Sunday, June 15, 2008

Mississippi is a Competitive Two-Party State: An Essay

Travis Childers' recent election proves that Mississippi is not some inpenetrable Republican bastion. When we have good candidates who have unified, enthusiastic party support and adequate funding, Democrats are competitive in our state.

Consider the following facts about our US House delegations over the last several decades:

CD-1
In 1994, upon the retirement of the legendary Democrat Jamie Whitten (who served 53 years) Republican Roger Wicker was elected, the first Republican since Reconstruction to represent CD 1. Travis Childers reclaimed the seat for Democrats last month in the special election made necessary by Wicker's appointment to the US Senate.


CD-2
In 1982, Democratic incumbent David Bowen retired. He was succeeded by Republican Webb Franklin, who was re-elected in 1984. Democrat Mike Espy defeated Frankin in 1986 and served in the seat until his appointment as US Secretary of Agriculture in 1993. Since 1993, CD 2 has been represented by Democrat Bennie Thompson.


CD-3
In 1964, Republican Prentiss Walker defeated long-time incumbent 3rd District Congressman Democrat Arthur Winstead. Walker was the first Republican to be elected to the House from Mississippi since reconstruction. In 1966, Walker gave up his House seat to run for the US Senate and Democrat Sonny Montgomery won the 3rd CD seat (and held it until his retirement in 1996). Represented by Republican Chip Pickering since 1996, the seat is now open due to retirement.


CD-4 (combined with CD 3 in 2002)
In 1972, Thad Cochran was elected the first Republican in this seat since Reconstruction. In 1978, Cochran ran for the Senate and vacated his House seat in CD 4. His former staffer, Jon Hinson was elected as a Republican in 1978, reelected in 1980, and resigned in a sex scandal in 1981. Wayne Dowdy reclaimed the seat for Democrats in 1981, and the 4th CD was Democratic until Mike Parker switched parties in November 1995. Democrat Ronnie Shows reclaimed CD 4 for us in 1998 and held the seat until it was eliminated by redistricting in 2002.


CD 5 (renumbered 4 in 2002)
In 1972, Republican Trent Lott was the first of his party in the seat since Reconstruction. He served in the House from 1972 through 1988, when he moved to the Senate. Republican Larkin Smith won the seat in November 1988, but was killed in a plane crash during the first year of his term. Democrat Gene Taylor won the seat in the 1989 special election and has held it since.



So, since the passage of the Voting Rights Act and the emergence of a two-party system in our state, all of our US House seats have gone Republican, and have subsequently been retaken by Democrats. The reality is clear: when good candidates are properly funded (Dowdy 1981, Espy 1986, Taylor 1989, Shows 1998, Childers 2008), Democrats have proven that we can win open US House seats in Mississippi. Clearly, Mississippi is a two-party state.

- Rickey Cole

2 comments:

  1. Democrats control three out of four U.S. House seats, and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. This is definitely a purple state, except in presidential elections. We're 37% black in a state where African Americans tend to go 85-90% Democratic. Throw in a few white Democrats and you've got a clear majority, as is reflected in party registration (which favors Democrats by something like 3:1). Converting that majority into actual electoral wins seems to be the problem, but the voters and donors are all there.

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  2. We don't have party registration in Mississippi, though many states do.

    Many folks do still identify as Democrats, while voting for Republicans at the federal level.

    Democrats who can show they are of and for Mississippi can and do win.

    You're right. We just need to get folks organized.

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