The 2016 Mississippi Congressional races look to be yawners as we head down the stretch to November.
No challenger in the four Congressional Districts has been able to muster anywhere close to the financial backing of the incumbents, buoying the notion that the general election was all but decided when the qualifying period ended.
Two of the four challengers seemingly didn’t file their required financial reports and a third filed but showed no contributions, no expenditures, and no cash on hand.
The only challenger who appears to be attempting an actual run is the Democrat from the Fourth District, Mark Gladney. However, given the numbers below it will more than likely be in vain.
Here is a quick look at the April 2016 Federal Election Commission campaign reports showing fundraising from the first quarter of this year:
MS01:
Incumbent Trent Kelly (R) reported $178,157 cash on hand with $24,000 from individual contributions and $51,500 from PACs this period. No party committee contribution was reported.
No report for Democrat challenger Jacob Owens was listed on the FEC website.
MS02:
Incumbent Bennie Thompson (D) reported $1,370,813 cash on hand with $82,500 coming from PACs and $3,800 from individuals this period. No party committee contribution was reported. Thompson’s cash on hand, due in large part to his long tenure, far outpaces that of his Mississippi Congressional colleagues.
Republican challenger John Bouie showed no contributions or expenditures with no cash on hand.
MS03:
Incumbent Gregg Harper (R) reported $482,135 cash on hand with $30,225 from individual contributions and $54,000 from PACs this period. No party committee contribution was reported. Harper leads his Republican colleagues in state.
No report for Democrat challenger Dennis Quinn was listed on the FEC website.
MS04:
Incumbent Steven Palazzo (R) reported $256,981 cash on hand with $3,750 from individual contributions and $28,500 from PACs this period. No party committee contribution was reported.
Mark Gladney, the Democrat challenger, reported $14,859 cash on hand with $7,353 coming from individual contributions. The Mississippi Democrat Party donated $2,500 in-kind for Votebuilder access to Gladney’s campaign while three labor unions combined for $10,000 – IBEW PAC $5,000, Plumbers and Pipefitters PAC $2,500, and UA Political Education Committee (journeymen and apprentices union) $2,500.
The next reporting period is just weeks away, but these numbers are not likely to significantly change in any way that would give the challengers a viable shot at raising their name ID or selling their message to voters.
Let’s call this Congressional election a wrap, shall we?
