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Primaries
Produce Few Surprises For the most part, candidates leading the ticket on August 5th also finished first in the run-offs. Treasurer candidates Tate Reeves and Gary Anderson, who both led in their respective primaries, also won their run-offs. A little history will be made in this either way. Tate Reeves won an impressive 69 percent of the vote, making a mark for himself as a rising star in the Republican Party and putting himself in a strong position to win in November. If he does, he’ll be the first GOP Treasurer in the state’s history and the only second Republican to win down-ballot from lieutenant governor. Phil Bryant was the first when he was elected Auditor in 1999. Bryant had initially been appointed to the post by Governor Kirk Fordice after Steve Patterson resigned in the wake of an ethics scandal. If Democrat nominee Gary Anderson wins, he’ll make history as modern Mississippi’s first African-American Treasurer, and unless lieutenant governor candidate Barbara Blackmon wins, he’ll be the first black statewide elected official since Reconstruction. The only top vote getter in the primary who failed to win the nomination appears to by GOP Ag Commissioner candidate Roger Crowder. Crowder led the primary by a healthy margin but trails challenger Max Phillips by about five hundred votes in the run-off. With such a close margin between the candidates, a winner probably won’t be declared until the Mississippi Republican Party executive committee meets Friday to certify their nominees. Mitch Tyner, perhaps the darkest horse of them all in his challenge of GOP gubernatorial candidate Haley Barbour, only registered a little over 17 percent of the vote. Tyner had visions of a 1991 repeat when little know Kirk Fordice knocked-off heavily favored Pete Johnson on his way to winning the governor’s race. Barbour cruised to the GOP nomination, capturing over 82 percent of the vote. Governor Ronnie Musgrove easily outdistanced five little known challengers to capture the Democratic nomination. Probably the biggest surprise of the August 5th was State Senator Barbara Blackmon’s outright winning of the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. Blackmon faced former Supreme Court Justice Jim Roberts and Troy Brown. Brown’s campaign was almost non-existent, though he did garner 9 percent of the vote. When he entered the race, Roberts was expected to formidable, but his campaign never really got going. Roberts’ poor fundraising meant he had only enough money to run TV in a few markets for a few days before the election. In the end, Blackmon received a little over 52 percent of the Democrat primary vote. When combined with Troy Brown’s tally, the two African-American candidates captured over 60 percent of the Democrat primary vote for lieutenant governor. Blackmon made history by becoming the first black Democrat to win nomination for a statewide office for a state office (Troy Brown was the Senate nominee in 2000). Blackmon and Lieutenant Governor Amy Tuck, who was unopposed for the Republican nomination, will square off in November. In legislative races, few incumbents lost outright and even fewer face run-off elections. One Senator, Robert Johnson of Natchez, and four House members lost outright. Two Senators, Joe Stogner and Lynn Posey faced run-off elections. Senate
races are profiled below. House races will be featured in the next report. Rumored
Bush Visit Due to an overwhelming response to the luncheon, the event has been moved from the Crowne Plaza Hotel to the Mississippi Coliseum on the fairgrounds in Jackson. Tickets for the event are expected to be sold out soon. Barbour was Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) when Bush was elected Governor of Texas. During Bush’s campaign for President in 2000, Barbour chaired the Bush for President Campaign Advisory Committee in Washington, D.C. Barbour was also one of ten members of Governor Bush’s National Presidential Exploratory Committee in 1999. Bush’s
visit to Mississippi will be the first time he has been back to the state
since he was here last summer to support Third District Congressman Chip
Pickering’s re-election campaign with a speech at Madison Central
High School followed by a fundraiser in Jackson. In which primary did you vote? If the election were held today, who would win
the race for Lt. Governor? If the election were held today, who would win
the Republican run-off for Treasurer? Judicial
Investigation State Supreme Court Spokesperson, Beverly Pettigrew Kraft, said Diaz's involvement in court decisions "ceased voluntarily and immediately on the day of the issuance of his indictment." After Diaz took his leave of absence, the court reassigned the 18 cases he was working on to other Justices. Diaz’s departure from the court
has already had an impact on at least one case. Quotable
Quotes “Tommy Reynolds should be shot for drawing the (House) districts that he drew.” Hinds County Republican Executive Committee member Pete Perry after trying to sort through the convoluted district lines in House District 56. Barbour
v. Gunn The Hinds County GOP Executive Committee will meet Wednesday night to debate certification of incumbent legislator Jep Barbour’s narrow lead over Phillip Gunn. Barbour is the nephew of GOP gubernatorial nominee Haley Barbour. Gunn held a press conference in Clinton earlier this week to protest the fact that over 200 voters in Clinton were not allowed to cast ballots in the correct race. Alice
Skelton Movers
and Shakers Clay Hardy, campaign manager for Tate Reeves, and his wife Christy gave birth to their first baby earlier this month. Senate
Races “Hellhounds
on Their Trails” Robert Johnson is singing the blues after losing the District 38 senate seat he has held since 1993. Johnson was edged-out by 172 votes in the Democratic primary by Magnolia Alderman Kelvin Butler. Butler effectively won the race Tuesday because he faces no Republican opposition in the Fall. State Senator Joe Stogner came in second in his GOP primary, trailing one of his opponents, Sidney Albritton of Picayune, by 452 votes. Third place challenger Duane Wheat garnered 843 votes. Stogner lost his runoff to Albritton on August 26th, becoming the only Republican incumbent to lose his primary election. Back in March, the Magnolia Report called this race tough for Stogner because his two opponents come from GOP primary vote-rich Pearl River County. Stogner is from Marion County, where few people cast votes in the Republican primary. Another incumbent, Senator Lynn Posey, faced a run-off in his Democratic primary. Posey easily defeated Vincent Davis, his challenger, in the run-off. “Stones
in My Passway” Philadelphia businessman Don Fulton won a 149-vote victory over Neshoba Gin Association operator Willie Jackson for the opportunity to challenge Senator Gloria Williamson in Senate District 18. As a fairly liberal Democrat, Williamson is considered vulnerable in her district mostly rural conservative district. James Walley and Sherra Hillman Lane ran it off on August 26th for the chance to challenge Senator Tommy Dickerson for the Senate District 43 seat he has held since 1993. Dickerson is one of three senators who have made the switch to the GOP in the past year. Results were not available at press time. “I’m
a Steady Rollin’ Man” Senate
District 2 Four Democrats squared off on August 5th for the chance to succeed Minor, but only two were left standing after the polls closed at 7:00 p.m. Ralph Doxey led the way be capturing 46 percent of the primary vote. Doxey ran it off against Lennell Lucas, and won it with 64% of the vote. In the Republican side, Margaret Delashmit left her opponent in the dust by receiving 80 percent of the primary votes cast. However, in a heavily Democrat leaning district, it gets all uphill for Delashmit from here. Senate
District 11 Joseph Dulaney led the ticket for the Democrats, capturing 48 percent of the votes cast Tuesday. Dulaney was the favorite of the Main Street crowd in this North Delta based district. He was closely trailed in the primary by Robert Jackson, who received 41 percent of the vote. Jackson, who is the chief executive of the Quitman County Development Organization, made up the margin and then some to defeat Dulaney by about four percentage points. Senate
District 15 On the Democratic side, former State Representative Cecil Simmons handily beat Starkville resident Gloria Liddell for the opportunity to pick-up a seat for the Democrats. Senate
District 21 Senate
District 22 Senate
District 35 Senate
District 42 Jones Brogdon gave Scoper a close call four years ago, but he won’t get to make a general run this year. Brogdon was knocked-off in the primary by Randy Ellzey, who took a convincing 57 percent of the vote. Both nominees have political family ties in the Jones County district. Pickering is the cousin of U.S. Representative Chip Pickering. Ellzey’s uncle, Joe Ellzey, has represented the people of House District 88 since 1993. Senate
District 45
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