elections will be here soon – Tuesday, November 6.
The dominance of the Republican Party make many state races predictable. Incumbent U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker will probably beat state representative David Baria, the top Democrat in the Mississippi House of Representatives.
The special election for retired U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran’s seat will be more interesting since it is an open primary. Here we have Tea Party challenger Chris McDaniel splitting the Republican vote with Cindy Hyde-Smith, who was appointed by Gov. Phil Bryant to fill the seat. Former Congressman Mike Espy has raised a ton of money and is a serious contender.
It’s hard to believe Mississippi would send a Democrat to the U.S. Senate, but Espy is well liked and has tremendous experience. Espy was Secretary of Agriculture during President Bill Clinton’s administration.
If Espy draws enough moderate Republican votes away from Hyde-Smith, Espy and McDaniel could be in a runoff. That would be a crap shoot. McDaniel has ardent supporters on the right, but he angered thousands of Mississippians by suing them for crossover voting during his last U.S. Senate bid. Espy could have a chance.
If Hyde-Smith makes a runoff with Espy, it is more likely the mainstream Republican base will rally around Hyde-Smith and the typical Republican-dominant voting pattern will prevail.
Former Rankin-Madison District Attorney Michael Guest is a shoo-in to replace retiring Gregg Harper for the District 3 Congressional race. Republicans won’t lose that seat. His Democrat opponent is farmer and fireman Michael Evans, a state representative, from Preston, Miss. near Philadelphia. Expect no surprises there.
Five candidates will vie for the Madison-Rankin Circuit Court Judge seat being vacated by longtime Judge William Chapman who is retiring. They are attorney and Madison County Justice Court Judge Bruce McKinley; Jamie McBride of Madison, a Hinds County assistant district attorney; Dewey Arthur, an assistant district attorney for Madison and Rankin counties; Dan Jones, a local attorney; and Andy Stewart, an attorney from Flowood.
McKinley is a graduate of Millsaps College and the Ole Miss Law School. He has served as a justice court judge since 2011. He is married to the former Melanie May, and is the father of five children and has one grandchild. He is on the vestry of St. Columb’s Episcopal Church.
Stewart touts his “27 years of experience.” He is a former law enforcement officer and a deacon at Pinelake Baptist Church. A fourth generation Rankin Countian, Stewart was graduated from Mississippi College Law.
Jones is a former Jasper County district attorney. A USM and Ole Miss Law grad, he and his wife Linda have lived in Madison for 17 years and attend Broadmoor Baptist.
Arthur was a Rankin County violent crimes prosecutor for many years. He is a Mississippi College Law graduate. His wife Mimi is also an attorney. They have three children and are members of the St. Matthews United Methodist Church. Arthur touts his many years of trial experience.
Three candidates qualified in the District 1 Circuit Court judge race in Hinds County to assume the seat being vacated by Jeff Weill, who is running for the state Court of Appeals. Northsiders will see this one on their ballot.
One highly visible candidate is Matt Allen, a Jackson attorney with the Brunini law firm. Matt is the son of Northsider Ben Allen who served on the Jackson City Council and was executive director of Downtown Jackson Partners for many years. He is a University of Texas law graduate and has a Millsaps MBA. As an undergraduate at Mississippi State, he was student association president and a Rhodes Scholar Finalist.
Allen will run against Pat McNamara, a former special assistant attorney general who is now an assistant Hinds County district attorney. A Vietnam vet, McNamara has worked closely with the Jackson Police Department as a prosecutor. Other candidates are Bill Walker, a Jackson plaintiffs’ attorney with his own practice and Adrienne Hooper-Wooten, a nine-year state representative and former Holmes County public defender.
Northsiders in Hinds County Judicial District 1 can vote to re-elect Melvin Preiser Sr. to a fourth term. Priester’s son, Melvin Priester Jr., is on the Jackson City Council.
Priester has two opponents: Greta Mack-Harris, who has been a Hinds County district attorney, an assistant state attorney and a Jackson city prosecutor; and Bridgette Marie Morgan, who has clerked for two circuit judges. Mack’s campaign slogan is “experienced, fair, impartial.” Morgan says she is “passionate about decriminalizing persons suffering from mental illness, homelessness and addiction.”
Northsider Jeff Weill and four other candidates are seeking to replace Court of Appeals Chief Judge Joseph Lee, who had qualified to seek re-election, but dropped out of the race.
Weill will have served eight years as a circuit judge when his term ends in December. He also represented the Northside as the only Republican on the Jackson City Council prior to becoming a judge.
Judge Weill is the only candidate I know personally, so I can vouch for his character. He and I are both occasional substitute Sunday school teachers for Mike Wallace at Covenant Presbyterian Church. He has been my good friend for years.
Jeff Weill is an outstanding person: smart, funny, hardworking, religious and a devoted husband and father who has raised three Eagle Scouts. You couldn’t ask for better. Plus he’s an outstanding kayaker and alligator hunter.
Weill, a former state prosecutor, would be the only judge on the 10-member appellate court who actually served as a circuit judge, providing valuable trial experience. He has an excellent record as a judge, with a higher percentage of cases affirmed on appeal than any other Hinds County circuit judge.
Weill has been endorsed by Gov. Phil Bryant and several business groups.
Weill’s main opponent is Belhaven resident David McCarty, a bright young Belhaven attorney who has been campaigning hard. McCarty, who clerked for former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice James Graves, has received substantial backing from the plaintiffs bar. McCarty has been an outspoken critic of tort reform.
Voters have a clear contrast and choice in this appeals court election. If you favor a more conservative judiciary, I can vouch for Weill’s outstanding character.
I urge all those voting to get on the internet and find out more about these candidates so they can vote intelligently.
