Democratic Presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg, seeking to stand out on a crowded 10-person ballot, inserted himself into an election challenge over a state House seat in Mississippi on Tuesday as he seeks to gain party support ahead of the March 10th “Super Tuesday” primary.
Bloomberg’s Mississippi contingent tweeted support of Hester Jackson-McCray (D-HD 40), calling her win “historic” as she is the first African-American elected from the largely Republican dominated DeSoto County.
The former New York City mayor said in the statement, “Winning by 14 votes is still winning, and overturning this election would be undoing the will of the people.”
#Breaking: @MikeBloomberg issued a statement supporting State Rep. Hester Jackson-McCray (D-Horn Lake) as she faces an election challenge to her historic win as the first African American elected to the Mississippi Legislature from DeSoto County, in a race decided by 14 votes. pic.twitter.com/R3TldMMGu8
— MS for Mike (@MSforMike) January 28, 2020
Bloomberg’s statement comes on the heals of his gaining double digits in a new Morning Consult poll on Tuesday reported by The Hill. According to the poll, 12 percent of Democratic primary voters now supported his candidacy for President. This is likely a result of the billionaire’s aggressive $270 million advertising effort across the country, targeting voters even in places like Mississippi where national Democrat candidates rarely campaign.
A House committee assigned to hear the election challenge filed by former State Rep. Ashley Henley could meet as early as Wednesday to consider the facts and decide whether to request further investigation and testimony. That committee has signed an oath not to discuss the challenge with anyone, including the media, prior to the appropriate consideration and hearing is given.
There has been no indication that House leadership would seek to unseat Jackson-McCray or call for a special election based on Henley’s challenge, but the Mississippi House does retain the ability to seat its own members and settle it’s own election disputes.
Speaker Philip Gunn named the new freshman State Representative Jackson-McCray to five committees last week. She is serving on Conservation & Water Resources, Drug Policy, Energy, Gaming and Public Utilities committees within the House.
