Today at the Mississippi Republican Party, several Mississippi elected officials (mostly from Simpson County) announced they were leaving the Democratic Party and becoming Republicans.

• 13th Circuit District Attorney Eddie Bowen (Smith, Jasper, Simpson, Covington Counties)
• Sheriff Kenneth Lewis (Simpson County)
• Supervisor Mickey Berry (Simpson County)
• Justice Court Judge Eugene Knight (Simpson County)
• Constable Dan Easterling (Simpson County)
• Alderman Michael Shoemaker (D’Lo)

Republicans also welcomed Simpson County Coroner Terry Tutor, recently appointed to the position after the death of Democratic coroner. Tutor has announced his affiliation with the Republican Party.

On a policy matter, Republicans know it is the local government that impacts the lives of citizens every day.  These elected officials have been conservative and will continue to be conservative and now they belong to the more conservative party.  On a political matter, any good Party is built by the grassroots, local activists and local elected officials.

Virginia – Governor Elect – Bob McDonnell (R)

New Jersey – Governor Elect – Chris Christie (R)

Who was the third winning Republican Governor tonight? Mississippi’s own Haley Barbour, Chairman of the Republican Governor’s Association that had a clean sweep tonight. Just like his leadership in 1993 and 1994 when the Republicans took Congress, his leadership at the RGA shows his ability to play the kingmaker.

This was a note from the RGA tonight:

Republican Governors Association Chairman Governor Haley Barbour issued the following statement about the Republican Party sweeping the governors’ races in New Jersey and Virginia today:

“The RGA helped two great candidates secure historic victories for the GOP tonight. By wisely investing more than $13 million in television and radio ads, mail pieces and direct contributions, the RGA made a significant impact on the outcome of these races. These victories will give our Party momentum as we head into the 2010 elections.

When I was Republican Party chairman in the 1990’s, it was the governors who led our Party’s comeback, and I believe we jump-started that once again today. Republican victories in the 1993 New Jersey and Virginia governors’ races were the springboard for the 1994 Republican revolution. Tonight’s victories will have a similar impact.

Bob McDonnell and Chris Christie proved that voters everywhere are looking for leaders who focus on growing jobs, keeping taxes low, and strengthening the economy. They showed that by focusing on pocketbook issues Republicans can win anywhere in 2010.”

The Republican Governors Associated spent unprecedented sums on the New Jersey and Virginia races. The RGA invested more than $7 million in New Jersey and nearly $5.5 million in Virginia.

- The Washington Post called RGA’s Virginia ads “devastating.”

- A Real Clear Politics headline declared: “With Christie spending limited, RGA to the rescue.”

- Karl Rove wrote in The Wall Street Journal: “The Republican Governor’s Association has played what could be a decisive role in both states… In Virginia, the association tattooed Mr. Deeds as a tax raiser and slippery liberal. In New Jersey, they cut Mr. Daggett’s support in half by arguing a vote for him is a vote for Mr. Corzine.”

- MSNBC reported: “When all the votes are counted Tuesday, if Christie pulls it off, the RGA certainly deserves some credit.”

The Republican Governors Association just sent out this “A Note From Haley” Barbour on today’s gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia.

The voters in New Jersey and Virginia are at the polls. The RGA has put $13 million dollars of your money into these races, and I’m confident our efforts will pay off.

Heading into this year, we knew it was important to win at least one of the 2009 governors’ races. President Obama carried both states by wide margins last year, and Virginia has been trending more and more Democratic every year. Winning one state will shift momentum back to the GOP, and winning both would be a springboard for the 2010 elections.

Because of its proximity to DC and the fact it is an open seat, the Virginia race has particular significance. Bob McDonnell has run a campaign based on the pocketbook issues voters care about – jobs, the economy, healthcare and energy. The polls show him in a solid position and his campaign offers a solid roadmap for Republicans running in 2010. Virginia is a swing state that had been trending Democratic since we last won the governor’s race in 1997. A victory by Bob will signify a major turning point.

The New Jersey election features an incumbent governor, and races against incumbents are always more about that governor’s record than anything else. Five public polls were released yesterday. Three polls show Chris Christie with the lead and two polls show Jon Corzine ahead. While the polls do not show a clear frontrunner, they do reveal that Christie has gained the momentum. Now, at just the right time, Christie is seeing an uptick in the polls while Corzine has faded slightly. And thanks to the RGA’s advertising, Independent candidate Chris Daggett now is pulling more votes from Corzine than he is from Christie. This race could still go either way, and Christie has been outspent enormously; but I still like the position we’re in at the close.

Thanks to your support, the RGA was able to make unprecedented investments in both New Jersey and Virginia. I am proud of RGA’s efforts in both states. Our independent ads in Virginia dramatically shifted the way voters feel about Democrat Creigh Deeds and our early direct investment in Bob’s campaign this spring ensured the campaign developed on his terms. Our New Jersey independent ads this summer carried the Christie campaign through Labor Day with the lead and our unprecedented ad buy this fall allowed Christie to regain momentum.

I really appreciate the support you have given RGA, but this is just the beginning. Tomorrow the stakes are even higher as we enter a year with 37 governors’ races. More than twenty of the races will feature open seats. I hope tonight we will be able to add two colleagues to help us with the task ahead.

Sincerely,

Haley Barbour
Governor of Mississippi
RGA Chairman

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The latest production from the NRSC.

In the opinion of newspaper writers Tim Kalich and Sid Salter and an editorial at the Madison County Journal, Morgan Freeman’s recent comments didn’t do much to help Bill Luckett.  Luckett’s campaign continues to suffer from missteps.  During the 2008 general election, Democrats argued that Barack Obama’s excellently conducted primary campaign against Hillary Clinton was demonstrative of his ability to be a good leader as President. That same logic suggests Luckett might not provide the leadership Mississippi needs in our future.

Tim Kalich writes in the Greenwood Commonwealth:

Politically, it’s just not very smart for anyone seeking office in Mississippi to alienate the farm community. Even Bennie Thompson, the most liberal Democratic member in Mississippi’s congressional delegation, has been sensitive to appeasing Delta farmers by defending their interests on Capitol Hill.

Besides, Freeman’s apparent perception of farmers and their attitudes is grossly outdated. Back in the 1950s, when there were six times as many farms and much of the labor was still done by hand, it was true that farmers resisted efforts to diversify the economy. They didn’t want the factories, looking to relocate from the North, to compete for their workers and drive up wages. The farmers preferred a work force that was cheap, uneducated, dependent and plentiful.

Mechanization and other technological improvements, though, have dramatically changed the entire agricultural landscape. The demand for farm labor today is a fraction of what it was, and the type of labor farming requires is different, too. Instead of strong backs, farmers need workers who can ably operate $150,000 tractors and $300,000 combines and cotton pickers.

Farmers today are more likely to view themselves as partners than competitors to industry. Both need a dependable, trainable and increasingly technologically literate work force. Both see troubling trends. Domestic manufacturers fret over how they can compete with foreign factories that pay dirt-cheap wages and operate free of government regulation. Farmers, with an average age of 57 and climbing, worry about whether there will be a next generation of growers.

If Freeman hasn’t recognized the changes on the farm, he’s not been doing his research.

The actor’s ill choice of words is not the first slip-up for the Luckett camp. Earlier this year, the Clarksdale attorney was quoted, again by the AP, as equating racism in the Delta with Republican affiliation.

It’s hard to win an election when you give the opposition that kind of “bulletin board” material.

Sid Salter writes for the Clarion Ledger:

The flap over Freeman’s comments aren’t Luckett’s first early stumble. Back in June, Luckett was quoted in another AP story as saying: “You can’t have grown up in the Mississippi Delta with any kind of sensitivity or any kind of feelings and not come out of that aligned with the Democratic Party, unless you’re just a racist or something,” Luckett said. Luckett later disputed the comment, but AP stood by the story.

But Luckett’s campaign has had two damaging stumbles that will haunt him when the campaign begins in earnest – and Freeman’s assessment of Mississippi’s “base stock” won’t help much back home. 

And the Madison County Journal editorializes:

Freeman told the Associated Press: “Reform in Mississippi is hard because the base stock of this state is a mule-headed bunch of farmers. Those farmers have ruled the roost for so long because this is an agricultural state.”

We would first point out that he is campaigning for a wealthy Delta landowner who is a Democrat and specializes in, among other things, agricultural law. Excepting two men in this century, all of Mississippi’s governors and those ‘ruling the roost’ have been Democrats.

It is hard to run on reform when your candidate is of the same ilk you’re criticizing.

Second, we note the farmers we know tend to have their heads on straighter than most politicians or Hollywood types. Nearly a third of all Mississippians are employed by agriculture, which is a $6.3 billion industry in our state.

In terms Freeman can understand, “That ain’t chickenfeed.”

We thoroughly enjoy Freeman’s movies and remain proud to claim him as a Mississippian, but he should leave politics to the professionals.

George Will writes about a possible Republican wave in the Senate seats currently held by Democrats in Delaware, Illinois, Nevada, Colorado, and Connecticut, as well as gains in the House of Representatives. We talked about two of those Senate seats just recently.

Our favorite Democratic candidate for governor is back, this time he doesn’t have his foot in his mouth, he has his business partner and chief fundraiser’s foot in his mouth.

Bill Luckett’s business partner, movie star Morgan Freeman, told the Associated Press he is supporting Luckett because: “Reform in Mississippi is hard because the base stock of this state is a mule-headed bunch of farmers.  Those farmers have ruled the roost for so long because this is an agricultural state.”

Freeman sent a fundraising letter which said, “Holding on to the old politics of race, class and region has starved Mississippi for too long.” Freeman is a host of cocktail party fundraiser in Los Angeles, California next week for Luckett who wants to use that Hollywood money to buy Mississippi’s Governor’s mansion.

This is going to be fun.

A recent strategy memo from Rob Jesmer, executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, brings some more national new good news to Republicans for the 2010 Senate elections.  Jesmer worked some campaigns in Mississippi several years ago and is no stranger to our state, and while as we have posted before we usually focus on Mississippi items, here is some good news for those on the Right of Mississippi.

In response to [Congressman and former Governor Mike] Castle’s announcement [to run for the Senate yesterday in Deleware], the highly-respected political pundit Stuart Rothenberg immediately shifted the Delaware Senate race from “currently safe” for Democrats to “lean takeover” for the GOP.  A Rasmussen survey released just last week showed Castle leading his potential Democrat opponent, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden [son of VP Joe Biden], 47 to 42 percent.

Meanwhile in Illinois, GOP Congressman Mark Kirk, known for his ability to repeatedly win re-election in his Democrat-leaning district, announced Monday that he has raised more than $1.6 million during the third quarter [for his Illionois Senate bid]. Kirk’s likely Democrat opponents in this race include Tony Rezko’s former banker who has suspected ties to the mob, and a former Chief of Staff to disgraced former Governor Rod Blagojevich.

These two races are shaping up well for Republicans to capture two seats in traditionally blue states – the two seats formerly held by President Obama and Vice President Biden.  It also means that the Democrats will be forced to play defense in two states they’ve previously counted as safe.  Senator Bob Menendez, Chairman of the Democrat Senate political campaign committee, has already stated that Democrats will be spending “significant” resources to ensure these seats remain blue.  Every Democrat dollar spent in Illinois and Delaware is a dollar that can’t be spent defending seats elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Democrat incumbents across the country are facing tough fights to hold onto their seats.  Polls continue to show Harry Reid in serious political peril in his home state of Nevada…Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas is trailing all four of her GOP challengers in recent polling, and Michael Bennet in Colorado faces an uphill primary challenge.

For those who act like election security is not necessary in Mississippi, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann released a serious report on the 2009 municipal elections. There is a certain irony that one municipality issued a precinct “crime scene” tape to mark off the 150 foot boundary for campaigning around the poll.

Hosemann said, ““We have detailed serious elections issues and named specific locations throughout the State within the Municipal Elections Report.  Obviously, abuses exist in the elections process.  Only through public knowledge can we combat this growing problem.  In the end, voters must establish the credibility of the election system in their own precinct.”

The Laurel Leader Call notes the report’s emphasis on absentee ballots:

Hosemann said the number of absentee ballots placed were “horrific” in some cities.

According to the report, Macon had 541 absentee votes out of a total of 1,384 votes, roughly 39.4 percent. Other municipalities with high absentee ballot rates included Charleston (22.74 percent), West Point (19 percent), Sardis (18.2 percent) and Ripley (14.4 percent). By comparison, Jackson, the state’s largest municipality, only had 381 absentee votes out of a total of 33,800 votes cast for a rate of 1.17 percent.

And the Neshoba Democrat says:

Hosemann reported allegations that the New Albany city clerk directed absentee voters on whom to cast their ballots and used law enforcement to instruct voters to cast absentee ballots. Another allegation said absentee ballots were opened early and a police officer took the ballot back to a voter with instructions to cast the ballot for a different candidate.

Hosemann also noted allegations in Macon that voters received absentee ballots without requesting them, only to have the city clerk and a candidate show up at their homes and mark the ballot for them.

And the Greenwood Commonwealth chides a state Senator – who is also a Greenwood city councilman – for “chronic inability to acknowledge his mistakes.”

Jordan was observed, according to the report, handing out campaign material less than 150 feet from his Ward 6 precinct — a violation of the election laws. Even after being reprimanded, the report says, for that conduct by a representative from the state attorney general’s office, Jordan continued to approach voters within that 150-feet perimeter — a violation that was observed not only by the secretary of state’s watchers but also by a Commonwealth reporter.

Jordan, a Democrat, has tried to deflect the criticism by accusing Hosemann and the attorney general’s office of racial bias in where they set up observers. He claims that only black precincts were targeted for such scrutiny.

That claim doesn’t hold water. Jordan was caught not because Jordan is black, but because Jordan was doing wrong. Both an agency headed by a Republican (Hosemann) and one headed by a Democrat (Attorney General Jim Hood) saw it. So did this newspaper.

As a state senator and city councilman for more than two decades, he knows well what the election rules are. He willfully decided to ignore them.

That’s the story, pure and simple.

All this other talk of racism is just a smokescreen. It reflects Jordan’s chronic inability to acknowledge his mistakes.

No wonder there is little will in the legislature to clean up Mississippi election laws.  Here is a case where one legislator is allegedly flaunting them for his own political advantage. In addition to passing election reforms, the state Senate should consider a rebuke of Jordan for his disregard of fair elections.

In July, RoM bemoanedthat even during a recession, big government fans sought to increase this size of the Mississippi Public Service Commission. You will remember that their efforts to grow government actually threatened to derail Mississippi’s budget negotiations, forced the furlough of state employees (who ended up getting paid anyway), and necessitated an additional special session to clear things up.

Republicans in the Senate compromised by allowing the PSC to redefine the responsibilities of vacant jobs.  The PSC did not get any additional staff, but they could – for example – fill a secretary’s slot with an attorney, or an assistant’s position with an accountant.

At the time RoM said, “Don’t think that it is only Washington DC that loves big government.” Oh, but Washington DC does love big government, and decided to get involved in the Mississippi PSC.

The Mississippi Public Service Commission (PSC) will receive $824,901 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds, according to Congressman Travis Childers (D-Miss.). With this ARRA funding, the PSC will create and provide training for five new positions, three electric policy experts and two support staff positions.

The good news then is, since the PSC received three new positions last year and now an additional five from the stimulus, maybe they won’t try to expand their size and role this coming legislative session.  But when it comes to big government advocates, it never helps to feed the beast, it just gets hungrier.

The Stimulus Package: making government bigger for all of us.