The head of the Senate GOP’s campaign committee says it is up to the people of his state to decide about possibly changing the Mississippi state flag, which includes a battle symbol of the Confederacy.  

In a statement, National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Roger Wicker referred to a 2001 referendum on the state flag. “I support the will of the people of Mississippi, as well as the rights of other states to make their own determination on this issue. Mississippians voted in 2001 to retain the current state flag,” Wicker said. “If it is time to make a change, then it should be up to the Mississippi legislature and the people of the state to decide.”  

Wicker’s statement comes shortly after South Carolina’s Republican Gov. Nikki Haley and lawmakers from both parties announced support for taking down the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the Palmetto State’s Capitol.