Pender: Who’s running for what in ’15
‘Lite’ governor
Here’s one to watch.
Tea party, Democrats, other Republicans — incumbent GOP Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves is likely to draw a challenge or three next year.
Bryant dislikes him — he’s been a foil to many of the governor’s policy initiatives — and would probably encourage a Republican challenger.
McDaniel despises him. Reeves has kept the ambitious McDaniel and others who supported Billy Hewes III in 2011 in time out in the state Senate. If McDaniel wants to go for a statewide office, this would be a logical choice. If he doesn’t, McDaniel’s tea party sidekick state Sen. Michael Watson, R-Pascagoula, is oft mentioned as a possibility, although he lacks statewide name recognition.
Republican Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, who kept his powder dry in the U.S. Senate race, is also frequently mentioned as a possibility for lieutenant governor. He’s pooh-poohed this before, and staying put as SOS wouldn’t hinder a run for governor or something else between now and ’19, but I’m told he’s being nudged to consider it.
Clarion Ledger
7/20/15
Magnolia Tribune
