JACKSON, Miss. – Mississippi voters returned Roger Wicker to his second full term in the U.S. Senate on Thursday by an 18-point margin over Democratic challenger David Baria.
Wicker, 67, has served in the Senate since 2007, when he was appointed to finish the term of Sen. Trent Lott, who resigned to become a lobbyist.
Wicker, a Republican, faced nominal opposition from Baria, of Pascagoula, and two lesser-known candidates, Libertarian Danny Bedwell and Reform Party candidate Shawn O’Hara.
The 17-point margin of victory “was about what the polls were showing,” Wicker said.
Wicker told Hottytoddy.com he made a concerted effort to attract minority voters and his margin of victory was evidence that at least some black voters, who traditionally vote for Democratic candidates, voted for him.
“I made a very concerted effort to campaign in the black community. So I think I’m getting a sizeable minority vote today and I’m proud of every vote we got,” he said after talking with supporters in a packed ballroom at a downtown Jackson motel.
“It looks like I might be in a leadership of the Senate Commerce Committee,” he told supporters.
High on his list of goals is providing broadband service for rural communities in Mississippi and across the country, Wicker said.
Hottytoddy.com staff report
