Chris McDaniel holds meet and greet in Gulfport

Republican Senator Chris McDaniel says his campaign is still leading the GOP race contrary to a recent poll showing Democratic candidate Mike Espy coming out ahead.

In front of a room full of supporters, GOP candidate Chris McDaniel addressed his stance in the race just a week out from when Senate appointee Cindy Hyde-Smith will fill Senator Thad Cochran’s seat.

The meet and greet was held over lunch at Dickey’s Barbeque in Gulfport this afternoon. McDaniel stressed conservative values, draining the swamp, term limits, and balancing the budget during the gathering.

The Senate candidate tells News 25 because the poll showing Espy leading is an internal campaign poll, the results aren’t a clear reading of public opinion. “The Democrats are going to try their tricks. They are going to try their polls and they’re going to try and confuse people. Ultimately, Mississippi is a conservative state that’s going to elect a conservative for U.S. Senate. I’m not here to back down. I’m here to fight. I’m a conservative first and foremost and I’m going to fight for term limits, fight to control that border, to build the wall, to help President Trump implement his agenda.”

McDaniel tells News 25 his main goal right now in the race is to meet as many Mississippians as possible and shake hands with people. The special election will be held November 6^th.