Mississippi GOP Wins Big Statewide
Mississippi Republicans solidified gains across the board in statewide elections Tuesday, easily holding the governor’s mansion, the very powerful lieutenant governor’s post, state Senate; and expanding to a near super majority in the House of Representatives. Moreover, a united effort by Republican leadership succeeded in derailing a largely Democratic-driven ballot initiative to shift ultimate educational spending oversight to the state’s courts.
Highlights from Tuesday’s Mississippi election include:
- Republican Gov. Phil Bryant was easily reelectedwith 66% of the vote to his second and last four-year term and stood side-by-side Tuesday evening with six of the other seven statewide elected officials in declaring a broad victory for the GOP here.
- Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, was easily reelectedwith 60% of the vote to his second four-year term and will continue a firm control over a 33-19 Republican majority Senate.
- House Speaker Philip Gunn and his leadership team captured at least 73 votesin the 122-member House, up from 67. That is just one shy of the 74 “super majority” vote required to pass bills raising or cutting taxes and appropriating state dollars. There was an immediate focus on potential party switches in the Democratic ranks.
- Republican leadership, working on a unified campaign, defeatedby a vote of 53%-47% a controversial proposal launched by Democratic-leaning education constituencies. The referendum, called Ballot Initiative 42, would have amended the state Constitution and invited litigation to encourage the courts to second-guess education spending and policy decisions.
- Republicans retained five other statewide offices– Secretary of State, Auditor, Agriculture Commissioner, Insurance Commissioner, and Treasurer; and Republicans kept a three-to-zero control over the Transportation Commission, whose district mirror the PSC.
For Democrats, it was the latest in a string of bruising losses over the last decade, and was particularly painful as House Democratic Minority Leader Bobby Moak of Bogue Chitto was unseated in his home district by a Republican challenger. Two other sitting Democrats in the House: Reps. Bo Eaton and Shera Lane, also lost to Republicans, and Republicans consolidated more gains via redrawn legislative seats. For Republicans, the singular legislative loss in the House was Rep. Brad Mayo (R-Oxford) – a rising star freshman in the House – who fell to Democratic challenger.
- Democratic Atty. Gen. Jim Hood – the sole Democratic statewide elected official in the Deep South – held off a spirited challengeby Republican Mike Hurst; and Democrats secured control of the three-person Public Service Commission, winning the northern and central district seats.
- Democrats gained a two-to-one majority on the Mississippi Public Service Commission. Northern District Commissioner Brandon Presley, a Democrat, will be joined by Central District Commissioner-elect Cecil Brown, a leading Democrat in the House of Representatives whose district was dismantled during redistricting. The two-to-one Democratic majority is likely to be particularly troubling to Mississippi Power, a South-Mississippi utility whose Kemper County, MS coal gasification plant has been highly criticized for cost overruns. Utilities require PSC approval for rate increases.
But those Democratic wins were minor consolation to an otherwise punishing election cycle for Democrats. Moreover, the ballot initiative appeared to fall far short of an ancillary goal of driving more traditional Democratic voters to the polls, as voter turnout appeared light across the state.
Lt. Gov. Reeves and House Speaker Gunn will spend the coming weeks tweaking their leadership teams and aligning Senate and House Committees in anticipation of the regular legislative session that begins January 5, 2016.
Below are the unofficial results from Tuesday’s contested races:
2015 General Election Results – As of November 4th, 5:30 am
X Won General Election (I) – Incumbent
Governor
95% precincts
| Phil Bryant (R) (I) X | 434,966 | 66% |
| Robert Gray (D) | 212,397 | 32% |
| Shawn O’Hara (Ref) | 8,875 | 1% |
Lt. Governor
95% precincts
| Tim Johnson (D) | 235,007 | 36% |
| Tate Reeves (R) (I) X | 392,180 | 60% |
| Ron Williams (Lib) | 14,477 | 2% |
| Rosa Williams (Ref) | 8,632 | 1% |
Attorney General
95% precincts
| Jim Hood (D) (I) X | 364,307 | 56% |
| Mike Hurst (R) | 286,921 | 44% |
Secretary of State
95% precincts
| Charles E. Graham (D) | 231,635 | 36% |
| Delbert Hosemann (R) (I) X | 397,095 | 61% |
| Randy Walker (Ref) | 19,325 | 3% |
State Auditor
95% precincts
| Stacey Pickering (R) (I) X | 389,526 | 63% |
| Jocelyn Pepper Pritchett (D) | 224,396 | 36% |
| Lajena Walley (Ref) | 8,367 | 1% |
Treasurer
95% precincts
| Lynn Fitch (R) (I) X | 466,415 | 79% |
| Viola McFarland (Ref) | 122,310 | 21% |
Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce
95% precincts
| Addie Lee Green (D) | 238,543 | 37% |
| Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) (I) X | 388,147 | 61% |
| Cathy Toole (Ref) | 13,314 | 2% |
Transportation Commissioner-Northern
99% precincts
| Mike Tagert (R)(I) X | 152,402 | 65% |
| Danny Woods (D) | 82,620 | 35% |
Transportation Commissioner-Central
99% precincts
| Mary Coleman (D) | 102,034 | 45% |
| Dick Hall (R) (I) X | 124,657 | 55% |
Transportation Commissioner-Southern
95% precincts
| Sheranda Atkinson (Ref) | 5,265 | 2% |
| Tom King (R) (I) X | 137,448 | 65% |
| Chad Toney (D) | 68,329 | 32% |
Public Service Commissioner-Northern
99% precincts
| Mike Maynard (R) | 93,637 | 40% |
| Brandon Presley (D) (I) X | 142,818 | 60% |
Public Service Commissioner – Central (Open/Posey)
99% precincts
| Cecil Brown (D) X | 119,414 | 53% |
| Brent Bailey (R) | 103,261 | 46% |
| LaTrice Notree (Ref) | 2,602 | 1% |
Public Service Commissioner – Southern (Open/Renfroe)
95% precincts
| Tom Blanton (D) | 78,035 | 37% |
| Sam Britton (R) X | 131,238 | 61% |
| Lonny Kenneth Spence (Ref) | 4,315 | 2% |
Amending the Mississippi Constitution
96% precincts
| Against | 331,875 | 52% |
| Approval | 306,407 | 48% |
Initiative 42 or 42A
96% precincts
| Initiative 42 | 298,276 | 59% |
| Initiative 42 A | 210,161 | 41% |
Chancery Court Judge, 4th District, Place 2 (Amite, Franklin, Pike, Walthall)
A new chancery judgeship was created in this district by the 2015 Legislature. Judicial elections are non-partisan.
100% precincts
| Ashley Atkinson | 3,785 | 20% |
| Joe Kelly | 1,277 | 7% |
| Conrad Mord | 5,685 | 30% |
| Michael T. Shareef | 1,964 | 10% |
| Wayne Smith X | 6,176 | 33% |
Chancery Court Judge, 11th District, Place 3 (Holmes, Leake, Madison, Yazoo)
A new chancery judgeship was created in this district by the 2015 Legislature. Judicial elections are non-partisan.
79% precincts
| Pearlene Jones | 8,177 | 27% |
| James C. Walker | 21,616 | 73% |
Chancery Court Judge, 20th District, Place 3 (Rankin)
A new chancery judgeship was created in this district by the 2015 Legislature. Judicial elections are non-partisan.
60% precincts
| Prentiss M. Grant | 102 | 29% |
| James M. Nix | 64 | 18% |
| Rusty Williard | 39 | 11% |
| Haydn Roberts | 142 | 41% |
Circuit Court Judge, 12th District, Place 2 (Forrest, Perry)
A new circuit judgeship was created in this district by the 2015 Legislature. Judicial elections are non-partisan.
33% precincts
| Charles E. Lawrence, Jr. | 975 | 28% |
| Chad Shook | 723 | 20% |
| Jon Mark Weathers | 1,841 | 52% |
Circuit Court Judge, 13th District, Place 2 (Covington, Jasper, Simpson, Smith)
A new circuit judgeship was created in this district by the 2015 Legislature. Judicial elections are non-partisan.
53% precincts
| Mary K. Burnham | 6,253 | 54% |
| Stanley A. Sorey | 5,351 | 46% |
Circuit Court Judge, 20th District, Place 3 (Madison, Rankin)
A new circuit judgeship was created in this district by the 2015 Legislature. Judicial elections are non-partisan.
67% precincts
| Marlin “Marty” Miller | 3,592 | 27% |
| Steve S. Ratcliff | 10,972 | 50% |
| Chris Walker | 5,952 | 27% |
| Michael J Wolf | 1,507 | 7% |
Senate, District 3 (Calhoun, Pontotoc, Union)
100% precincts
| Nickey Browning (R) (I) X | 12,117 | 77% |
| Christopher Stark (D) | 3,603 | 23% |
Senate, District 4 (Alcorn, Tippah, Tishomingo)
100% precincts
| Rita Potts Parks (R) (I) X | 10,360 | 60% |
| Eric Powell (D) | 6,842 | 40% |
Senate, District 7 (Itawamba, Lee, Monroe)
100% precincts
| Hob Bryan (D) (I) X | 8,284 | 59% |
| Barry Strevel (R) | 5,802 | 41% |
Senate, District 9 (Lafayette, Tallahatchie, Yalobusha)
100% precincts
| Cristen Hemmins (D) | 5,836 | 40% |
| Gray Tolison (R) (I) X | 8,915 | 60% |
Senate, District 14 (Attala, Carroll, Grenada, Leflore, Montgomery, Tallahatchie)
98% precincts
| Lydia Graves Chassaniol (R) (I) X | 9,269 | 54% |
| Georgio Proctor (D) | 4,145 | 24% |
| Donny Ryals (Ind) | 3,797 | 22% |
Senate, District 15 (Attala, Calhoun, Choctaw, Montgomery, Oktibbeha, Webster, Winston)
100% precincts
| Gary Jackson (R) (I) X | 8,205 | 61% |
| Cecil L. Simmons (D) | 5,283 | 39% |
Senate, District 22 (Bolivar, Humphreys, Sharkey, Washington, Yazoo)
100% precincts
| Eugene Buck Clarke (R) (I) X | 7,902 | 55% |
| Joseph C. Thomas, Sr. (D) | 6,583 | 45% |
Senate, District 27 (Hinds)
97% precincts
| Ponto Ronnie Downing (R) | 3,107 | 25% |
| Hillman Frazier (D) (I) X | 9,508 | 75% |
Senate, District 29 (Hinds)
96% precincts
| David Blount (D) (I) X | 10,891 | 79% |
| James Broadwater (R) | 2,904 | 21% |
Senate, District 32 (Kemper, Lauderdale, Noxubee, Winston)
100% precincts
| Sampson Jackson (D) (I) X | 8,706 | 67% |
| Don Wiggins (R) | 4,365 | 33% |
Senate, District 33 (Clarke, Lauderdale)
100% precincts
| Chase Callahan (D) | 3,788 | 25% |
| Videt Carmichael (R) (I) X | 11,403 | 75% |
Senate, District 37 (Adams, Amite, Franklin, Pike)
100% precincts
| Bob Dearing (D) | 7,958 | 50% |
| Melanie Sojourner (R) (I) | 8,038 | 50% |
Senate, District 38 (Adams, Amite, Pike, Walthall, Wilkinson)
Open/Butler, Dem
100% precincts
| Bente Hess Johnson (Ind) | 3,104 | 19% |
| Dennis Quinn (R) | 3,487 | 21% |
| Tammy Felder Witherspoon (D) X | 9,987 | 60% |
Senate, District 39 (Lawrence, Lincoln, Simpson)
100% precincts
| Sally Doty (R) (I) X | 10,687 | 64% |
| Michael Smith (D) | 6,109 | 36% |
Senate, District 41 (Covington, Forrest, Jefferson Davis, Lamar, Marion)
66% precincts
| Reggie Blackledge (D) | 4,988 | 36% |
| Joey Fillingane (R) (I) X | 8,833 | 64% |
Senate, District 42 (Jones)
100% precincts
| Johnny Ishmel Henry (D) | 2,065 | 14% |
| Chris McDaniel (R) (I) X | 12,489 | 86% |
Senate, District 43 (George, Greene, Stone, Wayne)
Incumbent Gandy (R) defeated in the primary
100% precincts
| Dennis DeBar (R) X | 12,019 | 76% |
| Towana A. Wright (D) | 3,826 | 24% |
Senate, District 45 (Forrest, Perry)
100% precincts
| Billy Hudson (R) (I) X | 11,126 | 87% |
| Eli Jackson (Ref) | 1,701 | 13% |
Senate, District 47 (Harrison, Jackson, Pearl River, Stone)
Open/Smith, Rep
68% precincts
| Jimmy Bo Alawine (D) | 1,465 | 21% |
| Joseph Mike Seymour (R) X | 5,607 | 79% |
Senate, District 48 (Harrison)
100% precincts
| Deborah Dawkins (D) (I) X | 4,963 | 53% |
| Walter Crapps (R) | 4,337 | 47% |
Senate, District 51 (Jackson)
100% precincts
| Boyd T. Kendall (Lib) | 1,704 | 17% |
| Mike Watson (R) (I) X | 8,366 | 83% |
House, District 1 (Alcorn, Tishomingo)
100% precincts
| Lester Bubba Carpenter (R) (I) X | 5,139 | 67% |
| Lisa Benderman Wigginton, (D) | 2,581 | 33% |
House, District 2 (Alcorn)
100% precincts
| Nick Bain (D) (I) X | 4,732 | 76% |
| Billy Miller | 1,512 | 24% |
House of Representatives, District 3 (Alcorn, Prentiss)
100% precincts
| Lauren Childers (D) | 2,754 | 42% |
| William Tracy Arnold (R) (I) X | 3,734 | 58% |
House of Representatives, District 9 (Coahoma, Panola, Quitman, Tate, Tunica)
Open/Burnett, Dem
100% precincts
| Cedric Burnett (D) X | 4,369 | 70% |
| Christopher Thomas, Sr. (R) | 1,856 | 30% |
House of Representatives, District 10 (Lafayette, Panola, Tallahatchie)
100% precincts
| Ken Daugherty (Ind) | 1,934 | 24% |
| Nolan Mettetal (R) (I) X | 6,113 | 76% |
House of Representatives, District 12 (Lafayette)
100% precincts
| J. P. Jay Hughes, Jr. (D) X | 2,439 | 55% |
| Brad Mayo (R) (I) | 1,983 | 45% |
House of Representatives, District 13 (Benton, Lafayette, Marshall, Union)
100% precincts
| Justin Cluck (D) | 3,095 | 41% |
| Steve Massengill (R) (I) X | 4,408 | 59% |
House of Representatives, District 17 (Lee)
Open/Aldridge, Rep
100 precincts
| Charles Penson (D) | 1,376 | 24% |
| Shane Aguirre (R) X | 4,354 | 76% |
House of Representatives, District 19 (Itawamba, Lee, Tishomingo)
100% precincts
| Randy Boyd (R) X | 4,921 | 62% |
| Clint Gannon (D) | 2,953 | 38% |
House of Representatives, District 20 (Lowndes, Monroe)
100% precincts
| Chris Brown (R) (I) X | 2,487 | 36% |
| William Bo Miller (D) | 4,505 | 64% |
House of Representatives, District 21 (Itawamba, Monroe)
100% precincts
| Donnie Bell (R) (I) X | 4,000 | 60% |
| Aaron L. Loden (D) | 2,672 | 40% |
House of Representatives, District 25 (Coahoma, DeSoto, Tunica)
Incumbent Alday (R) defeated in the primary
100% precincts
| Dan Eubanks (R) X | 2,233 | 74% |
| Harold D. Harris (D) | 798 | 26% |
House of Representatives, District 27 (Attala, Leake, Madison, Yazoo)
Open/Smith, Dem
100% precincts
| Ricky Dewayne Gill (R) | 1,596 | 28% |
| Kenneth Walker (D) X | 4,106 | 72% |
House of Representatives, District 33 (Lafayette, Tallahatchie, Yalobusha)
100% precincts
| Jerrerico Chambers (R) | 1,681 | 23% |
| Tommy Reynolds (D) (I) X | 5,527 | 77% |
House of Representatives, District 35 (Choctaw, Grenada, Oktibbeha, Webster)
100% precincts
| Joey Hood (R) (I) X | 4,383 | 57% |
| Patrick Warner (D) | 3,273 | 43% |
House of Representatives, District 39 (Lowndes)
100% precincts
| James E. Samuel, Sr. (D) | 1,628 | 25% |
| Jeffrey Smith (R) (I) X | 4,864 | 75% |
House of Representatives, District 40 (DeSoto)
Incumbent Nelson (R) defeated in the primary
100% precincts
| Ashley Henley (R) X | 1,164 | 68% |
| Hester Jackson-McCray | 543 | 32% |
House of Representatives, District 42 (Kemper, Lauderdale, Noxubee)
Incumbent Dickson (D) defeated in primary
100% precincts
| Dorothy Baker Hines (Ind) | 1,628 | 23% |
| Carl Mickens (D) X | 5,414 | 77% |
House of Representatives, District 43 (Kemper, Noxubee, Winston)
Open/Evans, Dem
100% precincts
| Paul Millsaps (D) | 1,807 | 36% |
| Loyd Rob Roberson (R) X | 3,192 | 64% |
House of Representatives, District 46 (Attala, Carroll, Grenada, Leflore, Montgomery)
Open/Howell, Rep
97% precincts
| Karl Oliver (R) X | 4,539 | 60% |
| Ken Strachan (D) | 3,041 | 40% |
House of Representatives, District 48 (Attala, Carroll, Choctaw, Holmes, Humphreys, Leake)
100% precincts
| Jill Butler (D) | 1,894 | 31% |
| Jason White (R) (I) X | 4,286 | 69% |
House of Representatives, District 53 (Amite, Franklin, Lawrence, Lincoln, Pike)
97% precincts
| Vince Mangold (R) X | 4,153 | 56% |
| Bobby Moak (D) (I) | 3,253 | 44% |
House of Representatives, District 62 (Copiah, Rankin, Simpson)
100% precincts
| Tom Weathersby (R) (I) X | 4,551 | 80% |
| Stephen Wilson (D) | 1,144 | 20% |
House of Representatives, District 70 (Hinds, Rankin)
Open/Evans, Dem
94% precincts
| James Perry (R) | 740 | 15% |
| Kathy Sykes (D) X | 4,221 | 85% |
House of Representatives, District 75 (Scott)
100% precincts
| Vance Cox (R) | 2,179 | 36% |
| Tom Miles (D) (I) X | 3,814 | 64% |
House of Representatives, District 78 (Neshoba, Newton, Scott)
100% precincts
| Wallace Pogue (D) | 2,443 | 36% |
| Randy Rushing (R) (I) X | 4,388 | 64% |
House of Representatives, District 79 (Covington, Jones, Smith)
100% precincts
| Blaine Bo Eaton (D) (I) | 4,397 | 50% |
| Mark Tullos (R) | 4,423 | 50% |
House of Representatives, District 83 (Clarke, Lauderdale)
92% precincts
| William Bond Compton, Jr. (D) | 1,285 | 19% |
| Greg Snowden (R) (I) X | 5,322 | 81% |
House of Representatives, District 86 (Clarke, Perry, Wayne)
100% precincts
| Shane Barnett (R) X | 4,136 | 54% |
| Sherra Hillman Lane (D) (I) | 3,483 | 46% |
House of Representatives, District 87 (Jasper, Jones, Newton)
Open/Stringer, Dem
100% precincts
| Chris Johnson (R) X | 4,387 | 80% |
| Paul B. Johnson (Ind) | 1,075 | 20% |
House of Representatives, District 90 (Covington, Forrest, Jefferson Davis, Marion, Simpson)
Open/Warren, Dem
79% precincts
| John Pope (D) | 3,408 | 46% |
| Noah Sanford (R) | 3,963 | 54% |
House of Representatives, District 91 (Copiah, Covington, Jefferson Davis, Lawrence, Simpson)
58% precincts
| Charles Bufkin (R) | 1,834 | 36% |
| Bob Evans (D) (I) X | 2,897 | 61% |
House of Representatives, District 93 (Forrest, Hancock, Harrison, Lamar, Pearl River, Stone)
60% precincts
| Billy Joe Ladner (D) | 541 | 22% |
| Timmy Ladner (R) (I) X | 1,908 | 78% |
House of Representatives, District 97 (Adams, Amite, Franklin, Lawrence, Pike, Walthall)
100% precincts
| Sam Mims (R) (I) X | 5,353 | 68% |
| Kitty Sasser (D) | 2,470 | 32% |
House of Representatives, District 102 (Forrest, Lamar)
100% precincts
| Toby Barker (R) (I) X | 3,334 | 73% |
| Taylor Brinkley (D) | 1,254 | 27% |
House of Representatives, District 105 (Forrest, George, Greene, Perry, Wayne)
Open/DeBar, Rep
100% precincts
| Dennis Cochran (D) | 3,169 | 43% |
| Roun McNeal (R) X | 4,140 | 57% |
House of Representatives, District 107 (Forrest, George, Jackson, Stone)
69% precincts
| Austin Howell (D) | 1,293 | 24% |
| Doug McLeod (R) (I) X | 4,108 | 76% |
House of Representatives, District 108 (Pearl River)
100% precincts
| Mark Formby (R) (I) X | 3,044 | 77% |
| Leavern Guy (D) | 893 | 23% |
House of Representatives, District 109 (George, Jackson)
100% precincts
| Manly Barton (R) (I) X | 4,188 | 88% |
| Joshua Hardy (Lib) | 586 | 12% |
House of Representatives, District 111 (Jackson)
100% precincts
| Charles Busby (R) (I) X | 3,691 | 77% |
| Key Sims (D) | 1,101 | 23% |
House of Representatives, District 121 (Harrison)
100% precincts
| Carolyn Crawford (R) (I) X | 3,273 | 67% |
| Brian Pearse (D) | 1,612 | 33% |
House of Representatives, District 122 (Hancock)
100% precincts (The Sun Herald newspaper has declared Baria won)
| David Baria (D) (I) X | 2,280 | 50% |
| Mickey Lagasse (R) | 2,235 | 50% |