Politics

Subscribe

Open Primaries in Mississippi?

Is the closed-primary system outdated? The Sun-Herald explores.

"African Americans for Dean" Site Launches

It's intriguing to watch the efforts of the Dean campaign to reach out to the black community. Earlier today, the campaign announced that he has appointed a new deputy campaign director with impressive credentials of organizing in the black community. Now, Courtney Smith of Florida has announced a new African Americans for Dean Web site. I think the real test of this new grass-roots campaign is whether Dean can turn his success on the Internet with young, white progressives into a broad-based campaign that reaches into every American community. Let's keep watching.

Sun-Herald: A Question of Priorities

The Sun-Herald today editorialized about Tuesday's election: "Last year, 43,466 Harrison Countians decided it was worth a trip to the polls to vote on a flag. This week, 22,280 Harrison Countians decided it was worth a trip to the polls to vote on who would be the Democratic or Republican party nominee for governor.

Chasing the Youth Vote

Here's a story from Wiretap magazine about the strategies (and lack of) behind luring the youth vote. This talks about the Harvard report that our teen columnist Jessica Kinnison wrote about in the last issue. Not surprisingly, the writers find that "Generation Dean" is the only presidential campaign figuring out how to tap into young voters--and that is genuinely trying to increase turnout. They write: "What Generation Dean has figured out is that young people want to feel powerful. Young progressives are disgusted with Bush, and at this stage of the game, with no campaign announcement from Ralph Nader or any other third-party candidate, the Democratic Party is the only alternative. Dean, sensing the discontent of young partisans, said in one campaign speech, 'If you want young people to vote in this country, we had better stand for something, because that is why they're not voting.'" Mississippi candidates would do well to heed this advice.

Reed Branson: Race No Longer a Factor?

Commercial-Appeal writer Reed Branson examines the Mississippi primaries in the light of their race implications: "Mississippians are once again about to dance with, or around, the awkward issue of race. And if history is an indication, it will be tense and sometimes clumsy. But it also could be a watershed moment."

Blackmon Makes History

Will Barbara Blackmon become the first African-American -- and a woman at that!? -- to be elected statewide in Mississippi since Reconstruction? Time will only tell.

Sherman Lee Dillon's "Blog" ... of sorts

It's not a really a blog—you can't post comments—but Dillon's gubernatorial race journal is the closest I've seen to a candidate posting a blog, and direct comments to the voters, in the state. Dillon's race for governor on the Greens ticket officially kicks off today.

Treasurer Candidates to Run-off

Cindy Ayers-Elliott told me last week that Rob Smith was the candidate to look out for. She was right.

Election Returns

Get updated election returns from the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal.

Election Snafus Reported Statewide

The Sun-Herald reports about problems at the polls.

Bill Minor: Watch legislative races

This Tuesday, the state legislative races are some of the most interesting races to pay attention to, columnist Bill Minor writes.

Barbour Files Campaign Finance Report

The following are details of the report for the period of July 1—July 26, 2003:

[Trent Lott column] Beyond Casinos

I will be in Tunica County soon to officially open the new Tunica Airport. As most Mississippians know, Tunica County is one of the handful of Mississippi counties where citizens allow legalized gaming. No matter what one's opinion of gaming, one cannot deny that it has helped make Tunica County a much different place than it was decades ago, when the infamous "Sugar Ditch" was known worldwide as America's poorest spot. Yet, history teaches Mississippians to be wary of putting all of our economic eggs in a single basket, lest we risk a return to "Sugar Ditch." This is why projects like Tunica Airport and other infrastructure initiatives are so important.

Musgrove Campaign Holds $4 Million Cash on Hand

(Jackson, MS) July 29, 2003/press release: As required by state law, Governor Ronnie Musgrove's reelection campaign today will file its campaign fundraising report with the Mississippi Secretary of State. Musgrove has raised a total of $5,448,312 for his campaign to serve a second term. Between July 1st and July 26th, Musgrove reported raising $600,519. Governor Musgrove holds $4,070,500 cash-on-hand to face whomever emerges from next week's August 5th Republican primary.

C-L Endorses Blackmon, Tuck for Lt. Guv

The Clarion-Ledger pointed to Blackmon's experience in the Senate to choose her over Democratic challenger Jim Roberts for the Dem nod, and to take on Tuck in November. Sid Salter pointed out in his fairtime column correctly that Blackmon's place on the ticket could help interest more black voters, which in turn could hurt Haley Barbour come November. He also pointed out that the black woman's race (to be the first black elected statewide in Mississippi since Reconstruction, by the way) could "result in an awakening of the 70,000 additional rural white male votes that Republican Kirk Fordice was able to get to the polls in his 1995 re-election." Presumably, all those presumably angry white guys would never think of voting for a qualified black woman as lieutenant governor. Talk about the bigotry of low expectations; maybe this year is the year that the state's voters will start bucking, er, conventional political wisdom. Let's hope.

Blogs

Video