Johnny DuPree, the Unorthodox Underdog in Mississippi
The South once stood as a political stronghold for Democrats. Governor’s mansions and state legislatures across the region remained mostly blue for at least a century after the Civil War. But as Hotline Editor-In-Chief Reid Wilson recently pointed out, those days have come to an end.
The demise of the Democratic Party in the South has been on full display this year in Mississippi and Louisiana. In each state, Democrats have failed to put candidates on the ballot in a variety of statewide races. With no credible Democratic challenger in the race in Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal’s reelection is all but assured.
Against this backdrop, Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree is trying to beat the odds. DuPree, the Democratic nominee for governor in Mississippi, faces an uphill climb in his race against Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, the GOP nominee. Most observers give DuPree virtually no chance at success, just as many thought he wouldn’t survive the Democratic primary.
“We were not supposed to be here,” DuPree told Hotline on Call.
National Journal
9/16/11
