US House of Representatives race Republican Alan Nunnelee has been re-elected to Mississippi’s first congressional district House of Representatives seat. Nunnelee’s strongest opponent was 37-yearold Democrat Brad Morris, a businessman and attorney from Oxford. Nunnelee will begin a two-year term in January.
“It’s an exciting night for all our supporters, and it appears I’ll be going back to Washington,” Nunnelee said last night after the election.
Nunnelee’s other opponents were the Libertarian Party’s Danny Bedwell, the Constitution Party’s Jimmie Ray Bourland and the Reform Party’s Chris Potts.
“It has been an honor to be the Democratic nominee for Congress in North Mississippi,” Morris stated in an email statement late Tuesday night. “(My wife) Sharon and I focused this campaign on issues that we sincerely believe make a difference for the future of families in this region and state… Tomorrow, (we) will turn our attention to other ways we can serve.”
Nunnelee, a 54-year-old native of Tupelo, first took the seat from former Rep. Travis Childers on January 3, 2011 after winning a close race in November of 2010. Morris was the chief of staff for Travis Childers in 2010 when Nunnelee unseated Childers two years ago.
Nunnelee was previously a state senator in the sixth district.
Nunnelee and Morris held the only congressional debate of this election year on October 25 at the University of Mississippi’s Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics.
Mississippi’s first congressional district covers 21 counties and includes the cities of Oxford, Tupelo, Southaven, Columbus and Louisville.
US Senate race Republican incumbent Sen. Roger Wicker has been reelected to the United States Senate. His strongest challenger was Democrat Albert N. Gore, an 82-year-old retired minister from Starkville.
Wicker also beat the Constitutions Party’s Thomas Cramer and the Reform Party’s Shawn O’Hara.
“It is an honor to serve in the U.S. Senate, and I am thankful for the opportunity to continue to represent the people of Mississippi,” Sen. Wicker said in a press release following the election.
“I appreciate the confidence Mississippians have placed in me. I will work to justify that trust. We face a time of massive problems in the federal government. Unfortunately there are no simple answers, but now is the time to come together and address these challenges.”
Wicker, a resident of Tupelo and a graduate of the University of Mississippi, has been one of Mississippi’s senators since December 2007.
During his time in the Senate, he has championed progrowth policies to create jobs and has worked to reduce spending, limit federal overreach and maintain a strong national defense, according to his website.
Gore, who is a retired Methodist minister and former chaplain of the U.S. Army Special Forces, was defeated in just his first campaign for public office.
Wicker is one of the two United States senators from Mississippi.
Mississippi’s other senator,Thad Cochran, will be up for re-election in November of 2014. Sen. Cochran is also a graduate of the University of Mississippi.
Mississippi Supreme Court race Oxford attorney Josiah Coleman is Mississippi’s newest Supreme Court Justice, defeating Batesville attorney Richard “Flip” Phillips on Tuesday. Coleman, 40, will be the youngest ever member of the state Supreme Court. He is replacing retiring Justice George Carlson Jr. on the nine-member state Supreme Court.
The 65-year-old Phillips, a senior partner in his law firm, has practiced law longer than Coleman has been alive.
However, Coleman’s strong campaign strategies, including harsh regional television advertisements, overcame that slight disadvantage.
Coleman is currently a private practice attorney, emphasizing defense litigation of physicians, hospitals, businesses and individuals throughout Mississippi, according to his campaign website. He works for the Oxford law firm Hickman, Goza, & Spragins.
