Ellington

A story in the St. Petersburg Times highlights the enthusiasm they say many African-American voters are bringing to this year's presidential election in support of Barack Obama. This enthusiasm is expected to help both Obama and down-ticket races in many Southern states.

With Democrats seeking to expand their margins of control in the House and Senate, the Obama effect is expected to help out in Louisiana, North Carolina, Virginia and Alabama.

But nowhere might the wave be stronger than in Mississippi, a Republican stronghold where a Democrat captured a solidly Republican U.S. House seat in a special election this spring, and where Democrats have their best chance in 20 years to win a U.S. Senate seat.

The story notes that Roger Wicker leads Ronnie Musgrove in polling, but that polling is often weighed to assume that 37 percent of Mississippi's turnout is black; turnout could be as high as 40 percent or more African-American in 2008.

That might be why there's a considerably uptick in registrations, although it's impossible to know if those registrations are Democrats, Republicans or Independents.

As of Monday, the state reported just over 1.8-million registered voters, 300,000 more than in 2004.