All About Harper Vs. Thompson
As we talked about this morning, the Mississippi Republican Party recently asked the federal courts to get involved with drawing the state’s Congressional district as we have seen no movement in the legislature against a tight deadline.
I have been told that the only hold up in the process is Bennie Thompson vs. Gregg Harper. Neither one of them stands to see a district that changes all that much in terms or racial and partisan makeup, and therefore their re-election isn’t in jeopardy, but the two are battling it out for territory.
Thompson and Alan Nunnelee have worked out their deal, I have been told, so they apparently are on the same page as far as what the First gives to the Second. Panola county is the most likely county to switch from MS-01 to MS-02. Don’t have any idea on what Nunnelee and Harper may be working on as Nunnelee still has more territory to shed.
As for Thompson and Harper, Harper wants Thompson to take Adams and Wilkinson. Thompson has apparently said he doesn’t want a district that stretches from state line to state line bordering Tennessee and Louisiana. In the old Fourth District, the southwest portion of that district dominated regularly defeating Jackson area candidates. I don’t see that potentially playing out with Thompson, but that could also be a consideration of his.
That brings us to Hinds county, as has been talked about briefly in the past. Thompson has most of it already save for a number of white precincts in Northeast Jackson- which are currently represented by Harper. Included in these precincts are many GOP activists who don’t like the prospect of being represented by Thompson. And Harper isn’t ready to give them up. We will see who, if anyone, budges.
The thinking is that the House won’t support a plan that Thompson doesn’t favor and the Senate won’t support a plan that Harper doesn’t favor. As we have mentioned, Harper is in support of federal judges drawing the new maps. Thompson is not.
We played with the maps some and giving Thompson Panola and the remainder of Hinds gives MS-02 a little more than 738,000 residents, about 3,200 less than needed for the ideal district size.
Bill Marcy comments on MS-2
I would like to thank the people at Majority in Mississippi for highlighting the backroom deals working their way through the backrooms in our fine state again. It appears that our new State GOP Chairman, Arnie Hederman, is taking a more active role in the party then his predecessor. I am not sure if weeks before a statewide election is the right time to publicly criticize Delbert Hosemann, our parties candidate for Secretary of State, for a decision of conscience. Likewise, I am not sure about the wisdom of going outside the Mississippi Constitution without giving the 2012 legislators a chance to redraw the congressional districts, the same opportunity they were given to redraw the state house and senate. Now, since it was the republicans that petitioned the courts to wait for the new legislature and follow the Mississippi Constitution, then it is only logically that we wait for that same body to redistrict the congressional districts.
I know that this will raise eyebrows with some in the party, but as the most recently elected republican candidate for the MS-2 District, I feel I have something to say about the process. The very idea that “smoky backroom deals” between Dems and Reps still control the state infuriates me. Clearly our state constitution gives the 2012 legislators the right and obligation to draw these lines. Now, I seldom find myself on the same side of many issues with Congressman Bennie Thompson but, on this one, I am. The very idea that four congressmen will, in a De facto committee, decide the congressional boundaries for 2.9 million Mississippians sickens me.
Personally, I believe the republicans will win the house and keep control of the senate. I am confident they will draw congressional lines that will better serve the people of the state.
I wholeheartedly agree with my friend Bill Marcy. I recognize that it’s been going on for 200 years or so, but Governor Gerry’s redistricting technique was wrong then and continues to be wrong today. Draw the Congressional lines without splitting counties and let the chips fall where they may.
Our redistricting process has gotten past the point of silliness. During the August primary election I visited a fairly low population polling place in Madison County where there were nine different ballots depending on your address. Nine! The only way this can be fixed is to start from the lowest level and work your way up, which is the opposite of how it’s being done today. Local election commissioners have to be the ones initiating the process by drawing new precinct lines, not the ones who have to clean it up at the end. Once precinct lines are drawn everything can flow from there to form reasonable and responsible municipal, supervisory, legislative and Congressional districts. I realize that’s too logical a plan to ever work in today’s political environment, but maybe someday the powers that be will look at the needs of the people before taking care of themselves.
Anybody go to Davenports event for Harper?