Jackson Free Press

On April 20 House Speaker Billy McCoy swore in Rep.-elect J. Shaun Walley, 28, of Leakesville. Walley represents District 105, consisting of parts of Greene, Perry, Wayne, George and Forrest Counties. Walley ran against Republican Paul D. Walley, of Richton (no relation) after Gov. Haley Barbour appointed Rep. Randy "Bubba" Pierce Feb. 25 to fill the unexpired term of Chancery Judge Glenn Barlow, who retired. Some Democrats complained that Pierce was chosen because Barbour sought to cut Democratic influence in the only state legislative body dominated by the party.

"I'm looking forward to joining the House of Representatives and coming to work to make Mississippi a better place to live," said Walley, a public school teacher and coach who then pledged to defend education and health care.

He came close to not even having that option. Republican heavyweights Barbour and U.S. Sen. Trent Lott campaigned hard in District 105 for his opponent. A united Republican front has frequently made candidates into winners. Bucking the trend, Walley carried the vote with a 57-43 lead, or a little over 500 votes. What astounded observers on both sides was that Walley ran on a very progressive platform, pushing for adequate school funding and health care coverage, and he did so in a district that helped carry George Bush back to the White House in 2004.

Rep. George Flaggs, D-Warren, said Walley's election should act as a wake-up call to Republicans like Barbour and members of the Senate, whose "no new taxes" mantra may be taking a back seat to other concerns among Mississippi voters in the face of growing education and health-care worries.

"The governor himself is probably looking at this and wondering what went wrong," Flaggs said. "The thing that I like about him was that he was open about being a Democrat, and he ran on core Democratic issues: funding education, funding health care in terms of Medicaid and meeting the needs of the people rather than worrying about what special interests wanted him to do."

Mississippi Democratic Chairman Wayne Dowdy took a more cautious stance. "I'm not sure if this means we'll win every election from this day forward, but he showed what can be done by hard work and by speaking to issues. Those who lived in his county were aware that he would support their position and stand up for them," Dowdy said.

Former state Attorney General Mike Moore said education funding resonates with voters there. "I imagine the Democrats are really going to work hard with that education issue up in the north part of the state. There are some special elections going on pretty soon for Charlie Capps' seat and maybe another one. Education will be an issue, but you know it ought to be an issue for both Democrats and Republicans. It shouldn't be a partisan issue."