Reince Priebus Congratulates Joe Nosef
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus issued this statement after Joe Nosef was elected chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party last week:
RNC Chairman Priebus & Co-Chairman Day Congratulate Newly Elected Chairman of the MSGOP
WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus and Co-Chairman Sharon Day released the following statement congratulating Joe Nosef, the newly-elected Chairman of Mississippi Republican Party: “On behalf of the Republican National Committee, I would like to congratulate Joe Nosef on being elected Chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party,” said RNC Chairman Reince Priebus. “Joe’s devotion and enthusiasm to the Party is evident through his work in Governor Haley Barbour’s administration and on former Lieutenant Governor Bryant’s Commission on Effectiveness and Efficiency in Government. We look forward to working with Joe and the Mississippi Republican Party this year as we elect a Republican president.” “We are thrilled to have an experienced leader like Joe as Chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party,” said RNC Co-Chairman Sharon Day. “His dedication and passion will be essential to achieving success for our party this fall.”
Some Democrats Did Better Than Others
Yesterday we made a few brief observations on Philip Gunn’s committee assignments, but as we have read various media reports we have seen a few comments from Democrats on what they are thinking; and a lot of it makes sense and expands on what we talked about.
Billy McCoy’s closest allies were probably the most upset. They have gone from being the most powerful in the chamber to the least. Some who like to talk, such as Steve Holland, were quoted in various articles. After not being placed on Medicaid or Public Health he said he was disappointed, and would even say, “The one walking encyclopedia on health care has been barred from input except on the floor.” Holland has been named Vice Chair of Local and Private.
That’s better than some other Yellow Dogs, who were closest to McCoy and made the backbone of the old Democratic majority. The following longtime Democrats received neither a chair or vice chair: Cecil Brown, Bennett Malone, Bobby Moak, Tommy Reynolds, and Johnny Stringer. Holland also didn’t seem happy that he and former Appropriations Chair Johnny Stringer were moved from that committee to Ways and Means, one of the two money slots that were guaranteed because of seniority.
As a group, the Black Caucus did much better than the old RWDs with eight chairs and 15 vice chairs. The following received chairmanships: Earle Banks- Enrolled Bills, Ed Blackmon- Municipalities, Angela Cockerham- Energy, Chuck Espy- Investigative, George Flaggs- Corrections, Joe Gardner- Ethics, John Hines- Youth and Family Affairs, and Robert Johnson- Transportation. Hines was very pleased with his assignment. “I am humbled to be given such a large responsibility at a time when issues of youth and family are at an all-time high in importance,” he told the Clarion-Ledger.
The main Black Caucus member who has publicly expressed his displeasure was Tyrone Ellis. Ellis served as Majority Leader under McCoy, and feels that may have had something to do with his new assignments. “The former majority leader of the House…You have to punish him,” he said.
Flaggs is also on Banking and Finance, a committee he previously chaired, along with the Budget committee. He is one of two Democrats to get a slot there. The other is Preston Sullivan, who did well by being named chairman of Agriculture. The Okolona legislator is a cattleman. Joe Warren was the only other white Democrat to get a chair- he will head Local and Private.
Jason White probably did the best among freshman Democrats, getting the Vice Chair of Constitution. He is also on Elections and the redistricting committees.
Elected Officials In Mississippi Back Romney
In the run-up to the South Carolina primary that we are paying close attention to, Mitt Romney announced the backing of Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and scores of other elected officials in Mississippi. From the Romney campaign:
Mitt Romney today announced the support of Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves and other elected officials and leaders in Mississippi.
“It’s great to see this distinguished group of leaders join my campaign,” said Romney. “They are fighting for those that have been hit hard by the failed policies of the Obama presidency. I look forward to working with them to bring my conservative message to voters across Mississippi.”
Announcing his support, Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi Tate Reeves said, “I am proud to support Mitt Romney because he has the experience to recharge our economy, put Americans back to work, and cultivate our nation’s entrepreneurial spirit. He is the conservative leader we need and his pro-growth message is resonating with voters across America.”
Elected Official and Leaders Endorsing Mitt Romney:
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves
State Treasurer Lynn Fitch
State Auditor Stacey Pickering
State Agriculture Commissioner Cindy Hyde Smith
State Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney
Southern District Public Service Commissioner Leonard Bentz
Central District Public Service Commissioner Lynn Posey
Southern District MDOT Commissioner Tom King
Central District MDOT Commissioner Dick Hall
Northern District MDOT Commissioner Mike Tagert
Senate President Pro Tempore Terry Brown
Senator Merle Flowers
Senator Briggs Hopson
Senator Buck Clarke
Senator Joey Fillingane
Senator John Polk
Speaker Pro Tempore Greg Snowden
State Representative Herb Frierson
State Representative Wanda Jennings
State Representative Casey Eure
And back in October, Sen. Thad Cochran announced his support for the former Massachusetts governor.
A Look At House Committee Assignments
The House was in session for a few minutes this morning, mainly to hear their committee assignments, something we have been anxiously waiting for. When we get the full roster, we will post them on the site, but for now here are the chairs of most committees:
Agriculture- Preston Sullivan (D)
Appropriations- Herb Frierson (R)
Banking- Hank Zuber (R)
Corrections- George Flaggs (D)
Education- John Moore (R)
Elections- Bill Denny (R)
Energy- Angela Cockerham (D)
Forestry- Becky Currie (R)
Gaming- Richard Bennett (R)
Insurance- Gary Chism (R)
Jud A- Mark Baker (R)
Jud B- Andy Gipson (R)
Reapportionment- No chairman designated, but believe the GOP has a 7-3 advantage on committee
Medicaid- Bobby Howell (R)
Public Health- Sam Mims (R)
Transportation- Robert Johnson (D)
Universities & Colleges- Nolan Mettetal (R)
Ways & Means- Jeff Smith (R)
Wildlife- Scott Bounds (R)
As I said this isn’t the entire list. All in all, I would say Democrats fared slightly better in the Senate under Tate Reeves than they did here. And it also looks like Black Caucus members did better than white Democrats. A total of 8 Black Caucus members will chair a committee in the House compared to just two white Democrats. Old Yellow Dogs like Steve Holland, Johnny Stringer, Bobby Moak, Tommy Reynolds, and Bennett Malone didn’t get anything significant. But we will have to see the entire committees rosters to get the full story, though from what I could gather in trying to listen to the assignments the GOP should have the majority on all major committees.
One thing is for sure- it’s a different day. Longtime Republicans who have been sidelined for a decade or more will get what they have been working for, and get their chance to lead. I suppose Democrats won’t be happy, but what are they going to say? If Speaker Gunn did things like Billy McCoy, they wouldn’t have received what they did get, so it is a difficult argument.
As for other Republicans who wanted to be Speaker- they got some nice assignments as you can see from the list. Jeff Smith will handle Ways & Means while Herb Frierson is in charge of Appropriations.
Update: Here is a complete list of the committee roster, courtesy of Yall Politics. As we mentioned, no chair listed for Congressional or legislative redistricting. Mark Baker was listed first because that list was in alphabetical order, but we will have to wait and see what else we hear about those committees. But the GOP does have a 7-3 advantage on both of them.
Also, if my math is correct, Republicans have a 19-14 advantage on both Appropriations and Ways & Means, including the chair and vice-chair for both.
The final tallies of chairs and vice-chairs looks like this: 30 Republican chairs and 16 Republican vice-chairs compared to 10 Democratic chairs and 22 Democratic vice chairs.
Nunnelee, Challengers Begin Campaign
While Alan Nunnelee hasn’t made any campaign stops yet to officially launch his re-election campaign, he sent out this note, which hits back at many of the complaints from his opponents, after qualifying for re-election last week:
Last week, I qualified to run for reelection, and I am asking for your help and support again to continue to put our country back on the right track. I ran to serve the First District of Mississippi to ensure a change in the course of federal spending and rein-in a federal government that is hurting our economy. While changing the direction of this country has been a slow process, a process that President Obama and the liberal leadership of the Senate have tried to stop at every corner, we have made some progress. In my first year in Washington, the House of Representatives has successfully changed the conversation from “how much do we spend” to “how much can we cut.”
Over the past year, I have voted for over $10 trillion in spending cuts just to have the liberal leadership in the Senate kill all of these conservative, fiscally sound measures. In spite of the hurdles placed by President Obama and Harry Reid, for the first time since World War II, we cut discretionary spending for two fiscal years in a row. The House has also changed the culture of Washington, DC by banning earmarks and cutting our own budgets.
This year, the House advanced our budget resolution sponsored by Rep. Paul Ryan (WI-01), which sought to cut $6.2 trillion over the next ten years, and keep taxes low by calling for a simpler, less burdensome tax code for families and small businesses. The Ryan Budget would have ended the one-size-fits-all approach to Medicaid and strengthens Social Security, ensuring the solvency of this critical program. I voted for this budget plan because I believed it was the best way to turn our country around, but as you know Harry Reid and President Obama made sure this budget was killed in the Senate.
Read the rest of his email here.
** As for Nunnelee’s two opponents in the GOP primary, Henry Ross, who lost to Nunnelee two years ago, kicked off his campaign with stops in Tupelo, Hernando, Columbus and his hometown of Eupora. The Daily Journal covered the event from Tupelo with this report.
Robert Estes of Southaven is also hoping to unseat Nunnelee in the primary. The proprietor of the website ‘Where’s America’s Jobs” has launched his campaign site which can be viewed here.
Sunshine Legislation A Long Time Coming
In trying to squeeze every ounce out of Haley Barbour’s pardons for their political benefit, the Mississippi Democrats recently sent out a press release labeling legislation that would put limits on the attorney general when it comes out hiring outside counsel as retaliation against “the only statewide official who has taken action to protect Mississippians from Republican recklessness,” talking particularly about the pardons.
As I said, Democrats are trying to get everything out of this and that is understandable. Why else would a Public Service Commissioner, tasked with regulating utilities and telemarketers, be devoting so much time and energy to the subject? When the issue first came up, I didn’t instantly go to Lynn Posey for his opinion, but Brandon Presley has taken it upon himself to be seen and heard. But unfortunately for Democrats, Phil Bryant- who was dealt with this hand on his first day in office- has handled the issue smoothly and legislation will pass some time during this session limiting the governor’s ability to pardon, and my guess says it has 174 yes votes with it.
As Sid Salter talked about in his column today, this isn’t a new issue. This practice of awarding hiring outside counsel who then make substantial donations to your campaign is nothing new, and it certainly didn’t start with Jim Hood. Some could say that former Attorney General Mike Moore was the architect behind such a practice, and it certainly began to take off throughout the country in the 1990s.
And what is going on with legislation in Mississippi isn’t anything much different than legislation being proposed in various state capitol’s. What has been introduced in Mississippi is based roughly on what is known as the Private Attorney Retention Sunshine Act. Here is a review of legislation that has been introduced and passed throughout the nation, courtesy of the American Legislative Exchange Council, a business group Mississippi Democrats target in their release. And they wonder what they get such low grades from organizations like BIPEC.
Sen. Joey Fillingane is again the author of the legislation (details on the bill here), as he has been for years. A bill known as SB 2188 cleared the Senate in 2008 by a 29-18 margin. Sen. David Blount is the remaining Democrat in the chamber who backed the legislation at that time. Former Sen. Tommy Dickerson also supported it, as did former Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Nolan Mettetal who were elected in 2007 as a Democrats. Mettetal may have switched parties by this time; we known Hyde-Smith wouldn’t switch until last year.
Democrats who have a conservative image such as Sens. Haskins Montgomery, Nickey Browning and J.P. Wilemon opposed it, as did then-Democrat Gray Tollison. While his vote won’t derail this bill by any means, will be interesting to see what he has to say now that he is a Republican.
But the difference with the legislation this year, and why Democrats and their outside groups are making such a big deal about it, is obviously because of the House- and who is now controlling things. As Rep. Bob Evans reflects in the party’s release, “We were able to kill these efforts in the House during the last term.” Not anymore.
All Incumbents Will Face Opponents In 2012
With the close of business on Friday, the period to qualify for House and Senate races ended with all incumbents facing both primary and general election challengers, but featuring few names you have probably heard of.
One of the big stories, at least from my prospective, was the relative free pass that Rep. Steven Palazzo has received. For some time we have read about rather embarrassing stories from his office but at the end of the day Gene Taylor stayed out and so did prominent Republicans who were rumored- such as state Sen. Michael Watson or attorney Brian Sanderson. Instead, Palazzo will face Ron Vincent and Cindy Burleson in the primary and either Jason Vitosky or Michael Herrington in the general. Another Democrat, Joshua LaRose, qualified but apparently he lives in Florida and the party has said he won’t be certified. And it looks like Ron Williams, the former Republican gubernatorial candidate who would go on to endorse Democrat Johnny DuPree, will be running as a Libertarian.
Palazzo should also get a nice boost in February as House Majority Leader Eric Cantor will be in Gulfport helping raise money for the incumbent.
In MS-01, former state Rep. Mark DuVall dropped out after Brad Morris, former chief of staff to Travis Childers, got in the race, and he will be the lone Democrat hoping to unseat Rep. Alan Nunnelee. Nunnelee first has to hold off two Republicans in the primary, including Henry Ross, who also ran in 2010, and Robert Estes. Ross formally entered the race this week after his campaign got off with a bit of a glitch when they were forced to remove Howie Morgan as campaign manager. John Collin Thompson is now working for the Ross campaign who put out their first ad today; going directly after Nunnelee.
And as some of the readers have noted, you will also see Danny Bedwell, who is running on the Libertarian Party label, in the general.
As expected, Heather McTeer will run against Rep. Bennie Thompson in the Democratic primary in MS-02 with the winner of that facing 2010 Republican candidate Bill Marcy in the general. And in MS-03, Rep. Gregg Harper will meet Robert Allen in the primary with Crystal Biggs running as a Democrat.
And in the Senate we will have another big field, but again without many big names. Running against Sen. Roger Wicker in the GOP primary will be Allen Hathcock and Robert Maloney. Competing for the Democratic nomination will be Albert Gore, Jr. and Roger Weiner. Shortly after the 2010 elections, there was talk of how some were hoping to get a strong Tea Party challenge to Wicker. I imagine the Republicans in this race, and all the races featuring incumbent Republicans, will run to the right but to quote Smokey and the Bandit, they have a long way to go and a short time to get there.
Will Flowers Follow The Burton Map?
Despite a healthy Republican majority already in the Senate, everyone will be paying close attention to the chamber’s redistricting map. That will be the responsibility of Merle Flowers who takes over for Terry Burton who produced a good map for Republicans, but irritated many conservatives with his insistence of eliminating a solid Republican district in the Pine Belt to create an additional majority black district.
Generally speaking, much like the House seats, the districts that lost the most population and need a great deal of work done to them are held by Democrats while the growth occurred in the most Republican areas of the state. Of the 21 Democrats in the Senate, only three represent districts that have actually added residents over the past 10 years ago: Nickey Browning (SD 3), Steve Hale (SD 10), and David Blount (SD 29).
Here are the current deviations of the districts as they stand following the 2010 Census
And Blount is the only member to represent a majority-black district that gained population. As it stands right now, there are 14 majority-black districts in the state including two that moved in that direction over the past 10 years. One of those is held by Buck Clarke, the lone Republican in the Senate to occupy such a seat. Clarke’s district changed a good bit under the Burton map, stretching all the way to the Gluckstadt area of Madison county, but the demographics were pretty much the same under both plans. But his district is down more than 8,000 residents, or 14 percent, so something needs to be done.
A couple other Republican districts to pay attention to include SD 18 and SD 37. Giles Ward fended off a difficult challenge from Democrat Steven Kilgore in November and I wouldn’t be surprised to see his district slightly altered for the incumbent. Under the Burton map, his district would only take in the eastern half of Leake (rather than the entire county) and move north into Attala. And in SD 37, Melanie Sojourner knocked off longtime incumbent Bob Dearing in a district few were following when the maps were drawn. Wouldn’t be shocked to see the freshman get some help also.
For the Pine Belt, as I’ve said, that is the question. In creating a 15th majority-black district, the Burton map made Joey Fillingane’s district more favorable to the GOP but it’s not really an issue. Originally designed to elect a white Democrat, Fillingane won a special election mid-decade and isn’t in any danger of losing. We pay attention to demographics a lot for good reason, but that doesn’t always tell the whole story. In this case, a district that has a BVAP around 40 percent isn’t a concern for Republicans. If we were in another part of the state, it could be a different issue.
This year, we had an open seat with Tom King opting to run for Transportation Commission. It will be a different story if the GOP now eliminates one of their own, since I don’t see any open seats here.
Another major change was the addition of a Senate seat in Desoto county, something that was certainly well deserved and we will see in any map. The original plan did this by merging SD 8 and SD 14. At the time, most figured Jack Gordon would not run for re-election because of his illness. He has since passed away. SD 14 is held by Republican Lydia Chassanoil, and this new district was more favorable to Republicans but looked a lot different then her current district. Right now, her district runs from Tallahatchie county down to Attala. Under the Burton map, it would stretch east-to-west from Leflore to Lee. SD 8 is now held by Democrat Sen. Russell Jolly, who easily won a first term in November.
Madison and Rankin counties are close to getting a new district, but not there yet. By my count, SD 20, 25, and 30 added about 37,000 new residents. Under the Burton map, SD 20 would no longer reach into Madison and would now run from the Madison county line to the Simpson county line in east Rankin. SD 30 would be more compact extending just to Brandon now.
But that is just one way of doing things. As I’ve said, we will see what Flowers and his committee produces.
Democrats Get A Candidate In MS-01
A couple days ago, former state Rep. Mark DuVall qualified to run for the First District Congressional seat as a Democrat. In November, DuVall lost by more than 20 points to Republican Randy Boyd as he was trying for a second term in HD 19, a Northeast Mississippi House seat. This is the first and, so far, only Democrat to pursue this seat currently held by Rep. Alan Nunnelee.
The qualifying deadline is tomorrow, and while Nunnelee isn’t getting a free pass, he is certainly the favorite to win a second term. As of September 30, the incumbent had around $340,000 in the bank. Q4 numbers, traditionally down because of the holidays, should be out for everyone next week.
** Henry Ross, one of the Republicans hoping to defeat Nunnelee in the primary, postponed his planned campaign kickoff that was to take place in four cities today. It has been rescheduled for next week, though exact time and location has not been announced yet.
** As Heather McTeer begins her campaign to unseat Rep. Bennie Thompson in the Democratic primary, she had a fundraising reception in Jackson last night. She’s going to need it. Thompson has more money then any Congressman in the state. He ended September with more than $1.7 million in the bank. Thompson raises a lot, and spends a lot. His distributions traditionally aren’t much less than what the three Republicans combine to spend.
McTeer has begun her fundraising as well; she has raised about $63,000 which includes a $40,000 candidate loan.
Nosef Elected MSGOP Chairman Today
Earlier today, the Mississippi Republican Party’s Executive Committee elected Joe Nosef to be the next chairman. He will be the first chair to lead the party with a Republican governor, lieutenant governor and Speaker. The party sent out the following release a few minutes ago:
Joe Nosef Elected Chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party
(Jackson, Miss.)—The Mississippi Republican Party has elected Joe Nosef of Jackson as its new Chairman.
At a meeting today in Jackson held by the Mississippi Republican Party’s Executive Committee, Nosef was elected by a unanimous vote shortly after the resignation of former Chairman Arnie Hederman.
“As we begin a new year with solid Republican leadership in the Governor’s office, the Mississippi Legislature and our Congressional delegation, I am honored and excited about the opportunity to help the Mississippi Republican Party grow even stronger in 2012 and beyond,” said Nosef. “My commitment as Chairman is to focus on building active organizations in every county, recruiting good, qualified candidates, and providing an effective voice for communicating our conservative principles and ideas for the future.”
“I am very appreciative of Arnie Hederman’s leadership as Republican Party Chairman,” Nosef stated. “He leaves a very successful framework for building the party.”
Governor Phil Bryant expressed his support for Nosef’s election as Chairman today by saying, “I have worked with Joe for years, and I am confident that he is the best person to lead our Party forward. He has proven his ability to work with Republicans all over the state and will be able to get our message out with strong communication skills.”
Nosef grew up in Clarksdale & attended Ole Miss earning both undergraduate and master’s degrees in accounting. He graduated from Ole Miss Law School and also obtained an LL.M. degree in taxation from the University of Florida at Gainesville. Nosef has practiced law in the Jackson area for more than fifteen years. During this time, he has served on boards of various charitable organizations in the metro area.
Upon his inauguration in January of 2004, Governor Haley Barbour appointed Nosef to serve as Chief Counsel where he served until November 2006, when Governor Barbour named him Campaign Manager for his re-election campaign in 2007. After Governor Barbour’s successful reelection, Nosef served as Chief of Staff for then Lt. Governor Phil Bryant during 2008. He served as Chairman of the Phil Bryant Campaign for Governor and Executive Director of the Phil Bryant Gubernatorial Transition. Nosef currently practices law at Watkins & Eager PLLC in Jackson. Nosef is married to the former Amy Wallace of Laurel. They are the parents of two children, both of whom attend Jackson Academy. The Nosefs attend St. Richard Catholic Church in Jackson.
A Look At Senior House Members
Earlier today we talked about the proposed rule change that will alter the makeup of two of the most power committees in the House- Appropriations and Ways and Means. Instead of calling for the Speaker to appoint six members from the five old Congressional districts based on seniority, they would now use the new Congressional districts, still with six members each. The Speaker’s at large appointments would now increase from three to nine under the proposed rules. The total number of members would remain at 33 each, with no one serving on both.
I know a seniority list is going around the capitol, but without that benefit I have a rough look at that list, based on Congressional districts using all members elected in 2007 or before. Again, this isn’t exact and you have many members whose districts cross Congressional districts. For this, I tried to use the member’s hometown as the basis for the district that they were put in.
As has been talked about, the old rules would favor Democrats simply because many of them have been around for a very long time with the combination of safe, majority black districts along with ancestral Democrats still around.
Here is my seniority list based on Congressional districts
And, if we go down to six members from each district, twelve total for the two committees, here is the party breakdown based solely on seniority, using my list which may or may not be exact:
CD 1: 7 R/ 5 D
CD 2: 11 D/ 1 R
CD 3: 8 D/ 4 R
CD 4: 7 R/ 5 D
By mount count, that is 19 Republicans and 29 Democrats among those 48 members. The Speaker would be able to work with these numbers to even them out as best as he can for the GOP, and most of the at large appointments would likely to have to be Republicans at this point so they can maintain their majority.
Proposed Rules For Money Committees
Yesterday, the Rules Committee adopted HR 7, a change that would alter the way committee assignments are handed out on the two money committees in the House- Ways & Means and Appropriations. Basically, old rules from the one-party days require the Speaker to appoint all but three members based on seniority among the five old Congressional districts.
The new rules would keep each committee at 33 members, and prohibit someone from serving on both. But the Speaker would have a little more discretion with at large members. He would now be able to appoint nine members of his choosing, with six each from the four current Congressional districts. Those appointments would again be based on seniority.
Here is a full reading of the new rule
And here is a definition of seniority: “For the purposes of this rule, “seniority” shall mean length of service, continuous or interrupted, in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. However, seniority among members having the same length of service shall be determined as follows: first, continuous, uninterrupted service in the House; second, continuous, uninterrupted service in the House and Senate; third, interrupted service in the House; and fourth, interrupted service in the House and Senate.”
We will try to get a rough order of seniority here later today. Besides the rule change, defeat and retirement among some long-serving Democrats already helps out the GOP. Here was our story on the youthful Republican majority from December. It wasn’t that long ago most parts of the state wouldn’t elect Republican legislators, and many Democrats have survived even with the new GOP majority. Translation: Democrats would still stand to do very well on committee assignments under the old rules.
I suppose this will be the first big floor vote for the new majority, although I don’t see or know of a lot of opposition to changing this rule. Most people probably agree with giving the majority party the majority in their committee assignments. According to Elizabeth Crisp, look for this to hit the floor today.
Phil Bryant, The Inauguration, Committees & More
A handful of notes as Phil Bryant gets sworn in and new leaders take over, while some stay on.
** Inclement weather has forced Phil Bryant and his team to move the swearing-in ceremony inside the House of Representatives. It will still take place at 11 a.m., with the Inaugural Ball continuing as scheduled at 7:30 p.m. at the Jackson Convention Center. The parade and events surrounding the parade have been moved to January 21.
** Last week, Bryant appointed Jim Barksdale as head of Mississippi Development Authority and then yesterday he appointed multiple directors of various state agencies. This includes:
Bureau of Narcotics: Marshall L Fisher, Executive Director
Corrections: Chris Epps, Commissioner
MEMA: Robert Latham, Executive Director
Employment Security: Mark Henry, Executive Director
Environmental Quality: Trudy Fisher, Executive Director
Finance and Administration: Kevin Upchurch, Executive Director
Human Services: Rickey Berry, Executive Director
Medicaid: Dr. David Dzielak, Executive Director
Marine Resources: Dr. Bill Walker, Executive Director
Public Safety: Albert Santa Cruz, Commissioner
** And Bryant also announced yesterday that Kirk Sims will serve as his chief of staff. Sims was Bryant’s policy director when he was lieutenant governor, and also helped run Bryant’s campaign.
** Following the announcement of Senate committees on Friday, all eyes have turned to the House. Obviously the job is a little tougher there when you consider Philip Gunn wasn’t technically elected until last Tuesday and the chamber is significant larger than the Senate. The decisions by Tate Reeves generally won praise from all sides for reaching out to Democrats. But those moves put a certain amount of pressure on Gunn. Perhaps we will get those committees by the end of the week.
** The Mississippi Transportation Commission named Melinda McGrath as head of the state agency last week. She has been serving as interim director since the commission fired Butch Brown last year. Also, the all-Republican commission chose Dick Hall as their chairman. The Hall-Brown feuds were well documented and Hall was pretty much ignored by the former leader, to say the least. Hall will get the last laugh and things on the commission will be much different. Over the past four years, the commission has gone from 2-1 D to 3-0 R.
Henry Ross Goes After Alan Nunnelee
Henry Ross formally announced today that he would make another run for MS-01; this time he will be taking on Rep. Alan Nunnelee, the incumbent. Ross finished second in a three-way primary in June 2010 as Republicans were nominating a candidate to run against then-Rep. Travis Childers. At this point, with four days to go, no Democrats are running and Ross, along with Robert Estes of Southaven, are in on the GOP side.
Two years ago, Ross campaigned against “career politicians” and positioned himself as the most conservative choice, but didn’t directly go after Nunnelee- and endorsed the Republican nominee. This was quite a bit different than the approach from the third Republican candidate in the race, Angela McGlowan. But this time, Ross isn’t holding back and after a year plus of votes in DC for Nunnelee believes he has the upper hand.
Ross will formally kick off his campaign on Thursday with stops in Desoto, Lee, Lowndes, and Webster counties. From then, he’ll have about two months to convince Republican voters to throw Nunnelee overboard.
Today’s release from Ross is below the fold.
Last Week To Qualify For 2012
The qualifying period to run for House and Senate races began last Tuesday and in the short time frame, it expires on Friday, January 13. Will we see some last minute dramatics or will incumbents generally be able to get by without taking too many deep breaths?
** Joining Albert Gore Jr. in the Democratic primary for the right to take on Sen. Roger Wicker, who qualified for re-election last Thursday, is Dr. Roger Weiner of Clarksdale, who also serves as a supervisor in Coahoma county. And gathering signatures to run as an independent against Wicker is Thomas Cramer. Cramer is a Tea Party activist who looks to be running to the incumbent’s right.
Still no other big names on the Democratic side, and really no whispers of any.
** Henry Ross announced that he is again running against Rep. Alan Nunnelee in MS-01 today, according to his website which is in the process of being updated. Ross narrowly missed out on a runoff two years ago in a three-way race as Nunnelee was on his way to unseating Travis Childers. On Thursday, he will hold campaign kickoffs in Desoto, Lee, Lowndes, and Webster counties. The front page of his website also has a message on why he is running if you want to see some of the areas where he will go after Nunnelee.
** Along with MS-01, we have not seen or heard of Democrats lining up in MS-03. I know some Tea Party groups have talked about also challenging Rep. Gregg Harper, but don’t believe we have anything formal yet.
** Rep. Steven Palazzo has a challenger on both the Republican and Democratic side as we noted last week, but not the brand names that would make this a potentially challenging re-election at this point. Basically, Gene Taylor has five days to make a decision and that is really what I waiting on to see how it plays out.
Full List of Senate Committees
I don’t believe this has been posted on the legislative website yet, so for those of you who are wanting to see the entire committee listings, follow the link below:
Full List of Senate Committees
Here is a list of the Legislative Reapportionment Committee, which is now 6-3 Republican, and one we’re obviously paying close attention to:
Merle Flowers (R), Chairman
Chris McDaniel (R)
Hob Bryan (D)
Hillman Frazier (D)
Willie Simmons (D)
Terry Brown (R)
Joey Fillingane (R)
Buck Clarke (R)
Nancy Collins (R)
No Terry Burton, but Bryan is back on it. Time will tell what direction Flowers takes this.
Among the money committees, Appropriations committee (chaired by Sen. Buck Clarke) will be made up of 15 Republicans and 11 Democrats. Republicans also have a 16-10 advantage on the Finance committee (chaired by Sen. Joey Fillingane).
As for the other committees, here is their party breakdown since no ID is included on the committee roster:
Accountability Efficiency and Transparency- 6 R/ 3 D
Agriculture- 8 R/ 5 D
Business and Financial Institutions- 7 R/ 6 D
Compilation, Revision and Publication- 4 R/ 3 D
Congressional Redistricting- 6 R/ 3 D
Constitution- 5 R/ 4 D
Corrections- 6 R/ 5 D
County Affairs- 5 R/ 4 D
Drug Policy- 6 R/ 5 D
Economic Development- 7 R/ 4 D
Education- 9 R/ 6 D
Elections- 6 R/ 3 D
Energy- 7 R/ 4 D
Enrolled Bills- 2 R/ 3 D
Environmental Protection Conservation and Water Resources- 9 R/ 6 D
Ethics- 5 R/ 4 D
Executive Contingent Fund- 2 R/ 3 D
Forestry- 5 R/ 4 D
Highways and Transportation- 11 R/ 8 D
Housing- 6 R/ 3 D
Insurance- 8 R/ 5 D
Interstate and Federal Co-op- 1 R/ 4 D
Investigate State Offices- 3 R/ 5 D
Judiciary A- 9 R/ 6 D
Judiciary B- 9 R/ 6 D
Labor- 4 R/ 5 D
Local and Private- 3 R/ 2 D
Municipalities- 6 R/ 5 D
Ports and Marine Resources- 8 R/ 3 D
Public Health and Welfare- 12 R/ 7 D
Public Property- 4 R/ 3 D
State Library – 0 R/ 5 D
Tourism- 7 R/ 4 D
Universities and Colleges- 8 R/ 5 D (Gary Jackson listed twice)
Veterans and Military Affairs- 4 R/ 3 D
Wildlife Fisheries and Parks- 8 R/ 3 D
New Senate Committee Chairs Are Released
Committee chairs in the Senate were released this morning, with plenty of interesting storylines to follow.
Sen. Buck Clarke (R-Hollandale) will chair Appropriations. This was first rumored by Elizabeth Crisp earlier this week and is a bit of a change from the long held thought that Sen. Merle Flowers (R-Southaven) was going to get the money seat, previously held by fellow Desoto county Sen. Dough Davis, who lost re-election in the August Republican primary. Rather, Flowers gets the Redistricting chair- obviously one of the most important jobs in the legislature considering what is currently at stake. It remains to be seen if he follows the Burton map that was largely favorable to Republicans but eliminated a GOP seat in the Pine Belt to create a new majority-black district around Hattiesburg.
Sen. Terry Burton (R-Newton) will now be in charge of Universities and Colleges, which will be interesting especially as we (potentially) talk consolidation. Burton is also Vice Chair of Appropriations.
As for Clarke, who just won a hard fought re-election is a Democratic district, this is a nice get for him- and for the Delta. He will be the highest-ranking member from that region, but fellow Delta Senator, Willie Simmons of Cleveland, got the Transportation chair. Simmons and Hob Bryan (Jud B) got the top jobs for Democrats in the Senate. Other Democrats getting nice chairs include Sampson Jackson (Corrections), John Horhn (Economic Development), David Blount (Public Property), and Haskins Montgomery (Veterans Affairs).
But most of the top jobs went to Republicans including Joey Fillingane taking Finance, Dean Kirby to Public Health, and Briggs Hopson to Jud A. Republicans also got the Vice Chair position for the key money committees but Democrat Bennie Turner got the Vice Chair with Jud A and Bryan will still be with Public Health, just as Vice Chair. He previously served as Chairman under Phil Bryant. And one of the more controversial chairs among conservatives will be Gray Tollison’s appointment to chair Education. Tollison switched parties a day or two after winning re-election (unopposed) in November.
Here is a full list of chairs and vice chairs:
Accountability Efficiency and Transparency
Nancy Collins (R) Chairman
J.P. Wilemon (D) Vice Chairman
Agriculture
Billy Hudson (R) Chairman
Russell Jolly (D) Vice Chairman
Appropriations
Buck Clarke (R) Chairman
Terry Burton (R) Vice Chairman
Business and Financial Institutions
Gary Jackson (R) Chairman
J.P. Wilemon (D) Vice Chairman
Compilation, Revision and Publication
Derrick Simmons (D) Chairman
Dean Kirby (R) Vice Chairman
Congressional Redistricting
Merle Flowers (R) Chairman
Chris McDaniel (R) Vice Chairman
Constitution
Michael Watson (R) Chairman
Will Longwitz (R) Vice Chairman
Corrections
Sampson Jackson (D) Chairman
Lydia Chassanoil (R) Vice Chairman
County Affairs
Nickey Browning (D) Chairman
Billy Hudson (R) Vice Chairman
Drug Policy
David Jordan (D) Chairman
Michael Watson (R) Vice Chairman
Economic Development
John Horn (D) Chairman
Steve Hale (D) Vice Chairman
Education
Gray Tollison (R) Chairman
Nancy Collins (R) Vice Chairman
Elections
Chris McDaniel (R) Chairman
David Blount (D) Vice Chairman
Energy
Merle Flowers (R) Chairman
Giles Ward (R) Vice Chairman
Enrolled Bills
Alice Harden (D) Chairman
Kelvin Butler (D) Vice Chairman
Environmental Protection Conservation and Water Resources
Tommy Gollott (R) Chairman
Deborah Dawkins (D) Vice Chairman
Ethics
Bennie Turner (D) Chairman
Gary Jackson (R) Vice Chairman
Executive Contingent Fund
Robert Jackson (D) Chairman
Gray Tollison (R) Vice Chairman
Finance
Joey Fillingane (R) Chairman
Merle Flowers (R) Vice Chairman
Forestry
Melanie Sojourner (R) Chairman
Giles Ward (R) Vice Chairman
Highways and Transportation
Willie Simmons (D) Chairman
Perry Lee (R) Vice Chairman
Housing
Hillman Frazier (D) Chairman
Chris Massey (R) Vice Chairman
Insurance
Videt Carmichael (R) Chairman
Rita Parks (R) Vice Chairman
Interstate and Federal Co-op
Kenny Wayne Jones (D) Chairman
Sampson Jackson (D) Vice Chairman
Investigate State Offices
Albert Butler (D) Chairman
Videt Carmichael (R) Vice Chairman
Judiciary A
Briggs Hopson (R) Chairman
Bennie Turner (D) Vice Chairman
Judiciary B
Hob Bryan (D) Chairman
Chris McDaniel (R) Vice Chairman
Labor
Kelvin Butler (D) Chairman
Robert Jackson (D) Vice Chairman
Legislative Reapportionment and Congressional Redistricting
Merle Flowers (R) Chairman
Local and Private
Perry Lee (R) Chairman
Tony Smith (R) Vice Chairman
Municipalities
J.P. Wilemon (D) Chairman
Bill Stone (D) Vice Chairman
Ports and Marine Resources
Brice Wiggins (R) Chairman
Public Health and Welfare
Dean Kirby (R) Chairman
Hob Bryan (D) Vice Chairman
Public Property
David Blount (D) Chairman
Sally Doty (R) Vice Chairman
State Library
Deborah Dawkins (D) Chairman
Albert Butler (D) Vice Chairman
Tourism
Lydia Chassanoil (R) Chairman
Sean Tindal (R) Vice Chairman
Universities and Colleges
Terry Burton (R) Chairman
John Polk (R) Vice Chairman
Veterans and Military Affairs
Haskins Montgomery (D) Chairman
Philip Moran (R) Vice Chairman
Wildlife Fisheries and Parks
Giles Ward (R) Chairman
Angela Hill (R) Vice Chairman
Seven Statewide Officials To Be Sworn In
All statewide office holders, save for Gov.-elect Phil Bryant, will be sworn in today and officially begin (or continue) their job for another four years. These officials are to be sworn in:
Lieutenant Governor- Tate Reeves (R)
Secretary of State- Delbert Hosemann (R)
Attorney General- Jim Hood (D)
Auditor- Stacey Pickering (R)
Treasurer- Lynn Fitch (R)
Insurance Commissioner- Mike Chaney (R)
Agriculture Commissioner- Cindy Hyde-Smith (R)
As in the previous four years, Republicans hold seven of the eight offices with Hood again remaining as the last Democrat.
Bryant will be sworn in as the state’s 64th governor on Tuesday.
Omeria Scott Briefly Objected To Gunn
Yesterday we talked about the decision by Democrats in the House to support Philip Gunn as Speaker of the House without objection. For some time, we had heard of Democrats like George Flaggs and Steve Holland saying they will support the GOP nominee because they have the majority. In fact, Flaggs made the motion to elect Gunn by acclamation.
At that point anyone could object and for a moment Rep. Omeria Scott (D-Laurel) did just that. Scott recently served as Chair of the Black Caucus; I imagine someone new will assume that role in the very powerful caucus which now makes up nearly two out of three House Democrats. And you may have read about some of her pre-election antics here and here.
But Scott, and any other Democrat, would soon drop their objection.
As for the Democratic caucus, we talked about their political calculations in deciding not to oppose Gunn with a sacrificial lamb type candidate. In Washington, this would be unheard of. Democrats put up Nancy Pelosi in 2011 and Republicans still nominated John Boehner in 2007 and 2009. And you can go back and look up previous elections for the same story. Nobody thought they would win, but at the same time it is impossible to imagine Bennie Thompson supporting Boehner or Gregg Harper backing Pelosi.
Of course, the minority has nothing to lose in DC. No minority member chairs a committee in Congress, but every committee has a Ranking Member. And committee’s numbers are set based on each party’s total numbers. So the minority is guaranteed a certain number of seats as opposed to Jackson where you run into a situation like we had last year where 90 percent of reapportionment committee members were Democrats because that was Billy McCoy’s right. And it’s now Gunn’s right.
But Washington has more history with a two-party system. There was no need for a Minority Leader in the state legislature 20 years ago.
Bobby Moak told Bobby Harrison with the Daily Journal that the party thought nominating a candidate wouldn’t be helpful, although some Democrats disagreed. As for Moak, the man who had been running for Speaker for some time, he is now the leader of the Democratic caucus. Serving as deputy leader will be Bryant Clark. Floor leaders for the Democrats include Kelvin Buck, Adrienne Wooten (of Ridgeland?), and David Baria.
Mark Baker served as GOP leader over the past four years. Yesterday, he was elected temporary speaker in the lead up to the vote for Gunn. It remains to be seen if he will remain in the leadership as part of the majority, which would put him number three behind Gunn and Greg Snowden, the pro temp.
Candidates Begin To Qualify For 2012
Because of January 1 falling on a Sunday and then the holiday on Monday, yesterday was technically the first day a candidate can file to run for the House or Senate. For those wanting to run they need to act fast, the qualifying period ends on January 13, two months before the March 13 primary which is earlier than usual thanks to the presidential primary.
** Roger Wicker hasn’t qualified yet but will do so in the next couple days. At the same time, the Democrats got a candidate on the first day. Al Gore, no not the former Vice President, but a retired Army chaplain and chairman of the Oktibbeha County Democratic Party, who name is Albert N. Gore, Jr. has entered the race. Obviously not the biggest name in the world and while I don’t expect a name brand Democrat to enter we will see if someone like a former legislator with at least some name recognition enters.
** Alan Nunnelee will again face a challenger from within the party, with third-party candidates also likely, as he runs for a second term in MS-01. The bigger question is whether Democrats run a candidate. None came forward yesterday, but Southaven Tea Party activist Robert Estes did qualify as a Republican. Estes operates the website, “Where’s America’s Jobs?” As for other potential challengers, Henry Ross did not formally enter yesterday but he is building a campaign. I have been told that Ross has already begun polling in the district.
** Bennie Thompson has qualified for another term in MS-02, while his 2010 Republican opponent Bill Marcy is in as well. Nothing official yet from Heather McTeer although it’s a matter of time.
** Gregg Harper has qualified for re-election in MS-03.
** Running against Steven Palazzo in MS-04, so far, are Republican Ron Vincent and Democrat Michael Herrington. Both candidates are from Hattiesburg, which is an important issue in this district that stretches from the Pine Belt to the Coast. We are obviously still waiting on other big names; on both the GOP side and potentially with Gene Taylor making a comeback. They have nine days to get in.
** On the presidential side, Mitt Romney ever so narrowly defeated Rick Santorum in Iowa yesterday. In polling of Mississippi, Newt Gingrich had had a commanding lead among primary voters but that was before he began to slide. Unless he can somehow come back or Santorum can build a full campaign operation, the nomination will likely be sowed up by the time Mississippians head to the polls. We will see if voters have warmed up to Romney by that point.
Gunn Elected Speaker As Dems Play Nice
Rep. Philip Gunn of Clinton made history today when he was chosen to be the first Republican Speaker of the House since Reconstruction. He also becomes the first Speaker from the Jackson area in at least 65 years. With 64 members in the 122-member chamber, the GOP has their first majority in 140 years and Democrats didn’t even put up a candidate. Gunn was elected by acclamation, rather than a floor vote as we saw four years ago.
Votes by acclamation are not unusual. Just eight years ago, that is how Billy McCoy won his first term as Speaker. Rather, what we saw four years ago, while very entertaining, was not the norm. Of course, a Republican having a legitimate shot at the post is not the norm either, until this year.
But today’s decision gave Democrats an opening to say they are reaching out to Republicans and want to work together for the next four years. Generally, Republicans are saying the same thing. What happens remains to be seen but the GOP has a pretty easy path ahead of them when it comes to being more accommodating to the minority then McCoy was. Heck, appointing just one Democrat to chair some insignificant committee is one more than McCoy could say. And four years ago today, I remember Steve Holland making a comment that the majority has a coalition of 62 (the votes McCoy received) and they will take it from there.
You may also remember that following the November 8 elections there was plenty of talk that Democrats were trying to form some collation with a few Republicans, Republicans who wanted to be Speaker but didn’t get the nomination of the caucus in particular. I am not sure how much talking happened, but it obviously went nowhere.
Instead, the Democrats made the political calculation that supporting the GOP candidate was their best path forward as they prepare for their new life. If they thought they could pull something together, like Jeff Smith and other conservatives attempted in 2007, they would have made a run. I suppose four years ago conservatives could have made that same decision and given the OK to McCoy and hope he goes nice on them, but I don’t know if we’d be here today had Smith not made that run.
One other interesting point on Smith and his run, he actually chaired a Judiciary committee during McCoy’s first term as Speaker. He obviously wasn’t back in that seat, but that’s politics. Again, it’s about the decisions you make and those are the risks you run. I imagine Smith will be back in a role of significance for the next four years.
As for other happenings today, Rep. Greg Snowden was elected House pro temp while Sen. Terry Brown was chosen by his colleagues to be Senate pro temp. Again, no drama there as the GOP leaders got the men they wanted for their number two.
Reeves, Gunn Make Early Decisions
While the story to this point has been how tight-lipped Tate Reeves and Philip Gunn are being regarding their picks for chairmanships, a few selections have been made, while plenty speculation has certainly occurred. Of course Gunn still has to be voted on as Speaker of the House, and there is no reason to think that won’t happen. But he, along with Reeves, who still has to be inaugurated before he takes over, have both been pretty quiet.
We do know who Gunn wants to be his number two man. He has tapped Greg Snowden to serve as the pro tempore. With Billy McCoy as Speaker, this position was last held by J.P. Compretta who retired rather than run for re-election. Compretta had been around forever, dating back to 1976, while Snowden is set to begin his fourth term. The Meridian native first won election in 1999 defeating incumbent Democrat Norma Bourdeaux. His closest election occurred this past November when he defeated Democrat Gary Houston by about eight points in a three-way race.
Snowden has been in the GOP leadership while they were in the minority, he is a very strong conservative, and when he is described you will most likely hear how smart he is and the knowledge of House rules and procedures that he has. Needless to say, this is well deserved for Snowden, who was speculated to be a Speaker candidate but didn’t throw his hat in the ring, and it will be a benefit to the new House majority.
A couple other fun facts on Snowden: His ancestors were some of the original settlers in Lauderdale county, with his paternal great-great-great grandfather and his wife relocating to the Center Hill community in the mid-1830s. Later on, his great-great grandfather, William Burnice Snowden, would serve in the House in the 1870s, while his great-uncle, Tom Snowden, served in the House in the 1940s and 1950s.
On the Senate side, Terry Brown has been tapped to serve as pro tempore, and will be Reeves number two in command. Billy Hewes, who lost a bid for lieutenant governor this year, was the most recent pro temp. For Brown, he served in the House for three terms before being elected to the Senate in 2003 where he won a close four-man race. He has been unopposed in 2007 and 2011.
And another point worth mentioning: Brown is a Columbus native, meaning he will be the highest serving legislator from Northeast Mississippi. There has been talk of the region’s loss in political power, particularly with Billy McCoy retiring, but Brown will have a significant role in shaping the chamber’s agenda. Names like McCoy, Holland or Franks are gone or insignificant, but new leaders from the region have and will emerge.
Like Snowden, Brown is experienced, knowledgeable, and conservative.
Both Brown and Snowden have to be voted on by the members of their respective chambers. This is essentially a formality. But as the GOP begins their first session with a majority in the House and Senate since Reconstruction, they are certainly helping themselves with quality leadership choices.
