Posted on 09/15/2007 8:45:29 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
A former aide to Republican U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering said he's going to run for the seat being vacated by the 3rd District congressman.
“I'm getting ready and, in the next few weeks, will be formally announcing it,” said John Rounsaville, who resigned his job Thursday as Mississippi director of the USDA Office of Rural Development.
Appointed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture post last November, Rounsaville previously served as Pickering's deputy chief of staff for five years and then worked three years for Republican Gov. Haley Barbour as a policy adviser.
Pickering announced last month that he won't seek re-election in 2008. He's been in Congress since 1997. His district includes Oktibbeha and Noxubee counties and meanders through the Jackson metro area to southwest Mississippi.
Rounsaville, 32, is expected to be in a crowded field of candidates seeking the 3rd District congressional seat. Spokesmen for the Republican and Democratic parties said no one has officially entered the race.
Among those reported as potential candidates:
- Democrat Ronnie Shows, the former U.S. representative who lost to Pickering in 2002 when their two congressional districts were reconfigured and combined into one.
- Gregg Harper, an attorney who has served as Rankin County Republican chairman.
- Republican state Sen. Charlie Ross, who was defeated in the Aug. 7 GOP primary for lieutenant governor.
- Joe Nosef, who had worked as a staff attorney for Barbour and is now his campaign manager.
- Heath Hall, who worked as spokesman for Republican Gov. Kirk Fordice during the 1990s and is now vice president of the Mississippi Technology Alliance.
- Nick Walters, who worked from 2001-06 as state director of the USDA Office of Rural Development and ran as a Republican for secretary of state in 1999.
(Excerpt) Read more at cdispatch.com ...
MI ping.
I expect that all the Republicans running in this race will be conservatives to one degree or another.
That should be MS. MI is Michigan. ;-)
WHOOPS!!!
Oh, well, it’s late.
It would be nice if someone could find out a little more about who’s running, particularly their views.
From what I can tell, the best candidate looks to be Charlie Ross.
Ronnie Shows doesn’t have much of a chance I hope. He lost 60-40 in 2002, but at the moment he probably has the best name recognition of the entire field.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.