After two decades in private life, a blast from the past seeks to be Mississippi’s first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction. When Mike Espy gives a reporter a tour of his law office turned campaign headquarters, the U.S. Senate candidate does so with an eye toward history. He shepherds me toward a rack displaying dozens of awards, from taekwondo trophies to choir plaques, making sure to highlight the 1988 “silver rifle” award the National Rifle Association gave him for his pro-gun voting record. That was back when the Yazoo City native served as the first African-American to represent Mississippi at the federal level since Reconstruction. He segues to framed photos of him and Nelson Mandela, whom he met on a trade mission while serving as the first Black secretary of agriculture, as well as with President Bill Clinton, who appointed Espy and charged him with helping negotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. The trip down memory lane, which avoids Espy’s federal indictment, is far from accidental. It’s been almost three decades since his state elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate, and the civil rights trailblazer is using his experience as a key part of his pitch to Mississippi voters. “I’m the only one who has reached across the chasm,” the 64-year-old says, stretching his hands to signify the political divide. “I’m the only one who has served in Washington more than a couple of months.” He expounds on that line of attack the day after our interview, in a raspy voice almost lost while beginning a speech at the annual Neshoba County Fair. His opponents “are full of talking promises, but I’m here to tell you what I’ve done,” Espy tells the crowd of a couple hundred. | 