(Bloomberg) -- Walmart Inc. has asked Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, who is under fire for making a racially charged remark, to refund its donations.

Following a storm of criticism on social media, the retailing giant said in a tweet Tuesday that it was "requesting a refund of all campaign donations" from Hyde-Smith, who is facing a Nov. 27 runoff in Mississippi against Democrat Mike Espy, the final Senate contest of the 2018 political season.

Walmart made the decision after a video that captured Hyde-Smith saying she would be "on the front row" if invited by a supporter to a "public hanging" went viral last week. Mississippi has a history of racial bigotry and lynchings, and the comment put Hyde-Smith on the defensive.

Espy, who served as Agriculture secretary in President Bill Clinton’s cabinet, is an African-American.

Hyde-Smith’s campaign didn’t comment on Walmart’s refund request. A spokeswoman referred to a statement the senator had issued previously concerning her remark on the video. Hyde-Smith said she was reacting to a rancher standing next to her who invited her to a speaking engagement.

"In referencing the one who invited me, I used an exaggerated expression of regard, and any attempt to turn this into a negative connotation is ridiculous," she said at the time.

Espy’s campaign praised Walmart’s move, with spokesman Danny Blanton saying in a statement that the controversies show "why she can’t be trusted to work with the businesses Mississippi needs to grow good paying jobs."

Support Withdrawn

Walmart is part of a growing list of companies that are withdrawing support from Hyde-Smith after her remarks set off a burst of outrage across social media platforms. Pfizer Inc. Tuesday also requested a refund from her campaign, according to Sharon Castillo, a company spokeswoman.

Defense contractor Leidos Holdings Inc. said Monday on Twitter that Hyde-Smith’s remarks were "offensive and an affront to everything we stand for as a company," adding that it donated before they became public. Boston Scientific Corp. and Union Pacific Corp. have asked for their money back as well.

Hyde-Smith, who was appointed earlier this year upon the resignation of Republican Senator Thad Cochran, also drew criticism for suggesting, during a campaign appearance, that she approved of making it more difficult for liberals to vote. Her campaign later said she had been joking.

Walmart’s political action committee contributed a total of $4,000 to the campaign of Hyde-Smith.

The Walmart PAC sent $2,000 to Hyde-Smith’s campaign on Nov. 18, about a week after her comments became public, Federal Election Commission records show. Walmart wasn’t aware of her comments at the time it made the donation, according to a person familiar with the company’s thinking who wasn’t authorized to discuss it.

Because the race in the Republican stronghold has drawn millions in spending by super-PACs and party committees, the financial impact of Walmart’s decision could pale in comparison with the political fallout.

"Sen. Hyde-Smith’s recent comments clearly do not reflect the values of our company and associates," Walmart said in a tweet it made in response to television actress Debra Messing, who publicized the donation on Twitter.

New Espy Ads

Federal election law does not require political campaigns to refund money to donors who have second thoughts. Yet Walmart’s decision draws further attention to Hyde-Smith’s remark, a misstep that her rival is playing up as the race heads into its closing days.

In one of two television commercials released on Tuesday, Espy’s campaign highlighted both the public hanging and the voting comments and urged voters to reject a candidate it argues would give Mississippi a bad image."We can’t afford a senator who embarrasses us and reinforces the stereotypes we’ve worked so hard to overcome," the ad says.

This isn’t the first time that companies have distanced themselves from a member of Congress because of racially charged remarks. Earlier this year, Land O’Lakes and Purina PetCare announced that they would no longer support Representative Steve King, an Iowa Republican, who had used white nationalist rhetoric and endorsed a Toronto mayoral candidate with ties to white supremacists.

Both companies announced they were withdrawing support from King after the murder of 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue last month. The suspect in the case had allegedly made anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant rants online.

King won re-election earlier this month.

The Walmart donation refund request was originally reported in Popular Information, a progressive online newsletter.

--With assistance from Laura Litvan and Matthew Boyle.

To contact the reporter on this story: Bill Allison in Washington at ballison14@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sara Forden at sforden@bloomberg.net, John Harney

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