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Mississippi Congressional Races Head into Runoffs

March 12, 2008 — In Mississippi’s congressional primaries held yesterday in conjunction with the presidential primaries, runoffs resulted in three of the hotly contested races. Republican voters in both the 1^st and 3^rd Districts will go back to the polls in three weeks to choose their nominees; Democrats will have a runoff only in the 3^rd. Republicans are ultimately favored in both districts. However, heavy turnouts on the Democratic side, boosted by the Obama-Clinton contest, are likely to provide unaccustomed hope to Democrats, especially in the 1^st District.

1st District ( Tupelo, etc.) 

In the Republican Primary to choose a nominee in the race to succeed Roger Wicker (R), who resigned to accept an appointment to the US Senate, with 99% of precincts reporting, former Tupelo Mayor Glenn McCullough came in first with 17,033 votes (39%) to Southaven Mayor Greg Davis’s 16,152 (37%). Physician Randy Russell came in third with 10,674 (24%). Since no candidate received a majority, a runoff will be held on April 1, followed by a special election on April 22 to elect the new congressman. President Bush carried the 1^st District with 62% in 2004.  

On the Democratic side, politically wired Prentiss County Chancery Clerk Travis Childers led the ticket with 39,819 (41%) to flamboyant but effective state Rep. Steve Holland with 29,541 (31%). Marshall Coleman had 12,551 (13%), Brian Neely 10,164 (11%) and Ken Hurt 3,912 (4%). 

The turnout with 99% of precincts counted was 43,859 in the Republican Primary, 95,987 -- more than twice as many -- in the Democratic Primary. 

3rd District (Jackson suburbs, etc.)  

In the Republican Primary to nominate a candidate to succeed US Rep. “Chip” Pickering (R) who is retiring at the end of his current term, with 90% of precincts reporting, state Sen. Charlie Ross (R) and Rankin County GOP chairman Gregg Harper were headed for the runoff.

Ross led with 21,999 (33%) to Harper’s 18,657 (28%). Wealthy businessman David Landrum came in third, with 16,831(26%).  Other contenders included ex-Pickering aide John Rounsaville with 6,840 (10%), consultant Gregory Hatcher with 727 (1%), Baptist minister James Broadwater with 420 (1%) and Bill Marcy with 336 (1%). Ross, who lost a close Republican Primary for lieutenant governor last year, benefited from widespread name identification. Harper heads the GOP in the county with the largest number of Republican voters. Landrum was the early favorite in the race after his largely self-funded campaign dominated the TV air waves, but his prospects went into free-fall after it became public that he had not voted in recent elections. He presented a signed document indicating both he and his wife had indeed voted in the 2007 governor’s race, but the Clarion-Ledger revealed that the signatures were not genuine. 

In the Democratic Primary, cattle broker Joel Gill won the primary with 42,925 (53%) to businessman Randy Eads’ 37,339 (47%). 

Although President Bush carried the district with 65% in 2004, with 99% of precincts counted, 80,264 voters chose to participate in the Democratic Primary to 65,810 in the Republican Primary. This election will be decided in the General Election in November. 

In other, less competitive, contests, in the 2nd District, with 99% of precincts reporting, U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D) easily bested his primary foe Dorothy Benford by 103,825 (86%) to 17,118 (14%). And in the Democratic Primary to choose a nominee to oppose US Sen. Thad Cochran (R) in November, also with 99% reporting, former state Rep. Eric Fleming (D) won with 225,083 (66%) to Shawn O’Hara’s 118,125 (34%).