BrettK's blog
Posted at 5:54pm on Dec. 31, 2007 MS: Another Open Seat For The GOP
By BrettK
The appointment of Roger Wicker to Trent Lott's Senate seat did not surprise too many people, but it does set up an open seat in the First district. The governor does not appoint a replacement. He must call a special election within 60 days of the vacancy and it must be held at least 40 days after that. So, the election to fill the remainder of Wicker’s term will most likely take place on March 11 to go along with the primaries. The winner will then have to run again in November for the full two-year term.
Posted in 2008 | Mississippi — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 8:42pm on Dec. 28, 2007 MS-Sen: Pickering Not Interested, Barbour To Announce Replacement Monday
By BrettK
[Promoted from diaries by Mark K, 'cos as Mississippi goes, so goes the nation. We often wish.]
Outgoing Rep. Chip Pickering will not seek Trent Lott’s soon to be vacant seat. Here is his statement:
“It has been a privilege to serve Mississippi in Congress for these past 11 years. I am extremely honored to be considered as a potential appointee to the U.S. Senate, and I am very grateful to those who encouraged me to consider this opportunity.”
“In August, after much prayer, thought and consideration for what I believe is best for my family, I made a very difficult decision not to seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008. I continue to stand by that decision in relation to this Senate vacancy. I believe public service is an honorable calling. But now is not my time.”
“I spoke with Governor Haley Barbour and shared with him my decision not to seek Trent Lott’s Senate seat in the upcoming special election, and asked him to remove my name from consideration for the appointment. I plan to remain active in politics and in the community, and I sincerely hope I will have the opportunity to serve the people of Mississippi again in the future.”
Read On...
Posted in 2008 | Mississippi — Comments (10) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 12:02am on Dec. 14, 2007 MS-Sen: Moore Not Running For Senate
By BrettK
The top Democratic candidate for Trent Lott’s soon-to-be-open seat, former Attorney General Mike Moore, has decided against a run in November.
From the Clarion-Ledger:
Former Democratic state Attorney General Mike Moore said he would not seek U.S. Sen. Trent Lott’s seat in the special election scheduled Nov. 4.
Posted in 2008 | Mississippi — Comments (11) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 8:36pm on Dec. 3, 2007 MS- Sen: Amy Tuck Not Interested In Lott's Seat
By BrettK
You can scratch outgoing Lieutenant Governor Amy Tuck off the list of possible replacements for Trent Lott’s seat.
According to this WTOK story, Tuck is not interested in being appointed to either Trent Lott’s Senate seat or Chip Pickering’s House seat (should he get the appointment and it opens up).
Tuck told Newscenter 11 she is not interested in serving in Sen. Trent Lott’s seat until a special election is held Nov. 4, 2008, nor in Rep. Chip Pickering’s seat, should he be appointed to the Senate position.
“I have been honored to serve at lieutenant governor of this state and I look forward to working as a special assistant to Dr. Foglesong at Mississippi State University,” Tuck said.
She would have been a strong candidate, but the GOP field is extremely deep. Here are two polls (poll A and poll B) on the favorability/ unfavorability rating of possible candidates from both parties. While they are not properly weighted for Mississippi’s demographics, they show Chip Pickering is by far the most popular politician in the state (who was polled) at 64 percent favorable and only 14 percent unfavorable. The Dems top candidate, Mike Moore has strong favorability ratings- 48 percent but surprisingly high unfavorabilities at 34 percent.
Follow the race at Majority In Mississippi.
Posted in 2008 | Mississippi — Comments (6) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 7:53pm on Nov. 26, 2007 MS- Sen: More On Lott's Resignation
By BrettK
Cross-posted at Majority In Mississippi:
I don’t think the whole deal with Trent resigning could get more confusing. But I will try to hash out some possibilities about filling his seat.
Here is some of what Barbour said about the soon-to-be open seat, according to the Clarion-Ledger:
Posted in 2008 | Mississippi — Comments (6) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 3:53pm on Nov. 14, 2007 MS-Sen: Cochran Will Seek Re-Election
By BrettK
Some rumors that Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) will retire were put to rest today when he announced that he is running for another term.
From The Hill:
Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) said Wednesday that he will seek reelection in 2008, casting aside rumors of his impending retirement.
Cochran, who will turn 70 next month, has not raised a lot of money this cycle but had previously said he planned to run for reelection.
Posted in 2008 | Mississippi — Comments (4) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 9:56pm on Nov. 6, 2007 Mississippi Liveblog- Haley Wins!
By BrettK
The polls will be closing down here in Mississippi in a couple minutes. I am sitting at Gov. Barbour’s victory party in Jackson as people start coming in. I will provide numbers as soon as I hear them. I am also following a number of other key statewide races. Stay tuned.
Also, check out my personal blog- Majority In Mississippi- for more on the election.
Go below the fold for the live updates:
Posted in 2007 | Mississippi — Comments (2) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 8:45pm on Oct. 17, 2007 MS-Gov: Haley Barbour Wins Endorsement of Prominent Dems
By BrettK
Haley Barbour, well on his way to a second term, received more good news today in the form of endorsements from a number of prominent Democrats.
Two of those endorsements are from former Democratic Governor Bill Waller and former Lt. Governor Brad Dye. Both these men are fairly conservative Democrats and their support of Barbour is not to surprising.
But the other endorsements may surprise. One of those Democrats is Mike Espy, former 2nd District Congressman and Secretary of Agriculture (under Bill Clinton). Espy, as you may know, is African-American and a lifelong Democrat. Another long-time African-American Democratic activist and current mayor of Moss Point, Xavier Bishop, also endorsed Barbour.
You may not know their names if you are outside Mississippi, but listen to me when I say, they are well known and well respected within the African-American community in Mississippi (which makes up some 40 percent of the electorate). We will have to wait and see what the election brings; but with the state Dems already struggling to win rural whites (one of their traditional constituencies), losing their main constituency- the African-American voter- will result in wilderness in Mississippi politics.
Click on a name to see their announcement in support of Barbour.
Posted in 2007 | Mississippi — Comments (6) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 8:44pm on Aug. 16, 2007 MS-3: Pickering Will Not Seek Re-election
By BrettK
Rep. Chip Pickering (R-MS) announced he will not seek a seventh term in 2008. He is the only person to hold the seat since Sonny Montgomery, the last of the true Southern Democrats, retired and picked Pickering for the seat.
From the press release:
Today, I am announcing that I will not seek re-election in 2008. Serving the Third District of Mississippi over the last eleven years has been a great honor. It has been, and continues to be, one of the greatest experiences of my life. I have come to know well the people and communities of our generous state.
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Posted at 8:42pm on Aug. 14, 2007 MS- Voting Irregularities End in Arson in Small County
By BrettK
Cross posted at Majority In Mississippi.
Earlier this summer I touched on Ike Brown being found guilty of dicrimination against white voters in Noxubee County where he controlled the local Democratic machine. I can not speak on other states, but I know he is not alone in Mississippi when it comes to leading a corrupt local Democratic party. In fact, there are Ike Brown’s all over the state- including Wilkinson county where a strange story has become dangerous. I was tipped off on this story where rumblings within the Wilkinson County Democratic Committee may have led to arson involving one of those in the story.
Posted in State Politics — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 1:13am on Jul. 1, 2007 MS- Black Political Leaders Guilty of White Voter Suppression
By BrettK
Noxubee County may be a small county of 12,000 in Eastern Mississippi, but it is now home of the first-of-its-kind voter suppression against whites. Federal Court Judge Tom Lee ruled that the Noxubee County Dems violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 through years of illegal tactics. The main man behind the suppression is Ike Brown, the Noxubee County Democrats Chairman.
“This court has not had to look far to find ample direct and circumstantial evidence of an intent to discriminate against white voters, which has manifested itself through practices designed to deny and/or dilute the rights of white voters in Noxubee County,” Lee wrote.
Posted in State Politics — Comments (13) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 6:42pm on Apr. 28, 2007 McCain Promises to Appoint Dems to Cabinet
By BrettK
According to the Politico, John McCain said he would appoint a Democrat to a high-profile cabinet if he were to be elected president.
“There are very highly qualified Democrats on a number of issues,” McCain said. “The more efforts you can make towards bipartisanship, I think in Washington today, the better off you are. But it also better be, one, an important post and, two, a person who has the ear of the president.”
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Posted at 8:28pm on Apr. 23, 2007 MS- Gov. Barbour’s Re-election Gets Easier
By BrettK
Marshall County Industrial Development Authority director (and former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove chief of staff) Bill Renick dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination for governor today. Jackson trial lawyer, John Arthur Eaves, Jr., is now the main Democrat in the race and will easily win the August primary.
While Eaves probably would have won the nomination even with Renick in it, it would have been a fun race with Eaves- the big city lawyer facing off against the rural Renick. In the end, the primary win for Eaves will probably be his only win this year as Gov. Barbour is in the drivers seat to a second term.
With competitive races for the governor’s mansion in Louisiana and Kentucky, the Magnolia State will not get much talk- but should. The Republican primary for lieutenant governor (State senator Charlie Ross vs. State Auditor Phil Bryant) should be a classic and the GOP has a real possibility of taking seven of the eight statewide offices. The state Senate switched to the GOP for the first time since Reconstruction earlier this year and Republicans may gain enough seats in the House to join a coalition with conservative Democrats to install a true conservative Dem as the Speaker.
While a lieutenant governor’s race will not make national news, check out either Magnolia Report, MississippiPolitics.com, or my blog- Majority in Mississippi- for the latest on all the Mississippi races.
Posted in 2007 — Comments (2) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 2:19pm on Apr. 4, 2007 Southern Clout in DC- Down, But Not Gone
By BrettK
Cross posted at Majority in Mississippi
A recent AP story indicates that the clout of Southern lawmakers is at a 50 year low. The story looks back at the old Southern Democrats who would serve for three or four decades and gradually rise to power in their traditional one party states.
Posted in Congress — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 2:23pm on Mar. 25, 2007 Rudy on social issues- according to new website
By BrettK
I tend to mostly pay attention and mostly write about Mississippi state politics, but was viewing Rudy Giulian’s new website and liked the layout of it. The first thing I did was check out the “On The Issues” section. To my surprise, Rudy mentioned gay marriage, abortion, and the second amendment. We all know about his (less than conservative) stances on the issues, but I thought it was impressive that he wasn’t going to flip-flop and wasn’t going to just ignore these key issues. His new website is http://joinrudy2008.com
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