Election shell game could backfire for Rs in Mississippi

[TacticalPeek]

Election shell game could backfire
Eyes on Mississippi

Thursday, May 1, 2008 12:34 PM CDT

Bill Minor

JACKSON — Republican Haley Barbour, the master of partisan politics who has reshaped Mississippi’s political system, may have been tripped by his own special election shell-game in the wake of Sen. Trent Lott’s resignation in December.

Though he intended to rig special election dates to help Republicans, Barbour may well have set up a chain of events that will cost the Mississippi GOP two seats in Congress.

It began when Barbour picked 1st District Rep. Roger Wicker to fill Lott’s Senate seat until a special election was held, which Barbour set for Nov. 4 at the same time as the presidential election. Legally questionable, the move gave Wicker almost 11 months in office without facing the voters. At the time it was thought to shaft Democratic hopefuls, however in hindsight, it may well be a boon to Democrats.

Former Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, whom Barbour defeated in 2003, immediately stepped into the Senate race, not knowing if it would be in 90 days or in November until the state’s high court agreed to Barbour’s November date. Early on, Musgrove also faced former Democratic Rep. Ronnie Shows, but Shows got out on grounds he couldn’t raise funds for a long contest. That gave Musgrove a clear shot at getting real dough from the national party, plus the prospect that Barack Obama at the head of the Dems’ ticket in the fall will pull an unprecedented black turnout.

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http://www.pressregister.com/articles/2008/05/02/opinion/columnists/doc4819fb699b9fb890579637.txt

:dem:

[But....]

1. .

:party:

[DinahMoeHum]

2. FYG, there are now 4 congressional districts in Mississippi. . .

2 are held by Republicans, 2 by Democrats.

A Childers win would make that 3 Democrats, 1 Republican.

Add the possibility of Musgrove winning Lott's old seat in November, and a GOP Deep South state could end up as a Democratic Blue (Dog) state. Purple, if you wish.

What was that about writing off the Southern states again? If Obama is the nominee, that dynamic could really change.

Granted, it may not be the shade of blue such as we have in the Northeast, but it still would make a serious inroad into GOP influence down there.

:kick::kick:

[Judi Lynn]

3. The article ended with a heart-warming flourish:

Having Wicker on the same GOP ticket with presidential nominee John McCain in November is certainly not a good fit. McCain is known for being adamantly opposed to “earmarks” (otherwise pork barrel) slipped into appropriations in the final markup of spending bills, thus avoiding floor debate. Wicker, last year, was regarded as the U.S. House’s “Prince of Pork,” slipping more earmarks into appropriations than any other member.

You can expect Wicker’s pork barrel record to be made an issue by Musgrove in this fall’s Senate race, primarily on grounds that it runs counter to the traditional Republican claim of fiscal responsibility, as well as cross-wise from McCain at the head of the GOP ticket.

There’s growing optimism in the Mississippi Democratic Party that Wicker is highly beatable and that Musgrove’s statewide name recognition is a major asset. Meantime, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is providing Musgrove with campaign handlers who successfully elected Democratic senators in the 2006 Senate takeover.

Very good news. Hope they don't blow it.