Interesting election results last week. One incumbent congressman, Steven Palazzo lost, while another came back and won, Michael Guest.
Did you know that in 40 states Michael Cassidy and Palazzo would have won?
Mississippi is one of just 10 states that require runoffs when a candidate fails to get more than 50% in the first primary. Most states have a winner-take-all approach to avoid the costs of holding runoffs. Thus, many party nominees “win” with far less than 50% of the vote.
The consequences of this rule can be extraordinary.
We all remember 2014. Chris McDaniel led Thad Cochran by 49.5% to 49% in the first primary for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, a margin of just 1,418 votes. Little known Tomas Carey got 4,584 votes (1.5%). That gave Cochran the opportunity to come back and win the runoff 51% to 49%.
The same thing happened in the Third Congressional District Republican Primary this year. Cassidy led incumbent Guest 48% to 47% in the first primary. The 5% of the vote Thomas Griffin pulled forced a runoff. Guest came back to win the runoff 67% to 33%.
The opposite happened in the Fourth Congressional District Republican Primary. Incumbent Palazzo led the first primary against five other candidates with 31.6% of the votes. Second place finisher Mike Ezell got 25.1%, edging out Clay Waggoner with 22.1%. In the runoff, Ezell topped Palazzo 54% to 46%.
Speaking of politics, Lex Taylor, president of Taylor Machine Works and chairman of The Taylor Group of Companies, called for passage of bipartisan legislation in Congress to improve supply chains.
“In Mississippi, the supply chain issues originating from the pandemic continue to worsen,” he wrote in a guest editorials published across the state. “For example, the medical supply chain in Mississippi is still impacting patient care months after COVID hospitalizations have waned. Diagnostic equipment, lab results, and availability of certain types of medicines are all currently impacted by supply chain disruptions.”
“And less life-threatening but equally disruptive are the supply chain issues that we have seen throughout the entire economy, whether it’s the shortage of semiconductors with auto and heavy equipment manufacturers, the shortage of raw materials needed in manufacturing, or the skyrocketing cost of fertilizer in the agriculture industry, no sector is immune from these supply chain issues,” he continued.
Taylor wants Congress to pass something called the Bipartisan Innovation Act (BIA). This is the moniker for a merger of the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act passed by the Senate and the 2022 America COMPETES Act passed by the House when it comes out of the joint Senate and House conference committee. Sen. Roger Wicker is one of the conferees.
Taylor said the BIA is needed to “revitalize domestic manufacturing, rebuild domestic supply chains, and advance our nation’s economic security.”
Oops, late last week Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell put partisanship back in by threatening to pull GOP support over a totally unrelated bill Democrats want to pass.
Hopefully partisanship won’t side track a bill that would help Mississippi as well as the nation.
“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your hand to do so” – Proverbs 3:27.
Crawford is a syndicated columnist from Jackson
14 comments:
Too bad. The American way is to make preparation for victory, not cooperation. Both parties will advance those people and their ideas which best spell defeat for the opposite party rather than what is best for the whole country. Our competitive view of life has given us many advances but it is also a time bomb about to explode. Too bad.
What a load of gaslighting horse shit.
Oops, late last week Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell put partisanship back in by threatening to pull GOP support over a totally unrelated bill Democrats want to pass.
Why can't you ever be honest Crawford? Identify for readers what this "unrelated bill" actually is about. You suck Bill.
So is Bill advocating sending people to Congress who only got 32% of the vote? What about races where there are many candidates and no one gets over 25%?
That is how the Mayor in Pelahatchie was elected. Two stubborn knuckleheads refused to drop out. They split the vote while Ms. Beechem got around a third or so of the vote. Problem is you are electing someone who 2/3 of the town voted against. No majority support which would be the case in a runoff.
Bill's way is how you get kooks elected. See Missouri right now.
I had to hold my nose to vote in the 3rd District runoff
.
Guest could have won based on Cassidy not living here long enough to know Mississippi or their people well enough to represent us much less know our interests.
Guest could have run on his record in in Congress ( shabby though it may be other that being a good puppet).
But, no Guest had to go vile and dirty with words usually used by children who don't know how to behave in public.
I know Guest lost a quite few votes first time from women sick of the party of Trump and who like that Cassidy seemed to have brains and good manners.
The TRUTH is also that turnout was pitiful in the 3rd district as everyone assumed the incumbent would have little trouble.
Frankly, given the takeover of the GOP by criminals and crazies and fascists trying to overthrow democracy, both of the conservatives in my house will hold our noses and vote for a Democrat ,even if they are nuts too in hopes they are as incompetent and unrealistic as most Democrats of late.
Really, if you are comfortable in the "company" of and have the same " beliefs
as crazy people like Guiliani and Neo-Nazis and criminal gangs pretending to be Patriots, you are likely crazy too!
@12:30
I know leftist "concern trolling" is all the rage, but you aren't smart enough for to pull it off. 0/10
12:30 lives to hate Trump whose incredible accomplishments as POTUS benefitted all but who talked dirty on the golf course and used NY dock worker/construction tough guy jargon in his tweets. So what?
12:30 can't focus on actions and consequences and ignore style. Trump never claimed to be a marriage counselor, interior decorator or polished schmoozer. He was a masterful negotiater/ executive/ planner/ winner who lifted America's economy and the prosperity of all who wanted to work for it.
Runoff made it clear the power elites in Madison and Rankin Counties run things in the third congressional district, and voting is a waste of time, as we're stuck with a Liz Cheney clone for years to come. At least people in South Mississippi express some independence of thought.
Glad Palazzo the clown is finally out.
12:30 thinks the price of gasoline should be $12.30 a gallon. If 12:30 gets his way in elections, he will get his gasoline price.
You cannot have a serious bipartisan discussion about any issue with someone who actually believes men can have babies.
I was wrong. I took the column to mean Mr. Crawford was against primary runoffs. He didn't take a position either way. He was just pointing out how things fall in other states.
12:30 pm to Krusatyr and 12:40 pm :
Krusatyr does have a history of trolling. I don't.
I'm a Mississippian who lives in the 3rd District. I've held been successful in government and business and have graduate degrees.
At least I can defend my position and don't have to resort to baseless accusations or insults. I didn't stop learning or maturing in junior high.
Krusatyr is an interesting screen name choice. So you see yourself as a Germanic god and are from Denmark?
As for me I'm a Southerner and my folks have been in this country since 1690. Are you even on this side of the pond?
None of this really matters until better people honest people start running and winning the seats again. Wait, did I say again? Our country is never had an honest politician.
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