Jackson Free Press

Gubernatorial candidates other than Democrats and Republicans were determined to be heard Monday, Sept. 29. So much so that an unlikely alliance formed between Sherman Lee Dillon of the tree-hugging Green Party and John Thomas Cripps of the Rebel flag-waving Constitution Party. The men held a joint media conference on the south steps of the Capitol to protest the exclusion of "third party" candidates from the debates, scheduled for that night at Belhaven College.

"I don't know where they get the phrase 'third party,'" Dillon said. "There are not three 'third parties.' There are five distinct parties."

Dillon and Cripps, along with Shawn O'Hara of the Reform Party, have filed suit in the U.S. District Court, Southern Division, in Jackson, declaring that their absence from the debates violates their constitutional rights. Among those named as defendants were Haley Barbour (as a candidate for governor and as an individual), Dr. Charles Lee of Mississippi State University (as an individual), Dr. John Hilpert of Delta State University (as an individual) and the League of Women Voters (care of Jane Doe).

"We're hearing from Haley, and we're hearing from Ronnie, and at the same time you hear people saying, `Why don't we hear about issues? We're tired of personalities arguing.' Well, that's because they put the personality people up there, and the other three candidates with issues are left behind. I don't understand it," Dillon said.

"I thought segregation was over," said Cripps, the candidate of white supremacists. "But it seems like when it comes to running for governor, there are still some people who have to ride in the back of the bus."

"We believe that when you have a debate with only the Democratic and Republican candidates being able to participate, this institutionalizes the two-party system," Cripps said.

The suit states that the constitutional rights of the plaintiffs under the First and 14th Amendments have been violated by the refusal of several debate sponsors to include all candidates. Also, division of the candidates into two separate forums, one for the Republican and Democratic nominees and one for the other three candidates, is unacceptable to the plaintiffs.