Mississippi Democratic Party dysfunction, teacher union endorsements, debating Ag, and more.
Here’s a recap of the latest happenings on the campaign trail as Mississippi voters prepare to cast their ballots this fall.
Rogers challenges fellow Democrats to debate
Terry Rogers, one of three Democratic candidates for Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, has challenged his two opponents to a statewide debate.
Rogers, Robert Bradford and Bethany Hill are vying for the Democratic nomination in the Ag Commissioner primary election in hopes of moving on to the November General Election where the nominee will face incumbent Republican Ag Commission Andy Gipson.
“It’s time the people of the state understand [their] issues on a bigger platform so many others would understand and hear,” Rogers said.
Rogers said he isn’t afraid to debate and “is setting the stage and calling them out by name.” At 19, he is the youngest candidate for statewide office this cycle.
Young calls for ouster of Irving
Emails released to Mississippi Today reveal an internal struggle between Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Tyree Irving and the party’s executive director Andre Wagner related to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) sending the state party $250,000. The funds were reportedly to be used to support Democratic candidates in the 2023 and 2024 election cycles.
Irving emailed the DNC following a call, urging the DNC to make an “equal investment” into Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brandon Presley’s campaign. Wagner then sought to clarify Irving’s comments, which Irving took issue with in a subsequent email exchange.
News of the back-and-forth led to Democratic candidate for Secretary of State Shuwaski Young to send a release calling for the removal of Irving as the party’s chairman. It’s not the first time Young has expressed concern over Irving as the head of the party.
“I am shocked by the release of internal emails at the Mississippi Democratic Party. While I did not approve or release these emails into the public square; it is my belief that Mr. Irving has undermined democracy, and railroaded critical local, statewide, and national relationships that would benefit Mississippi,” Young said in a statement. “Ultimately, it’s up to the Mississippi Democratic Party State Executive Committee to replace Tyree Irving, not me as a candidate for Secretary of State. We will continue to run our race, present better policy, and earn the people of Mississippi’s respect and vote.”
Teachers union rolls out endorsements
This week, the Mississippi Association of Educators (MAE), the state’s teachers union, announced its first slate of endorsed candidates for statewide and legislative offices.
According to a release from MAE, the endorsements came “after a thorough review of each candidate’s record by MAE and acceptance of MAE’s invitation for endorsement.”
Word is MAE offered to endorse other candidates not mentioned on this list, but some candidates either declined or asked not to be included. The stigma of being endorsed by a union continues to carry negative connotations, especially for Republican candidates.
Despite significant gains in Mississippi’s education system and the historic increases in teacher pay over the last four years, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brandon Presley, a current Public Service Commissioner who has little, if anything, to do with those gains, was the only statewide candidate MAE endorsed in this round.
In a similar vein, legislative candidates receiving an endorsement from MAE included mostly Democratic candidates despite their being a Republican supermajority in both the Senate and House with Republican presiding officers. However, there are a handful of Republicans listed among the endorsees. Here is the list as released by MAE this week:
STATE SENATE
- David Blount, District 29
- Nicole Akins Boyd, District 9
- Hob Bryan, District 7
- Albert Butler, District 36
- Kelvin Butler, District 38
- Angela Turner Ford, District 16
- Hillman Frazier, District 27
- Rod Hickman, District 32
- John Horhn, District 26
- David Jordan, District 24
- Tyler McCaughn, District 31
- Chad McMahan, District 6
- Sollie Norwood, District 28
- Derrick Simmons, District 12
- Sarita Simmons, District 13
- Joseph Thomas, District 22
- Bart Williams, District 15
STATE HOUSE
- Jeramey Anderson, District 110
- Otis Anthony, District 31
- Willie Bailey, District 49
- Nick Bain, District 2
- Chris Bell, District 65
- William Brown, District 70
- Bryant Clark, District 47
- Angela Cockerham, District 96
- Same Creekmore, District 14
- Ronnie Crudup, District 71
- Oscar Denton, District 55
- Bob Evans, District 91
- John Faulkner, District 5
- Stephanie Foster, District 63
- Dale Goodin, District 105
- Jeffery Harness, District 85
- John Hines, District 50
- Greg Holloway, District 76
- Robert Johnson, District 94
- Kabir Karriem, District 41
- Hester McCray, District 40
- Dana McLean, District 39
- Solomon Osborne, District 32
- Orlando Paden, District 26
- Daryl Porter, District 98
- Tracey Rosebud, District 30
- Omeria Scott, District 80
- Zakiya Summers, District 68
- Cheikh Taylor, District 38
- Rickey Thompson, District, District 16
- Shanda Yates, District 64
- Charles Young, District 82
Hosemann endorsed by pro-life group
Mississippi Right to Life announced their endorsement of incumbent Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann in his bid for re-election.
Hosemann is set to face state Senator Chris McDaniel and Tiffany Longino in the Republican Primary on August 8th.
Barbara Whitehead, President of Mississippi Right to Life, wrote in their endorsement letter to Hosemann that their backing is in “recognition of your years of dedicated service in defense of human life for innocent unborn babies, the elderly, and the disabled.”
“We appreciate your 100 percent pro-life commitment and 100 percent pro-life voting record through the years,” Whitehead said.
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Magnolia Tribune will bring you more happenings from the Mississippi campaign trail throughout the 2023 election cycle. Be sure and check back often for more updates.
Frank Corder
