Posted on 03/01/2011 6:11:14 AM PST by Sybeck1
Democrats scarce in Mississippi races; Republicans qualify for all 8 positions Deadline today to enter state elections
JACKSON -- In Mississippi, where Democrats held all eight statewide elected offices just two decades ago, the party had fielded candidates for only three offices -- governor, attorney general and agriculture commissioner -- on the eve of today's qualifying deadline.
Republicans, meanwhile, had qualified for all eight races.
It wasn't clear whether Democrats would produce a full slate of candidates or if any last-minute qualifiers would enter with enough name recognition and money to gain momentum against some Republicans who have been actively campaigning for months.
State Democratic chairman Jamie Franks and employees at the state Democratic headquarters in Jackson did not respond to repeated calls Monday.
Just one Democrat, Atty. Gen. Jim Hood, now holds a statewide elected office in Mississippi. He is seeking re-election.
The Republican Party has grown steadily in Mississippi over the past two decades while the state Democratic Party has struggled with internal squabbling and funding problems.
Political scientist Marty Wiseman, director of the Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University, said the election of Republican Kirk Fordice as governor in 1991 signaled a change in Mississippi from a one-party state that was dominated by Democrats for generations.
"There are people who are willing to vote Democratic but there is no mechanism, no party organization to pull it all together," Wiseman said. "We're on the back end of eight years of super funding and hyper organizing of the Haley Barbour Republican Party."
Barbour, chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1993 to 1997, was elected Mississippi governor in 2001.
Mississippi Republican Party chairman Arnie Hederman said in a prepared statement Monday that the GOP is "the party of growth and opportunity not only in Mississippi but across the country." He said more than 30 elected officials in Mississippi have switched from Democrat to Republican since President Barack Obama took office in January 2009.
"The Democrats not only continue to have difficulty convincing voters to support their big spending, job-killing policies but are increasingly unable to find candidates willing to even run on their rejected platform," Hederman said.
Today is also the qualifying deadline for the three positions on the Transportation Commission and the three spots on the Public Service Commission, as well as the deadline for numerous local offices.
All three public service commissioners and two of the three transportation commissioners are running again. Wayne Brown, the southern district transportation commissioner, is not seeking re-election.
Legislative candidates have a June 1 qualifying deadline.
Legacy of Obama.
bump
“We’re on the back end of eight years of super funding and hyper organizing of the Haley Barbour Republican Party.”
Not the dims’ marxist policies fault, it’s the eeeevil rich ‘pubs fault. LOL
Beware of Rinos.
The MS legislature is the last Southern statehouse that will flip to the GOP in November.
Obamster has wrecked the commie party in the south.Great job!
This is one way to win elections.
You challenge every single open position in every single state regardless of how blue that state is then make sure you have and vet good, smart and wise fiscally conservative candidates who espouse low taxes and limited government.
RINOS and Democrats may make the endangered species act. If so the government might place a bag limit in the 2012 election season.
I think you’ve got a good formula there.
They used to say the South shall rise again. Only this time it is against slavery
Thank you.
Not if the former are elected and re-elected in 2012 as they were in 2010 and 2008.
WOW! Way to PUT IT!!!
By the way, Haley Barbour was first elected Governor in 2003 not 2001.
What are the current numbers in the Mississippi Legislature? I tried searching around and couldn’t find ‘em.
Is the GOP close to grabbing control of either chamber?
AR is still Democrat, as is the KY House and VA Senate.
As of Feb 17th, the GOP has a majority in the MS Senate, 27R-24D-1 Vacant. In the MS House, the Dems have a 69D-53R majority.
Cool. Thanks for the info.
Of the 69 Dems, I suspect that the majority are black or rural conservative-leaning whites.
Wouldn’t it stand to reason that the rural conservative-leaning whites are gonna vote with the GOP members - thus meaning that a conservative majority already exists in the Ms House?
I think many of rural conservative leaning whites are switching over to the Republican party. I think it is not too far off in the future that black from the South will see that their future lies with the Republican party.
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