SID SALTER: State has governor’s race after a fashion
Mississippi is going to have a contested governor’s race in 2015 after all – well, after a fashion. The entry of successful Madison attorney Vicki Slater into the race guarantees incumbent Republican Gov. Phil Bryant an opponent.
But can a Democrat win a statewide election?…
…The answer is simple. Yes. Ask Attorney General Jim Hood, the state’s only statewide elected official with a “D” behind his name. Hood has weathered several high-quality, well-financed Republican opponents and is running again in 2015.
But Mississippi’s recent political history suggests that Ms. Slater faces a long, hard road in 2015 against Bryant. In gubernatorial politics, the numbers have solidly favored Republicans and Republican incumbent governors have grown stronger in office, not weaker – since 1991.
Fordice and Barbour built their second-term leads without control of both houses of the Legislature – something Bryant has solidly in his favor as the race begins.
Daily Journal
2/23/15
Magnolia Tribune
