Isn’t there something happening on March 13 in Mississippi? Oh, that’s right – Congressional primaries. How easy it is to forget!
This round of elections has been so low key that we could call it the Whisper Primary.
Maybe the electorate has election fatigue from last year’s state campaigns. Or maybe the Presidential race is dragging everyone down, what with a debate every time you turn the TV on. Or maybe there is just simply nothing to get ourselves worked up over in our Congressional primaries; we already know the outcomes.
Whatever the reason, all has been quiet on the Mississippi front.
A few candidates have tried to gain traction by challenging the incumbent to a debate or by taking votes out of context, attempting to find an issue to excite potential supporters, but nothing has seemingly impassioned a large segment of voters.
Barring any bombshells (and there won’t be any), every incumbent – Nunnelee (R, MS-01), Thompson (D, MS-02), Harper (R, MS-03), and Palazzo (R, MS-04) – is safe in the primary. Mark it down.
You would think that Mississippi Democrats would be jumping for joy and shouting from the rooftops, if for no other reason than that they actually have registered candidates running for office; saying their bench is slim is an understatement.
Gone are the days where a Democrat qualifies to run for office and is assured at least 45% of the vote. Mississippi is red and getting redder (municipal elections next year will be interesting to watch).
Democratic strategists in Mississippi should be using this time to build their case, to strengthen their positions, to demonize those dang Republican Congressmen. They don’t have time to waste; it would take a Democrat the full 11 months to reach the number of voters they need to give adequate chase in MS-01, MS-03, and MS-04, and even then it would be a miracle. The same could be said of a Republican in MS-02. Simply put, if the excitement isn’t there by now, it won’t happen post-primary either.
Understanding this, the March 13th Whisper Primary will soon give way to an even quieter Congressional general election where every incumbent will be easily reelected from Mississippi.
Shhhh! Don’t tell the candidates…
