Walmart Pulls Support from Cindy Hyde-Smith and Demands Contribution Refund

Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith has come under fire for comments she made in early November in which she said she would attend a “Lynching.” Speaking about a longtime friend Hyde-Smith said, “If he invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row.” The comments were made in front of a small crowd of supporters on November 2.

After the story broke Hyde-Smith refused to back down from her comments and has not yet issued a formal apology. Now, Walmart, a contributing company to her campaign, is taking action ahead of Hyde-Smith’s November 27 runoff campaign with Democrat challenger Mike Espey.

The nation’s largest retail donated $2,000 to her runoff efforts and is now demanding a refund while pulling its support for the candidate.

Walmart announced its decision after actress Debra Messing posted a news story about the company’s continued support.

Hi Debra. Completely understand your concern. Sen. Hyde-Smith’s recent comments clearly do not reflect the values of our company and associates. As a result, we are withdrawing our support and requesting a refund of all campaign donations.

— Walmart (@Walmart) November 20, 2018

In a response to her tweet, Walmart wrote:

Hi Debra. Completely understand your concern. Sen. Hyde-Smith’s recent comments clearly do not reflect the values of our company and associates. As a result, we are withdrawing our support and requesting a refund of all campaign donations.

The $2,000 contribution by Walmart was dated November 18, nearly a full week after Hyde-Smith’s lynching comment was made public.

On Monday Union Pacific and Boston Scientific also asked for a refund and pulled their support for the embattled Mississippi Senator.