Mississippi’s special election is one of the closest U.S. Senate races in the nation, with the Coast poised to play a decisive role.
But the two candidates, appointed GOP Sen. Roger Wicker and former Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, aren’t all that different – fiscal and social conservatives, they were once roommates when they were in the state Senate. They even look alike.
“He’s lots older than I am,” roared Musgrove when asked about his resemblance to the bespectacled, white-haired Wicker. Musgrove, 52, basically acknowledged the likeness to Wicker, 57, but said “that’s where the similarities end.”
Musgrove is running as an outsider to Wicker, a 13-year U.S. House veteran, who he says is beholden to “special interests.” But Musgrove has his own record as governor from 2000 to 2004, when he was defeated by Haley Barbour.
Wicker, a former congressman from Tupelo, has been trying to get better known around the state and has visited the Coast 50 times since being named senator on Dec. 31.
Magnolia Tribune
