The Mississippi incumbent protection act worked like a charm. The bill authored by Rep. Jody Steverson of Ripley and adopted in 2021 moved the qualifying date for most state, district, and county elections to February 1st.
“Early filing deadlines benefit incumbents; so do brief filing seasons,” stated the Bigger Pie Forum in its 2021 article entitled "Incumbent Protection Proposal Making Its Way Through MS Legislature."
“Since no candidate is allowed to file before January 1, the new February 1 deadline will only allow one month for candidates to file. It is likely that many who would consider running for office would not make that decision so early in the year.”
Consider the 2023 statewide elections. All eight incumbents are seeking reelection – Tate Reeves for Governor, Delbert Hosemann for Lt. Governor, Lynn Fitch for Attorney General, Michael Watson for Secretary of State, David McRae for Treasurer, Shad White for Auditor, Mike Chaney for Insurance Commissioner, and Andy Gipson for Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce. There are a number of largely unknown candidates on the ballots but only Reeves and Hosemann attracted well-known, serious opponents.
Hosemann’s race comes up first. He is being challenged in the August Republican Primary by State Sen. Chris McDaniel.
Reeves’ serious race will be in the November General Election. Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley will be his challenger. Both will have to escape August primaries but are expected to do so handily.
McDaniel will try to rekindle the enthusiasm he generated in his fiery but unsuccessful 2014 challenge to Sen. Thad Cochran when he got 49% of the vote. That enthusiasm had fizzled out by 2018 when he challenged Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and got only 16% of the vote. Perhaps the surprise showing of Michael Cassidy in the low turnout first primary against Rep. Michael Guest last year sparked his hopes. Of course, Guest overwhelmed Cassidy in the runoff. With two other candidates in the primary, a tight race could result in a runoff this time. The other two candidates are Shane Quick, who drew 14% of the vote four years ago, and Tiffany Longino, a rare black Republican.
If Presley loses, this may well be the last hurrah for a moderate Democrat in statewide elections. The party's stable for such candidates looks empty.
“All things are possible for one who believes” – Mark 9:23.
Crawford is a syndicated columnist from Jackson
8 comments:
So now we claim that people are too stupid to sign up if only given a month to do so?
If the person can't get signed up in 31 days, I don't want them in office anyway.
“ It is likely that many who would consider running for office would not make that decision so early in the year.”
If the candidate has waited until the election year to make the decision to run, or not, I can't see them as qualified for the job. Just my opinion.
If Presley loses, this may well be the last hurrah for a moderate Democrat in statewide elections.
Maybe the last hurrah for moderate white Democrats but to allude by omission that members of, say, the LBC for example, are not moderates is completely inaccurate. Crawford's indirect indictment of black Democrats at the end of this column is striking.
“Crawford's indirect indictment of black Democrats at the end of this column is striking.”, the word I would use, is revealing, not striking.
You doofus green-bean brains: It's not a matter of not being ABLE to file during a one-month period. It's a matter of testing the waters, evaluating your chances, gaining support, rounding up potential contributors. There is zero benefit to anybody other than incumbents by having this silly rule. Of course, hello, nobody but incumbents adopted, passed and sent this one over to the Gub.
This should be challenged (by a new bill) in the legislature (if anybody there has the balls) and reversed.
I guess this is one of those end-around things which will require an initiative and referendum to get the attention of these jockstraps under the dome.
2:52, anybody with half a brain did that long before January 31
Thank you 2:52 pm.
You also have to get volunteers to staff your campaign and have a website up and running with a resume of sorts, etc.
Some of you really need to volunteer to work on a campaign so you'd have a clue about politics and wouldn't have to march in lock step with a party.
Incumbents already have the voter roles and addresses. They have party money and their own war chest in place. They've already been "campaigning" to their constituents before the election cycle by speaking to groups and mail outs.
Really, are you all that isolated? Or are you so taken for granted, you aren't invited?
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