位黑人地方检察官。担任地方检察官期间，他的定罪成功率为94%。他是密西西比州第七代居民，其父亲是长期的共和党人，曾为罗纳德·里根竞选，并与长期从政的州政客萨德·科克兰是朋友。
It’s been much longer – not since 1875 – that the state elected a Black person to that office. Without the party label, Colom’s bonafides might make him a shoo-in for a win: in 2015, he unseated a nearly 30-year incumbent when he was elected the first Black district attorney for the 16th circuit. As district attorney, he had a 94% success rate for convictions. He’s a seventh-generation Mississippian, whose father was a longtime Republican who campaigned for Ronald Reagan and was friends with Thad Cochran, a longtime state politician.
然而，科洛姆要击败现任参议员海德-史密斯面临艰难挑战。海德-史密斯已任职参议员八年，任期内未主持过任何立法（她共同发起的32项法案已成为法律）。
Yet Colom is fighting an uphill battle to unseat Hyde-Smith, a senator for eight years who has not sponsored any legislation during her tenure (she has co-sponsored 32 bills that became law).
特朗普访问后的第二天早上，当科洛姆走回办公室时，志愿者们兴高采烈。他们拥抱，并给予鼓励和支持的话语。“我们将和像你们这样的人一起创造历史，”他对他们说。“密西西比州很重要”贝拉克·奥巴马2008年在密西西比州竞选，在杰克逊州立大学发表演讲。但希拉里·克林顿和卡玛拉·哈里斯在总统竞选期间均未访问该州。伯尼·桑德斯2020年原计划在该州出席活动，但临时取消，转而前往密歇根州。
When Colom walked back into his office the morning after Trump’s visit, volunteers were exuberant. They hugged and offered words of encouragement and support. “We’re going to make history together, with people like you,” he told them. ‘Mississippi matters’Barack Obama campaigned in Mississippi in 2008 speaking at Jackson State University. But neither Hillary Clinton nor Kamala Harris visited during their presidential campaigns. Bernie Sanders had a scheduled appearance in the state in 2020, but canceled it at the last minute to go to Michigan instead.
密西西比州大部分地区已被让给共和党人，密西西比大学政治学和非裔美国人研究副教授马文·金表示。
The state has largely been ceded to Republicans said Marvin King, an associate professor of political science and African American studies at the University of Mississippi.
“全国民主党人历来忽视密西西比州。他们忽视很多红州，密西西比州并非例外，”他说。“密西西比州民主党面临的问题是，他们的选民基础，也就是他们依赖的选票基础，坦率地说是一个低收入群体，因此这里的民主党人很难在内部筹集资金。”科洛姆办公室的墙上挂满了他参加竞选活动、与志愿者、支持者和工作人员合影的照片。在杰克逊的第一场市政厅会议上，科洛姆说，只有四个人到场。他知道必须自己建立势头，举办市政厅会议，参加节日，走访住房项目和返校活动。
“National Democrats do historically ignore Mississippi. They ignore plenty of red states, so Mississippi’s not alone,” he said. “The problem for Mississippi Democrats is that their voter base, the base that they rely on for votes, is quite frankly a lower income base, so it’s hard for Democrats here to raise the money internally.’”The walls of Colom’s office are adorned with photos of him at campaign stops, him with volunteers, supporters and staffers. At his first town hall in Jackson, Colom said, he had four people show up. He knew he had to build his own momentum, doing town halls and going to festivals, housing projects and homecomings.
目前是密西西比州唯一的黑人和唯一的民主党国会议员本尼·汤普森告诉他，他必须在全州范围内竞选。
Bennie Thompson currently Mississippi’s lone Black and only Democratic congressional representative, told him that he’d have to campaign all across the state.
“我把这些照片挂起来，是为了提醒自己其中的乐趣，”科洛姆说。“这需要很大的耐力，但这些照片提醒我为什么要这样做。感觉密西西比州的人民终于得到了他们应得的关注。我们州的潜力正在得到应有的认可，我很自豪能在这个时刻为州内人民而战。”办公室里还醒目地挂着写有竞选主要口号之一的标语：“密西西比州很重要。”这是竞选活动的指导灯塔，也是全国民主党人开始考虑的事情。
“I put these pictures up to remind myself of the joy in it,” Colom said. “It takes a lot of endurance, but these photos remind me of why I’m doing it. It feels like the people of Mississippi are finally getting the attention they deserve. The potential of our state is getting the recognition it deserves and I’m proud to be fighting for the people in this moment.”Also prominent in the office are signs that bear one of the main mottos of the campaign: “Mississippi matters.”It’s a guiding light for the campaign, and something that Democrats are starting to consider on a national level, too.
10月14日，佐治亚州民主党参议员拉斐尔·沃诺克在杰克逊为科洛姆竞选造势。据《政客》报道，他为科洛姆的竞选委员会筹集了超过50万美元。“我来这里，是因为我厌倦了南方在选举重要性方面被忽视或贬低，”沃诺克告诉海湾州新闻室。“忽视南方，等于自取灭亡。民主党正在这里投资。我希望看到更多，为了国家的利益。”
On 14 October, Georgia senator Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, campaigned in Jackson for Colom. He raised more than $500,000 for Colom’s campaign committee, according to Politico“I am here because I am tired of the South being overlooked or diminished in terms of its electoral importance,” Warnock told the Gulf States Newsroom“We ignore the South at our own peril. Democrats are investing here. I would like to see more, for the sake of the country.”
科洛姆表示，参议员丽莎·布伦特·罗切斯特和安吉拉·阿尔索布鲁克斯都是他竞选活动早期的全国支持者。其他知名民主党人——科里·布克、皮特·布蒂吉格和哈里斯——也最近到该州为科洛姆拉票。贝拉克·奥巴马发表声明支持科洛姆，告诉选民：“密西西比州，是时候改变了。”
Colom said that senators Lisa Blunt Rochester and Angela Alsobrooks were all early national supporters of his campaign. Other notable Democrats – Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg and Harris – have also recently visited the state to stump for Colom. Barack Obama released an in support of Colom, telling voters: “Mississippi, it’s time for a change.”
“如果我是科洛姆，我只会对民主党等得太晚感到不满，”金说。“如果全国民主党在六月或七月就进入这场竞选，情况会大不相同。”密西西比州拥有最高比例的黑人选民，这一投票群体大多投民主党的票。要获胜，科洛姆既需要黑人选民投票，又需要赢得大约四分之一的白人选票——这些白人选民原本倾向于投共和党。
“If I’m Colom, I’m only upset that the Democrats waited so late,” King said. “If the national Democrats had entered this race in June or July, it’s a very different story.”Mississippi has the largest percentage of Black voters, a voting bloc that largely votes Democratic. To win, Colom will need both Black voter turnout and to win about a quarter of the white – otherwise Republican – vote.
2018年，密西西比州重建以来第一位黑人国会议员、前美国农业部长迈克·埃斯皮在特别选举中以仅七个百分点之差输给了海德-史密斯。但里夫斯在2023年连任竞选中仅以三个百分点的优势获胜，得票率仅高出避免决选所需的多数门槛不到一个百分点。
In 2018, Mike Espy, Mississippi’s first Black congressman since Reconstruction and a former US agriculture secretary, lost a special election to Hyde-Smith by just seven points. But Reeves his 2023 re-election bid by just a three percentage-point margin and finished less than one percentage point above the majority threshold required to avoid a runoff.
密西西比州民主党执行主任米克尔·博尔登表示，选民本身就是全国民主党开始关注该州的原因。
Mikel Bolden, executive director of the Mississippi Democratic party, said that the voters themselves are why national Democrats are taking notice of the state.
“你不能仅仅因为选民过去如何投票就视若理所当然，”她说。“人们正在关注。选民们发声的声音稍大了一些。全国党确实看到，不仅是我们在为他们推动，选民们也在为他们推动。”虽然密西西比州没有提前投票，但该州确实为老年人和有合格理由的人提供缺席投票。截至10月27日，密西西比州已投出的缺席选票超过5.6万张，而2022年为22221张。然而，在上一次中期选举期间，参议院选举并未列入选票。这一数字低于2024年总统选举期间的水平。
“You cannot take voters for granted simply because of how they voted in the past,” she said. “People are paying attention. Voters are speaking out a little bit more. Nationals really sees that not only are we pushing for them, but the voters are pushing for them.”Though Mississippi doesn’t have early voting, the state does offer absentee voting to older adults and those with qualifying excuses. As of 27 October more than 56,000 absentee ballots were cast in Mississippi, up from 22,221 in 2022. During the last midterm election, however, the Senate race was not on the ballot. The number is lower from where it was during the 2024 presidential election.
“我觉得我需要尽我所能来代表密西西比州人民的价值观和愿景，”科洛姆说。“太长时间以来，密西西比州并非无可救药，而是被背叛的事业。”
“I feel like I need to do everything I can to represent the values and vision of the people of Mississippi,” Colom said. “For too long, Mississippi hasn’t been a lost cause, it’s been a betrayed cause.”