Mississippi political experts analyzed recent and coming elections and discussed the state’s changing political climate at a panel Thursday at the Overby Center.
Senior Overby Fellow Bill Rose moderated the panel, titled “The Long, Hot Political Summer.” The panel comprised Clarion-Ledger political editor Geoff Pender, Republican lobbyist and political Hayes Dent and Northeast Mississippi Tea Party organizer Grant Sowell.
The panel examined the upcoming 13-candidate special election for the 1st Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and discussed possible outcomes before a crowd of around 60. The election was set for May 12 after the death of Republican Rep. Alan Nunnelee on February 6.
“Special elections are always kind of wild cards,” Dent said. “You really don’t know what’s going to happen. There’s not a ton of interest. You’ve got a runoff, surely, that will occur when a lot of people are getting out of school and folks are going on vacation. If a runoff is needed, it will take place June 2.”
Pender referenced the debate over Common Core curriculum as an issue of potential importance in the race. Sowell said Common Core may have similar significance in Mississippi’s upcoming regular 2015 legislative elections.
“The position one takes on Common Core may be a very big deal,” Sowell said. “That is a deciding factor, I think, in some of these races, more so with Republicans pitted against Republicans.”
Looking forward to the state’s general political future, Sowell said Mississippi needs a Republican candidate whose actions better reflect conservative ideals and cited relatively low ratings from outside organizations in terms of conservatism.
“If you look at congressional scorecards, they all say the same thing,” Sowell said. “These politicians rank very low. If our kids came home with these grades, they might be grounded for a while.”
The panel also reflected on the Republican primary from Mississippi’s 2014 U.S. Senate election. Dent and Sowell were actively involved in the election, on the sides of Thad Cochran and Chris McDaniel respectively.
Pender said the April 1 U.S. Supreme Court ruling against capping individual campaign contributions could impact upcoming elections by marginalizing grassroots campaigns.
Audience member and junior liberal studies major P.J. Sheffield argued that the decision was of little consequence.
“Basically, it comes down to what voters think,” Sheffield said. “It doesn’t really matter how much a candidate spends. What will determine an election is what the people of Mississippi believe.”
The panel marked the end of the Overby Center’s original spring 2015 event calendar, but the center has organized an additional event to take place April 30 concerning the special election. The 13 candidates have been invited to partake in a panel discussion at the center and, as of now, six have formally accepted the invitation.
