Let The 2011 Dominoes Begin

Phil Bryant sent out a press release this afternoon proclaiming that the lieutenant governor will make a “major campaign announcement” on Monday and Tuesday. There will be a total of seven events in seven cities lasting about 10-15 minutes each. Check out the press release at Yall Politics for the entire schedule.

The cities that Bryant will be stopping at include Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Pearl, Meridian, Tupelo, Southaven and Indianola. With the exception of Indianola, these are all crucial GOP primary locations. It is also interesting that he has chosen Pearl- in his home base of Rankin county- rather than the more traditional choice of Jackson.

With the expected announcement that he will be running for governor, look for the political dominoes to begin falling. Bryant’s announcement will open up the door for Tate Reeves to formally enter the lieutenant governor’s race. That will then give a (potential) slew of candidates the chance to formally enter the state treasurer’s race. And we will all wait and see what Delbert Hosemann does- run for another term as Secretary of State or perhaps look for a promotion.

** I also wanted to mention that on Monday we will release our “2011 Big Board” of statewide candidates. This list will be an easy to follow rundown of those who are rumored and those who are in, and we’ll keep it regularly updated to reflect changes.