25 years since Allain campaign bombshell
Allain won the election – carrying 74 of the state’s 82 counties – and went on to serve a rather productive term as governor despite complaints that he served the term somewhat cloistered in the Governor’s Mansion after the raucous, raunchy campaign.
Successful in office
Among Allain’s greatest contributions and one that led to his election as governor was a lawsuit he filed while serving as attorney general that fundamentally changed state government.
The lawsuit asked the state Supreme Court to stop members of the Mississippi Legislature served on boards, commissions, and agencies in the executive branch. Allain argued that Mississippi’s 1890 Constitution required a separation of powers and that legislative officials could not serve in the executive branch.
The court sided with Allain, strengthening the office of governor. Also during Allain’s term came passage of gubernatorial succession and a restructuring of the state Board of Education.
The low point of Allain’s term as governor was his unsuccessful 1987 veto of the AHEAD highway program.
Despite the personal attack and the national media attention it engendered, Allain remained active and accessible in political events as long as his health enabled him to do so.
Desoto Times
10/25/8
