Prank at Hyde-Smith’s Office Draws Backlash Across Party Lines

Walter Masterson posted a video showing himself and companions visiting the office of outgoing Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and telling staff that she had lost her reelection campaign. The race had not yet been called when the visit took place, one account said. Another characterized the encounter as a brief interruption in the office lobby, where the group spoke to a receptionist rather than the senator.

Hyde-Smith, a Republican, lost to Democrat Scott Colom. Colom is set to become Mississippi’s first Black senator since Reconstruction. On November 12, he publicly thanked Hyde-Smith for her service and said their contest had not been personal.

The video and Masterson’s description of the visit prompted criticism from people across the political spectrum. Critics objected to filming and taunting staff members who could lose their jobs after the senator’s defeat. Some described congressional staff as young, underpaid and overworked. Former congressional staffer Naysa Woomer said attention should instead be on celebrating Colom’s victory.

Masterson responded to the criticism by calling the visit a joke and disparaging commenters who objected. The backlash included criticism from people who supported Colom as well as conservatives. Several said the staffers were not responsible for the senator’s political views or campaign, and that the stunt reflected poorly on those who carried it out.

Harassing Campaign Staff Is No Way to Celebrate a Historic Win

A political victory should not be an excuse to turn low-level staff into props. Walter Masterson and companions went to outgoing Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s office and told staff she had lost, filming the encounter for social media. The race had not yet been called at the time, and one account described the visit as a brief interruption in the lobby.

Hyde-Smith lost to Democrat Scott Colom, who is set to become Mississippi’s first Black senator since Reconstruction. Colom thanked Hyde-Smith for her service and said the race had not been personal. His own response stood in sharp contrast to a stunt that critics said demeaned staff members who had no responsibility for the senator’s political views.

Former congressional staffer Naysa Woomer said staffers can be overworked and underpaid, and urged people to focus on celebrating Colom’s win. Other critics, including people across party lines, objected to filming workers who may lose their jobs after an election. Masterson dismissed the backlash as people failing to take a joke. But calling harassment comedy does not make the people on the receiving end fair targets. The episode shifted attention from Colom’s historic win to the treatment of the staff in Hyde-Smith’s office.

Colom’s Historic Win Overshadowed by a Classless Office Stunt

Scott Colom’s historic Mississippi victory deserved to stand on its own. Instead, Walter Masterson and companions turned up at Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s office, filmed staff and told them she had lost. The race had not yet been called when the visit occurred, and one account described it as a brief lobby interruption.

Colom, who is set to become the state’s first Black senator since Reconstruction, thanked Hyde-Smith for her service and said the contest had not been personal. That gracious message was at odds with the conduct of people presenting themselves as celebrating his win. Critics across party lines said the staff members were not the senator and should not have been taunted over the outcome.

Some critics pointed out that staffers may lose their jobs after an elected official leaves office, and that congressional work can be demanding and poorly paid. Masterson dismissed objections as an inability to take a joke. But the backlash shows why the stunt failed: it made a political victory look less like a moment of service and more like an opportunity to embarrass workers who were not responsible for Hyde-Smith’s campaign. Colom’s own words offered a more dignified response than the spectacle at the office.