Ellington

Of Mississippi's three congressional districts represented by Republicans, Democrats' best hope of wresting away one seat might lie with Brad Morris in the 1st Congressional District.

Morris served as chief of staff to Rep. Travis Childers during Childers' only term in office, from 2008 to 2010. In that election, former Mississippi state Sen. Alan Nunnelee, a Republican, defeated Childers.

Morris, an attorney in Oxford, criticizes the current GOP-led Congress as a "complete failure" and said he couldn't cite a single piece of original legislation Nunnelee has offered that would help the north Mississippi district.

"I see a Congress that has completely abandoned middle-class and working families," Morris said in an October interview with the Jackson Free Press. He added, of Nunnelee: "I do not see a willingness out of our current congressman to work in a bipartisan fashion."

In recent months, Nunnelee has proudly defended and promoted conservative ideals, including advocating repeal of the federal health-care overhaul and railing against what he characterizes the "trillion-dollar welfare state."

Morris, who was raised by his grandparents in rural Itawamba County, says he holds an altogether different attitude towards the role of the federal government. He points to the home in which he grew up: His grandparents purchased it through the Federal Housing Administration loan program. He also cites the public schools he attended and the government assistance he received to help him attend college at the George Washington University and University of Mississippi law school.

"All of those (federal programs) were conscious policy decisions that over time have helped us grow and expand the middle class of this country," Morris said.

Democrats control just one of the state's four House districts, the 2nd, which longtime incumbent Bennie Thompson now represents. Districts 3 and 4 have no Democratic challengers who have campaign finance reports, all but assuring reelection for Republican Reps. Gregg Harper and Steven Palazzo. That leaves Morris-Nunnelee as the Democratic party's only hope for winning back a seat in the House.

So far, Morris isn't exactly going down without a fight. Despite Nunnelee's $1.4 million fundraising advantage, the challenger has been able to raise--and spend--close to $200,000 during the cycle through Sept. 30.

Nunnelee's most generous donor is Telapex Inc., a telecommunications conglomerate based in Ridgeland, that has given the congressman $27,500 while the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union donated Morris' largest single sum, of $5,000.

If elected, Morris said he would sponsor a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's ruling in the Citizens United case that put corporations on equal footing with individuals in terms of donating cash to political campaigns. He would also seek a permanent ban on members of Congress becoming lobbyists.

"If we don't take on some of those reforms, it'll continue to be difficult to put forward an agenda that helps working folks," Morris said.

CORRECTION 10/30 -- A previous version of this story stated that the 4th CD race does not feature a Democratic candidate. The Mississippi Secretary of State lists Matthew Moore as a Democratic candidate; however, the Federal Election Commission's website does not list Moore one of the candidates in the race.