Jackson Jambalaya

The Josh Harkins campaign sent out the following mailer:

Former Senate #20 candidates Steve Gaines and Tony Bahou endorsed Josh Harkins in this press release:

¬¬FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: August 8, 2011
CONTACT: Josh Harkins
PHONE: 601-781-0825
EMAIL: Josh@joshharkins.com


BAHOU AND GAINES ENDORSE HARKINS FOR SENATE
(Jackson, Miss.)—State Senate Candidate Josh Harkins today received the formal endorsement of both fellow primary contenders for the Senate District 20 seat, Tony Bahou and Steve Gaines. Gaines and Bahou combined for 18% of the vote but fell short of making the runoff.

“I'm throwing my support behind Josh Harkins. I believe Harkins will serve the people of Madison and Rankin counties well as the Senator from District 20,'" said Tony Bahou, candidate for Senate.

“While on the campaign trail, my wife and I met a lot of great people and I feel it is my responsibility to recommend Josh Harkins as our next Senator. There is a reason soon-to-be Governor Bryant and Congressman Harper have endorsed Josh Harkins, it’s called integrity and class,” said Steve Gaines, candidate for Senate.

"I am honored to have the endorsements from my fellow candidates. I appreciate the way both men ran hard and respectful campaigns. I believe that their endorsement of my campaign is a testament to my candidacy and their view that I am the best choice to represent the people of District 20," said Harkins.

Bahou and Gaines join the Home Builders Association of Mississippi, the Mississippi Association of Realtors, U.S. Congressman Gregg Harper, Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, Former GOP Chairman Jim Herring and Flowood Mayor Gary Rhoads in their endorsement of Josh Harkins for Senate.

Josh Harkins is a Republican candidate for the Mississippi Senate District 20, representing parts of Rankin and Madison counties. He is a licensed real estate broker and contractor. He lives in Flowood with his wife and two daughters.

To find out more about Josh’s campaign go to www.joshharkins.com.

Time to review the campaign finance reports for Senate Districts 20 and 25.

Senate District #20

Pelahatchie Mayor Knox Ross raised $29,850 in July and $182,574 YTD. He reports cash on hand of $13,415. Mr. Ross donated $82,326 to his own campaign in 2011. Report. Josh Harkins raised $15,520 in July and $84,918 YTD. He reports cash on hand of $15,486. Tony Bahou, um, reported no money raised at all this year and cash on hand of $447. Steve Gaines raised $8,944 in July and $33,664 YTD. He reports $104 cash on hand. $17,794 of Mr. Gaines' contributions have come from Mr. Gaines himself. This race will be interesting as I think it will go to a runoff between Harkins and Ross.

Senate District #25

Good ole Charles Barbour raised $15,858 in July and $79,149 YTD. He reports cash on hand of $15,868. Significant contributions are Henry Michel $3,750, Henry Barbour $3,000, LeFlore Barbour $1,000, John McGowan $500, and $5,000 from the Creekmores. The campaign paid Clearwater Group (Austin Barbour) $6,000 to manage the campaign.
July 26 report, July 8 report

Will Longwitz raised $28,100 in July and $53,321 YTD. He reports $10,711 cash on hand. Significant donations came from I.P. Bruestler Trust $10,000, William Mounger $2,000, Will Longwitz $3,386. There were no significant expenditures. Report

Mr. Barbour has a clear lead in fund-raising but Mr. Longwitz raised enough money to win this race or at least get a strong message out to the voters. The race is a toss-up going into the final weekend before the primary.

Well, well , well. It seems there is a little food fight in the Senate District #20 race. Republican candidate Tony Bahou fired off a letter to fellow Republican Candidate Knox Ross of seeking a "table deal". Read for yourself: