The Great Assumption in Mississippi politics has long been that race is the lowest common denominator. For good or ill, it is undeniable that this assumption is the basis for how political campaigns are operated, for the crafting of political messaging, and for the evolution of the two-party system in the state since Reconstruction.
The century between the American Civil War in 1862 and the American civil rights struggle in 1962 saw a startling transformation of how the Democratic and Republican parties were defined. Over that century, Democrats moved from monolithic control of Mississippi to the current state of marginal influence.
The same century saw the Republican Party that once caused Mississippi whites to vow to “vote for a yellow dog” before they’d vote Republican embrace the GOP at the local, state and national level.
But is race still Mississippi’s lowest common political denominator? Clearly, it is an uncomfortable assumption on any number of levels and one that countless Mississippians have worked for decades to debunk, disprove or discredit.
So perhaps we look at the 2019 Mississippi general election as a measuring stick – a race in which Republican nominee Tate Reeves won 50 of the state’s 82 counties with an overall popular vote winning percentage of 52.1 percent to 46.7 percent for Democratic nominee Jim Hood (who carried 32 counties) and a combined 1.4 percent for independent David Singletary and Constitution Party candidate Bob Hickingbottom.
There are 26 Mississippi counties that have African American majorities. Democrat Hood won all 26 of those counties. Hood also carried two counties – Panola and Warren – that have African American populations of fractionally more than 49 percent. Hood won his home county of Chickasaw (black population of 44 percent).
Hood carried three other white majority counties including Lafayette and Oktibbeha – both of which are home to large universities and an inordinate number of young voters and both of which have tended in recent elections to be friendly to Democratic candidates.
The 32nd county that Hood carried was Madison County, a majority-white county with a strong 38 percent black population. Madison County is normally a reliable Top 15 Republican county in statewide elections but was the anomaly in this election.
Republican gubernatorial challenger Bill Waller ran strong in Madison County in the GOP primaries, more than doubling Reeves’ vote in the primary runoff 12,401 to 5,905. But Reeves was able to outperform Hood in his northeast Mississippi home territory while getting out the vote in the usual Republican strongholds.
Conversely, Hood’s inability to generate a needed exceptional turnout in the state’s majority Democratic areas was also critical to the 2019 gubernatorial outcome in Mississippi. The rest of the statewide Republicans put up even bigger winning percentages in dominating elections for the other seven statewide posts.
But is race the lowest common denominator in Mississippi politics? Unadulterated by opinion, the numbers suggest that for many Mississippians – black and white – voter behavior still is what it is. The level of racial mistrust that spills over into partisan mistrust remains high.
Perhaps there’s another answer. Hood was the latest Democrat – and certainly the most formidable statewide Democratic candidate in recent memory – who found it unwise to run in Mississippi as a national Democrat with the full, open support of national Democratic luminaries.
It’s convenient to blame race for the inability of Mississippi Democrats to be competitive in elections. But until state Democrats and national Democrats solve their identity crisis, it seems neither accurate not particularly productive to make that assumption.
Sid Salter is a syndicated columnist. Contact him at sidsalter@sidsalter.com.
Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Sid Salter: Is Race Still A Factor in Mississippi Politics? Numbers are Instructive.
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27 comments:
I would hope that at some point we can move past the narrative that everything is about race in this state and in this country. And I hope that journalists will actually start focusing on something really newsworthy and not just default back to "race" and "racism" stories. This does nothing but continue to divide an already divided country politically because we are obviously too dumb to move past it. Republican or Democrat . . . lets move on.
And I hope that journalists will actually start focusing on something really newsworthy ...
What is really newsworthy to you that isn't getting any coverage?
In MS race is everything....always has been.
It’s politics
It’s religion
It’s schools
It’s sex
It’s friendships
It’s why we have so many adored southern writers....they expound on experiences no one else can fathom.....because of race
A country that is 12% black elected a biracial president. Stop this garbage.
@8:33
biggest mistake in the entirety of US history.
When journalists (or so called) have nothing noteworthy to write about race is their topic. Sid is about filling column with garbage because it is easy and he is lazy.
Sid should write a column about how literally 1% of the population entirely rules over this nation with half of the Judiciary, 40% of the congress, and the majority of non-elected positions of power from Intelligence Officers and Ambassadors to Department Secretaries.
They have really been displaying their power during the impeachment process.
Oh, and they all have dual citizenship too!
CHANGE vs STATUS QUO. It may get more complicated than some political analysts comfort zone, but the real breakdown especially regarding the races is about change vs. status quo. There was never a reason for Black people to embrace a status quo movement. The Democratic party once represented the oppressive plantation state establishment and the Republicans were the party of freedom and change. When the Republicans became the party of conservative/establishment politics Blacks saw Democratic national candidates as more accepting of change. They flipped. Whites soon saw Republican conservatism as status quo politics likely to perpetuate their historic control so...They flipped. You will also note that the centers of education are usually most likely to embrace CHANGE and new ideas. Who wants change? Who wants status quo? That's the real deciding factor.
Don't assume or suggest that this reality applies only to white republicans. In fact it would be a fatal mistake to assume or peddle the myth that this is predominant among white folks. It's not!
Look no further than Willie Simmons' election and that of his successor daughter for the reality of black votes. Or look at the defeat of Hayes Dent in the district that was just redrawn to give blacks more a majority than the one they already enjoyed. Hopefully the District Court of Appeals will overturn that one in favor of clear Mississippi redistricting law.
Of course millionaire Bennie Thompson has enjoyed 25 years in office due to the same voting demographic. And if you really have time on your hands, start with Jackson and go down the list of a hundred more Mississippi villages and towns and counties who elect the same folk for the same reason - race, black in particular.
Reconstruction, Reparations and Redrawing are all very much alive and well in 2019 Mississippi.
There are more black millionaires and billionaires in the United States that the world combined. Hell... Rockefeller had a neighbor that was the first millionaire female in the U.S. she was black and made her fortune in cosmetics. Don't give me this shit. If you want to see inequality look all over the globe you will find it. Why do a majority of immigrants want to come to this country as opposed to others. Americans are spoiled that call this place unfair.
Democrats control of the black vote is the worst scam in American history.
9:19 What is predominant among white folks? Try to be honest.
9:37 And your point is? Are you on this page?
I believe that for the most part whites can get beyond race. Blacks, however, cannot, at least black leadership cannot. First let me state that we should never forget our past. However, there is a difference in remembering it, learning from it and wallowing in it. And wallowing in the past is exactly what black leadership does and wants all blacks to do. They do this for a couple of reason: (1) they do not have a good plan to move blacks forward; (2) it is much easier to continually look to the past than it is to plan for the future; (3) it keeps blacks beholding to their black leadership. They are, as Kim Wade says, black for a living.
When your side loses, is about race.
When your side wins, race had nothing to do with it.
That's how it works. We are at least 50 years from race not mattering in politics.
The very system we use to hold elections was set up to divide us by race. These stupid closed primaries were set up after running off the carpet baggers so that black people and republicans would have no say in who ran the state.
Even though the parties have changed, the system has not. Blacks vote democrat in the primary because blacks run as democrats. Keeps them out of having a say in "our" primaries.
Tate would not have had a chance if we had open primaries.
Salter should do a series on never having a real job.
If you look at the Madison County results precinct by precinct, it appears that Good was strong in the city of Canton, rural areas and parts of Ridgeland that had lots of apartments. This is no surprise. What is surprising is how well he did in extremely wealthy areas like the Reservoir and Bridgewater. That is, until you realize that many of those $1M+++ homes are owned by plaintiff's attorneys who scored big jackpots using on behalf of the Hood/Moore Extortion Racket
The vocal "faces" of the Democratic party have poisoned the well so much that most everyone that works for a living is either Republican or Independent. So politics in MS isn't racial, it's economic. And that's why Madison County voted for Hood.
11:22 am You don't think writing is a " real job" when you are paid to do it?
That will come as surprise to every business and profession that hires writers for their policy manuals and promotions and newsletters, and a shock to those who write the news...even your talking heads on FOX are reading from a teleprompter much of the time.
Aside from the crazy gerrymandering that dilutes the vote and eliminated one Democrat with strong support even among educated Republicans in the House a few years ago, the worst of it is that those who were oppressed learned how to be just as corrupt as their predecessors.
The Us vs Them mentality is stupid as we all rise or fall with the successes or failures of Mississippi and of our respective communities.
12:47 - Ignorance on display. You think Madison County is comprised of unemployed democrats? Other than most of Canton and District 5, you're reeking of crap nonsense.
Money, Power, and Race have been factors in every election ever held in the United States. Always have been and always will be.
12:58, which Democrat with strong support lost that you are referring to as happening because of "gerrymandering"? Was the candidate that defeated your Democrat a Republican with "strong support" as well?
Beside, the entire 'gerrymandering' that occurs with the legislative districts revolves mostly around the issue of "RACE" - which is the theme of Salter's column. And that gerrymandering is done with the total and complete consent of the Democrats that want the gerrymandering just as much as their Republican counterparts. (Ask one of your Democratic members if they want to see their 70+% BVAP district changed to a 50% BVAP and find out how much they want to continue the 'gerrymandering'.)
To all who commented on gerrymandering: I have studied this issue in my spare time over the last year and it appears that all agree that race based redistricting has been and remains a divisive issue in MS politics. It causes litigation and even worse treats voters like pawns. A craft politician will draw the lines to ensure political survival or party gain. In short, the election is already decided before the election if you choose the voters.
Would any of you support removing redistricting from the domain of the legislature and if so what could you live with along the lines of a Commission (and how do we make it apolitical) that would assume responsibility for the process?
Is Sid Salter still a factor in journalism?
No. When, when, oh, whennnnn will you stop republishing his drivel, Kingfish?
I thought Sid had died. It was Bill minor. Both are equally obsessed with race and generally ignored by both sides of the isle. Much like the Jackson free press is currently.
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