Jackson Free Press

On Aug. 7, voters will turn out in droves—we hope—to make their voices known in the primary elections.

Although for the most part, this election will decide who will run in November—important enough—the primaries will decide a few races simply because no one from the other team signed up. The races for Hinds County sheriff and district attorney, for instance, have three candidates, all of them Democrats. In the list below, we've identified those key races.

There are several races that are uncontested within a party, and a handful where only one person is in the running, uncontested. We have not listed those races here. We'll get to those, but right now races with primary challenges are what matter to you and me.

GOVERNOR

Democrats
Elmer L. "Louis" Fondren
Fred T. Smith
John Arthur Eaves, Jr.
William Bond Compton, Jr.

Republicans
Frederick L. Jones
Haley Barbour

Democrats
*Elmer "Louis" Fondren, 75, of Gautier.
Fondren has had a long career in city government and the legal field and is now looking to hold a spot as governor.

Fondren is a Democrat who is very active in the party. The former Moss Point mayor has been a state representative and is a regular at his local Democratic Committee meetings, smack in the heart of Trent Lott territory.

Fondren is a hard supporter of the grocery/cigarette tax swap and, at his age, he is not afraid to call for a tax increase on the state's gaming industry. He said he wants to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education program year after year.

*Fred Smith did not answer the phone.

*John Arthur Eaves, 40, of Madison.
Attorney Eaves has a hard fight ahead of him. His resume is geared more toward tearing down big tobacco companies than running a state, but he seems to recognize who his enemies are, and mercilessly decries the incumbent as aligned with them.

"(Gov.) Haley Barbour has opened the doors of power to the money changers: Big Tobacco, Big Oil, Big Insurance. These groups, who Haley has lobbied for ... are wolves in sheep's clothing. ... (who are) pulling the financial strings of out leaders to force us to accept false choices," Eaves said at a recent appearance at the Neshoba County Fair. Eaves argues that Barbour is sticking to his tobacco lobbying background by killing, time and again, the grocery/cigarette tax swap and the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi, which effectively cut smoking among teens and adults.

Eaves said he will fully fund MAEP every year and likewise supports the cig/grocery tax swap. He seems to be singlehandedly trying to reclaim the religion-and-values mantle from the Republican Party.

*William Bond Compton did not return calls regarding his campaign.

Republicans
*Fredrick Jones, 57, of Gulfport.
Jones, a USM graduate, characterizes himself as more of a "Eisenhower Republican."

"Most of the Republicans (in Mississippi) are former Democrats. They came into the party later, and are more Dixiecrats than Republican," said Jones, who said he comes from a long line of Republicans going all the way back to his great-grandfather.

Jones is a Hurricane Katrina victim who, to this day, has a tarp on his house because his insurance was not prepared for the devastation that the hurricane wrought. He said the governor is in no position to boast about his handling of the clean-up.

"He's really a lousy governor in terms of handling Katrina. It may be fine that he brings in jobs, but there have been more jobs lost because of Katrina. He's brags about it, but there are people all over the state with plastic still on their house, people like me."

Jones said he supports the cig/grocery tax swap and is partial to the full funding of MAEP, but added that he also wants to put a close eye upon the state's school systems, to encourage more efficiency.

*Haley Barbour, 59, of Jackson.
Barbour runs on his record of bringing in 40,000 more jobs to Mississippi since he became governor, and said at the Neshoba County Fair that the state is enjoying record employment. He also boasts of his efforts on pushing tort reform and moving the state away from the years of high jury awards.

Barbour said he pushed for the recent 20 percent teacher pay raise, and supported the full funding of MAEP this year.

Opponents claim that though Barbour brags of 40,000 new jobs, the state is still among those with highest unemployment, and that Barbour traditionally discourages full MAEP funding and only jumped behind the program this year because many senators were unwilling to oppose full funding due to the election year.

Barbour, a former tobacco lobbyist, does not support the cig/grocery tax swap that would raise the state's tax on cigarettes—which is the lowest of any non-tobacco-producing state in the nation.

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

Republicans
Charlie Ross
Phil Bryant

The winner of this race will face Democrat Jamie Franks in November.

Republicans
*Charlie Ross, 51, of Brandon.
Ross is a senator who fought hard for massive tort reform, capping jury damages award and cutting malpractice lawsuits down to a minimum. Ross competes with Republican contender Phil Bryant on how conservative he is, stumping for outlawing abortion in Mississippi, even if it means sparking a Supreme Court battle at the nation's Capitol. Ross said he wants to reduce the grocery tax, but sees no reason to cross Barbour on supporting the tobacco tax increase. He said he has supported MAEP in the past, though he opposed the inception of the program in 1997—the same year he voted for a $10,000 pay raise for legislators.

Ross has seized upon the national illegal immigration issue, saying he wants to hold businesses accountable that hire undocumented workers. He takes pride in siding with Barbour on every vote, and has made no stances on issues independent of the governor's opinion.

*Phil Bryant, 52, of Brandon.
Bryant is the state's auditor who is forsaking his post to run for lieutenant governor. Bryant, like Ross, is in the "leaning right game," competing with Ross to see who can bend over to the right the furthest without snapping a pelvis. Bryant wants to make ethics changes, protecting the names of people filing complaints with the State Ethics Commission. He also wants to put a collar on Attorney General Jim Hood's ability to hire outside counsel for state suits, despite the AG's successful track record in chasing those suits.

Bryant has made cracking down on illegal immigration key to his campaign, saying he wants Mississippians buying a car tag to present photo ID and he wants to prohibit contractors doing business with the state from hiring undocumented workers. He also wants to fill the jails by pushing for automatic life sentences for second-offense convictions on crack and methamphetamine manufacturers and dealers, and wants to make abortion illegal in Mississippi.

STATE AUDITOR

Democrats
Jacob Ray
Mike Sumrall
Todd Brand

Democrats
*Jacob Ray, 29, of Jackson.
Ray said wants to use performance audits to shave off government waste, freeing up more money for education and children's health care. He said the auditor's office is extremely understaffed, and wants to expand the number of auditors in the office.

"We're short at least 20 to 30 people, which has caused a shortage of audits of our universities and junior colleges, leaving some government money going to these institutions unaudited, which is unfortunate for taxpayers," Ray said, adding that he can fill the holes with the help of the bonds he forged at the state Capitol as the legislative liaison of the AG's office, where he lobbied for bills such as the Meth Reduction Act of 2005.

*Mike Sumrall, 50, of Mt. Olive.
Retired county auditor Mike Sumrall said he wants to deliver the auditor's office back to the accountants. He said the office too heavily leans toward policing and not enough toward keeping the county's budget's inline.

"Right now the office is the weakest it's been in 30 years. They're doing one out of four county audits, one out of 10 school audits, they're not doing any university or college audits, they've stopped doing ADA (Average Daily Attendance) counts and the attendance counts. That's just not safeguarding the public interest and public tax dollar," Sumrall said.

*Todd Brand, 33, of Bailey.
The Meridian Community College fine arts/communication professor said he also wants to tackle staffing shortages in the auditor's office, complaining that shortages in the main office force the individual counties to chuck up extra money for their own audit reports.

He said he is running chiefly because of how important the office is to the state's education system.

"Up until a couple of years ago, the auditor's office monitored the community colleges, the universities and the average daily attendance system," said Brand. "The office hasn't been doing its job for a long time, but our school system depends upon it for that."

The winner in the Democratic primary will face Republican Stacey Pickering in November.

COMMISSIONER OF INSURANCE

Democrats
Gary Anderson
George Dale
Jim Raspberry

Republicans
Mike Chaney
Ronnie D. English

Democrats
*Gary Anderson, 51, of Jackson
Anderson was the chief fiscal officer of Mississippi under the Musgrove administration.

Anderson said he's running in an attempt to clean up the state's office of insurance commissioner, complaining that incumbent George Dale is too beholden to the insurance industry to be an efficient watchdog of it. Anderson points to Dale's willingness to allow rate increases.

"If an (insurance) company feels like they have insured enough people and don't want to insure anymore, I'm not going to fall down on my knees, beg and plead with them. I'm going to roll up my sleeves and get busy replacing them, getting more companies in here who will aggressively fight for and seek out the business that another company may spurn," Anderson said.

*George Dale, 66, of Jackson.
Incumbent George Dale did not return calls.

Republicans
*Mike Chaney, 63, of Vicksburg.
Sen. Chaney is the chairman of the Senate Education Committee who wants to finish up lingering policyholder disputes over insurance coverage, saying, "Contrary to what I've heard, 99 percent of the claims have not been settled."

Representatives of the industry claim the vast majority of policy disputes are settled. They do not mention that "settled" could also mean a policy that's been outright rejected.

Chaney said he also wants to establish a true insurance bill of rights to make sure policies are written in "simple, easy to understand, unambiguous language," specifying clearly if the policyholder has coverage for flooding, wind or any damage. Chaney said he also intends to get special interests out of the insurance commissioner's office.

"As insurance commissioner, your job is to be an advocate and a regulator for 2.9 million Mississippians and not special interest groups. That includes insurance companies as well as plaintiff lawyers," Chaney said.

*Ronnie D. English did not return calls.

CENTRAL DISTRICT

PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSIONER

Democrats
Addie Green
John C. Rush
Lynn Posey

Republicans
Charles Barbour
Jimmy Foster

Democrats
*Addie Green, of Bolton, did not return calls.

*Lynn Posey, 52, of Union Church.
Posey has been a state senator for 20 years. He said he wants to expand the "No Call" list keeping telemarketers at bay, and keep utility rates as low as possible. He said he will also encourage companies to expand services to the county's rural areas.

*John Rush, would't give age, of Clinton.
Rush said he is running specifically to "make sure that the old folks are treated right," by keeping the utilities within reasonable rates. He vows that he will accept no contributions and will work exclusively for his constituents.

Republicans
*Charles Barbour, 44. of Jackson.
Barbour is a Hinds County Supervisor retiring his seat in order to pursue the public service commission seat. Like Posey, Barbour said he wants to tweak the "no call" list to protect more citizens. Barbour said he wants to bring wireless Internet to the county's outlying areas.

*Jimmy Foster, 53, of Pearl.
The popular former mayor of Pearl said he wants to encourage—but monitor closely—emerging alternative power sources. He also wants to encourage better communication between the commissioner's office and the utility companies.

STATE SENATE

District 26

Democrats
Ineva May-Pittman
John A. Horhn
Winston J. Thompson, III.

The winner of this race will face Constitution Party Candidate John Betha in November.

Democrats
*Ineva May-Pittman, 73, of Jackson.
May-Pittman is a community activist who said she will campaign for the grocery/cig tax swap in the next legislative session, and will also push for full funding of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program.

*John Horhn, 52, of Jackson.
The incumbent senator stands on his record of bringing business to Jackson, having approved such ventures as the Jackson Metro Parkway and the national civil rights museum. He said he will work hard to promote the growth of small businesses.

*Winston Thompson, 38, of Jackson.
Thompson's priorities closely mirror that of both the incumbent and challenger May-Pittman, with Thompson pushing hard for the full funding of MAEP. He attacks the incumbent on his lagging support for the grocery/cig tax swap and links Horhn's recent opposition to his acceptance of $1,000 from a tobacco company last year. He promises to labor hard for the tax swap.

District 29

Democrats
David Blount
Gay Polk
Kathryn Orey-Perry

The winner of the Democratic primary will face incumbent Republican Richard White in November.

Democrats
*David Blount, 39, of Jackson.
Blount is the former communications director for the secretary of state, who dropped the job to pursue this office. Blount, the vice president of Parents for Public Schools, said he will pursue full funding of MAEP in the next legislative session, and opposed the governor's move to kill tax swap legislation during the last session. Blount also lobbied heavily for the local $150 million JPS bond proposal, bringing massive repairs and new construction to the district's schools.

*Gay Polk, 57, of Terry.
Polk, a nurse, is running on a platform of insulating District 29 from crime and unemployment. She wants to create a statewide system to deal with juvenile delinquents, rather than surrendering minors to piecemeal county and city court and detention center systems. She supports MAEP full funding.

*Kathryn Orey-Perry did not return calls.

HOUSE District 63 (Bolton, Edwards)

Democrats
Lois Cross Christian
Walter Lonzo Robinson, Jr.

There are no Republicans running in this race; the winner will be decided on August 7.

Democrats
*Lois Cross Christian, 61, of Edwards.
Christian, a retired teacher, said she wants to improve the schools, and bring affordable health care to her region. She also said she wants to be more available to the public than the incumbent.

*Walter Robinson, 59, of Bolton.
Robinson has served almost 25 years as a representative in the House and runs on his record of fully funding MAEP and his support of the grocery/cig tax swap.

HOUSE District 65

Democrats
Chris Bell
Mary H. Coleman

There are no Republicans running in this race; the winner will be decided in the primary.

Democrats
*Chris Bell, 36, of Jackson.
Bell is running on the platform of decreasing crime, vowing to push for more funding for local and county police and more judges in the courtrooms. He also supports fully funding MAEP and bringing more exercise to public schools.

* Mary Coleman, 60, of Jackson.
Coleman has held the representative spot since 1994, and runs on her record of supporting easy access to health care and fully funding public schools. She is president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators and traditionally votes along the lines of the caucus, which favors full funding of MAEP and correcting health disparities.

House District 66

Democrats
Cecil Brown
Stacey Webb

The winner will face Republican Cory Wilson in November.

Democrats
*Cecil Brown, 63, of Jackson.
Brown is an accountant and financial advisor who has held the representative post since 2000. Brown, as chairman of the House Education Committee, is a staunch supporter of fully funding MAEP and often serves as the voice of opposition to Senate or gubernatorial calls to short-change the program. Brown has labored to bring business to his district, including the recent multi-million dollar development of the old Mississippi School for the Blind and additions to University of Mississippi Medical Center.

*Stacey Webb, 34, of Jackson.
*Webb, a real estate appraiser, is virtually a copy of Brown, but with less political experience. Webb said he also desires to be a champion of MAEP, will defend a woman's right to choose, but also wants to make the office more available to the public. He accuses the incumbent of not having enough presence in the community.

HOUSE District 71

Democrats
Adrienne Wooten
Timothy Wayne Rush, Sr.

Republicans
Al Shurden
John Reeves

Democrats
*Adrienne Wooten's contact number is inoperable

*Timothy Rush, 44, of Jackson.
Rush said he wants to push for more progressive legislation in the House, including fully funding education from Head Start to 12th grade, and wants to increase incentives for college attendance. He said he also wants to make health care more reliable and affordable.

Republicans
*John Reeves, 50, of Jackson.
Reeves is a moderate Republican who has adopted countless stances against Gov. Haley Barbour, particularly when Barbour opposed fully funding MAEP and health benefits. Reeves has been behind most of the pro-Jackson bills that survived House votes, including a $2 million one-time state gift to finance city police. Reeves has also labored to return recess, exercise and healthy cafeteria food to public schools.

*Al Shurden, of Jackson, did not return calls.

HOUSE District 72
Democrats
Erik R. Fleming
Kimberly L. Campbell

There are no Republicans running in this race; the winner will be decided in the primary.

Democrats
*Erik Fleming, 42, of Clinton.
Fleming is an incumbent who stands fully behind MAEP and the tax swap. He is determined to reopen north Jackson's Lake Hico for development, and frequently campaigns for juvenile justice reform. Fleming is one of the few state legislators who actively petitions to resubmit the names of voters booted from the polls for felony indictments, such as bad checks. Fleming was a hard-line advocate of the Legislature's recent attempt to raise the state minimum wage and often embraces union issues. Fleming, an abstinence counselor, is anti-abortion.

*Kimberly Campbell, 35, of Jackson.
Campbell is an attorney who served as policy analyst for the Jackson City Council, before City Attorney Sarah O'Reilly-Evans ran her off for questioning the legitimacy of some of the mayor's decisions—which turned out to be illegitimate after all.

Campbell wants to clean up the state's adoption laws, making child adoption easier for single people and couples, and promote business development in her district. Campbell is largely in accord with Fleming on most issues, including MAEP and the tax swap. Their most obvious disagreement is on the question of abortion. Campbell is in favor of abortion rights.

HOUSE District 73

Republicans
James Broadwater
Jim Ellington

The winner of this race will face Democrat Kevin Lavine in November.

Republicans
*Jim Ellington, 63, of Raymond
Ellington is a Republican who votes largely in line with the House Conservative Coalition on most issues, often opposing MAEP funding and teacher pay raises, if the governor opposes it. Ellington campaigned hard for voter ID in the House during the last two years. As the former chairman of the House Conservation and Water Resource Committee, Ellington refused to raise the state's hazardous waste tax, potentially turning the state into the most affordable dumping ground in the nation.

*James Broadwater, 43, of Byram.
Broadwater is running a campaign based on national Republican talking points, including outlawing abortion, ending illegal immigration, shrinking government, lowering taxes, protecting the right to bear arms, and saving marriage from the onslaught of matrimony-starved homosexuals.

HINDS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY

Democrats
Faye Peterson
Michele Purvis
Robert Shuler Smith

There are no Republicans running in this race; the winner will be decided in the primary.

Democrats
*Faye Peterson, 42, of Jackson.
Peterson runs on her record of devising the court facilitator system to lower the county's court docket from 4,000 when she arrived in office after DA Ed Peters stepped down, to 2,000 now. She also upgraded the office's filing system to electronic files and fostered the development of the county's drug court and pre-trial intervention programs, providing alternative sentencing for individuals. Her office saw 1,488 case dispositions in 2006, with 38 jury trials and 32 guilty verdicts, amounting to an 84 percent conviction rate. Peterson claims both of her opponents are adjuncts of Jackson City Mayor Frank Melton, who she claims has put them up to run against her.

*Michele Purvis, 45, of Clinton.
Purvis is a former assistant to the city attorney of Jackson, and a former assistant district attorney who lambastes the incumbent's conviction rate, claiming that too many defendants walk free. Purvis said she wants to move cases faster through the system, and foster a close relationship with county and city police, as well as be a better victim's advocate. Purvis said the courts have too much dead space with little activity and wants to fill the county weekly dockets to the choking point in order to move cases faster. Purvis denies any connection to the mayor, despite the aid of city employees during her campaign.

*Robert Shuler Smith, 36, of Jackson.
Smith is a defense attorney with one year's prosecution experience working as a municipal prosecutor. Smith, who abandoned Purvis' campaign as manager to run for the same office, said he can run the DA's system more effectively with a stronger conviction rate than the incumbent because criminals and others will "respect" his record as a defense attorney. He also wants to reevaluate the 11 assistant district attorneys and office personnel for efficiency and cost. Smith also denies running at the mayor's will, claiming he intended to run two years ago after former DA Ed Peters asked him to.

HINDS COUNTY SHERIFF
Democrats
Malcolm McMillin
Tyrone Lewis
Lester Williams
Henry Grigsby

There are no Republicans running in this race; the winner will be decided in the primary.

Democrats
*Malcolm McMillin, of Clinton
McMillin, who has been sheriff for 16 years, said he is running on a record of keeping crime down throughout the county through regular patrols, community involvement and pinpoint sting operations in areas of suspected illegal traffic. McMillin's top priority is seeing that the county sheriff's office and jail are properly functioning and funded, which often brings him into opposition with the Hinds County Board of Supervisors, who says the county's coffers are strained and can't always afford McMillin's requests.

McMillin is popular in the county and more recognizable than the city police chief in some parts of Jackson. McMillin frequently sends MDOC crews to clean up parts of the city and has personally adopted the George Elementary School area, concentrating patrols in that neighborhood. Like DA Faye Peterson, McMillin accuses Jackson Mayor Frank Melton of putting two of his opponents up against him in the election.

*Tyrone Lewis, of Jackson.
Lewis, the city's information officer, is running on the platform of devoting more of the sheriff's resources to handle city business. The city's violent crime rate rose 42 percent last year, and Lewis said the sheriff's office has been largely neglecting the city, despite the sheriff's budget of about $17.5 million compared to the city's police budget of $39.8 million.

Lewis said the office needs to concentrate more inside city limits and also needs to have a closer relationship with city police. The relationship between the mayor and McMillin has been personally strained as of late, with the sheriff having to arrest both the mayor and his young male companions for various felony charges in the last two years.

Lewis denies that the mayor put him up to run against McMillin, although Melton just held a fundraiser for him at his home.

*Lester Williams, of Jackson.
Williams, a former code enforcement officer for the city of Jackson, said he is—like Lewis—running because the city of Jackson needs the sheriff's office to dedicate more energy to fighting crime inside city limits.

Williams is a former narcotics agent with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, who wants to target drug manufacturing and trafficking points inside the city, and claims McMillin's people are hoarding information that the city could use to bring down drug trafficking schemes.

*Henry Grigsby, of Utica.
Grigsby, a pulpwood truck driver in Utica, differs in opinion from the other challengers. He feels the sheriff should concentrate his attention on the county's outlying areas, rather than focusing on the city. Grigsby said the city has its own police force and that the county needs more attention now than ever, with illegal drug sales creeping up more every year.

Grigsby said he also wants to cultivate a better relationship with county supervisors, criticizing the incumbent as "too combative," to get the funding his office needs.

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Previous Comments

ID

81850

Comment

Wow.... hardly partisan there at all, huh? I'm sorry this isn't a recommendation, it's an opinion column.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2007-08-01T20:07:48-06:00

ID

81851

Comment

Iron, what do you think "a recommendation" is? Confused.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-08-01T20:12:59-06:00

ID

81852

Comment

Partisan? All it is is telling you who's running--both Democrat and Republican-- what they've done or plan to do.

Author

golden eagle

Date

2007-08-01T20:23:10-06:00

ID

81853

Comment

Golden is right; this isn't even the endorsement page. These are race summaries. Iron, I don't give a damn about partisan politics, nor am I am a big fan of either major political party (or any of the little ones I can think of off hand.). I do care about progressive, intelligent, compassionate policies. There's a big difference.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-08-01T20:26:59-06:00

ID

81854

Comment

I found the smart comments detracted from the article, that's all. I would have expected something more serious in tone, not lightweight.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2007-08-01T22:08:10-06:00

ID

81855

Comment

We believe you can be serious and have fun at the same time, Iron. In fact that you must. ;-) Newspapers are dying because they're beating people us with boring copy. The JFP has never done that; not sure why we'd start now. You can grab a Ledge if that's what you're looking for.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-08-01T22:28:55-06:00

ID

81856

Comment

...this is why I don't want Rupert Murdoch to take over the WSJ: I don't care if it's boring, as long as it's accurate. The Clarion Liar has been inaccurate long before Gannett ever showed up! You can't trust them if you feed them the facts yourself.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2007-08-01T23:07:02-06:00

ID

81857

Comment

True, but you can be NOT boring and accurate. That's the goal here. True on the Ledge—their news editor knew about the Ridgeway incident, tipped off by witnesses, and wouldn't do the story until after we did. They shot themselves in the foot journalistically by trying to give Melton that pass AND hurt their reputation in the community. Our approach: You tell the truth with style and humor, and them them chips fall where they may!

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-08-02T07:12:34-06:00

ID

81858

Comment

Ladd said "Iron, I don't give a damn about partisan politics, nor am I am a big fan of either major political party (or any of the little ones I can think of off hand.). " I like reading that while looking at the ad on EVERY JFP page promoting the ousting of Thad Cochran which is paid for by the Demoratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. I think Ladd has written that same sentence 1,000 times. I mentioned the ad yesterday and a few days before that. Someone should remind them an editor at the JFP emphatically exclaims "I/We don't give a damn about...." Fill in the blank here with partisan politics, political parties, etc. My point? Quit accepting money from the Democrats and maybe you will be more convincing with this argument.

Author

Dave555

Date

2007-08-02T14:18:09-06:00

ID

81859

Comment

Dave, should all media outlets refuse all political advertising?

Author

kate

Date

2007-08-02T14:22:18-06:00

ID

81860

Comment

and, while on the topic of that particular ad - it's awful. I personally don't want to vote "against" Cochran. I'd like to vote "for" something. I wish MS Dem party could figure what the heck they stand for.

Author

kate

Date

2007-08-02T14:27:05-06:00

ID

81861

Comment

My point? Quit accepting money from the Democrats and maybe you will be more convincing with this argument. Sorry...false dilemma. We're in the advertising business. If the Republicans wanted to buy that ad, they could...it's a national buy through the BlogAds network that's aimed at the perceived younger demographic of alt-weeklies. The Republicans probably won't buy that ad, but that's not really our choice or our problem, and it certainly doesn't speak to Donna's (or anyone's) personal political beliefs. I mentioned the ad yesterday and a few days before that. And I'm sure you'll keep mentioning it, and then running with your tail between your legs when you actually get an answer that makes sense. Where's my answer on the Haley thread, Dave? What was it that Haley "bothered" to do during his speech in Neshoba County?

Author

Todd Stauffer

Date

2007-08-02T14:29:38-06:00

ID

81862

Comment

and, while on the topic of that particular ad - it's awful. I personally don't want to vote "against" Cochran. I'd like to vote "for" something. I wish MS Dem party could figure what the heck they stand for. Actually, Kate...I have to say that I agree. To be fair, I don't think that ad was placed by Mississippi Dems...I think the DSCC is placing targeted ads in Red states (it may be all states) around the country that have GOP Senators with 2008 races. They're trying to get younger readers to think "yeah, let's get that old guy outta there" and then get them over to the DSCC's new web digs. I don't think Cochran is the greatest Senator alive, but clearly the ad doesn't exactly gauge local sentiment, because he's got a lot of support from people regardless of party. I think it'd make a lot more sense to try and cultivate an audience based on some positives than it is to suggest that Cochran needs to go. Doesn't sit quite right.

Author

Todd Stauffer

Date

2007-08-02T14:36:23-06:00

ID

81863

Comment

Good point kate. Voting for someone is much better than against. Although with the Melton stunts being pulled in Hinds Co., I have no problem "voting against" his candidates! Now Dave555, you probably haven't seen the numerous posts by ladd or the iTodd where they discuss the ethics of the "separation of church and state" within a newspaper. That means that the Editorial side of the paper doesn't even know what the Advertising side is doing. And, vise-versa. And, I can assure you from hanging out with the "adverting side" of the JFP that they practice what they preach. Now since there are no Republicans running (or running unopposed) in many of the higher profile races locally, wouldn't you expect there to be more ads by Democrats during the Primaries? Logic trumps conspiracy everyday of the week! Also, many republicans are so blinded by shear hatred for any paper that may be "alternative or liberal" they wouldn't waste their money advertising in the Jackson Free Press. Too me, that is fine. If they are such closed minded republicans then I wouldn't want them to waste their money either. There are many other outlets for closed minded republicans to spread their message.

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-08-02T14:47:25-06:00

ID

81864

Comment

Can you guys answer a question for me about David Blount in the Senate District 29 race. I've seen twice where the JFP has him living in Jackson. He has an ad in the Clinton News that says he lives in Clinton. In fact he makes light of the fact that Richard White doesn't live and Clinton and that the city needs better representation. Can you guys double check to see where he actually lives? BTW: For those that don't know Clinton got shafted the last time they redrew the legislative districts. We have two senantors and at least four house members representing parts of Clinton. We got diced and sliced pretty good.

Author

LakesideRes

Date

2007-08-02T14:47:50-06:00

ID

81865

Comment

BTW: My last paragraph is in no way representative of the views of the advertising staff of the Jackson Free Press or its advertisers. I'm sure the JFP will be happy to take most any candidates money for advertisements - outside of a David Duke type. I don't work for or with the JFP, therefore my above post was my opinion and speculation. But, if you are going to advertise locally.... Advertise with the JFP! ;-)

Author

pikersam

Date

2007-08-02T14:54:27-06:00

ID

81866

Comment

Can you guys answer a question for me about David Blount in the Senate District 29 race. I've seen twice where the JFP has him living in Jackson. Just double-checked...he lives in Jackson.

Author

Todd Stauffer

Date

2007-08-02T14:55:49-06:00

ID

81867

Comment

iTodd, Barbour bothered to even mention Eaves existence. He doesn't have to and he could have done without it. You can squirm all you want on the Cochran bashing ad paid for by the Democrats. But a couple of days ago you were talking about how awful dirty politics are. You guys also say that you "don't give a damn about political parties." Excuse me for bringing up the FACT that you are profitting from the Democratic Party that is using attack adds!! Hey, that's two birds with one stone in the world of hypocrisy. OK, OK, I'll stop mentioning the 7 ton elephant in the room.

Author

Dave555

Date

2007-08-02T15:22:45-06:00

ID

81868

Comment

Hey Dave, I see the DSSC ad you're talking about and I don't like it, either. However, I clicked under the ad where it says "Advertise here" to see if it said anything about Democrats, and all I got was a page where you can buy an ad for $50. I scrolled to the bottom of the page, and the company listed is Pressflex LLC. There was a Contact Us link, so maybe you can click there and let the company know how you feel about the ad. I remember a similar scenario when I worked for SkyTel. There was a SkyTel radio ad on Dr. Laura, and a lot of people called in and sent emails complaining about it, but SkyTel and Dr. Laura have nothing to do with each other.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2007-08-02T15:38:47-06:00

ID

81869

Comment

So, Dave, just to be clear, all media outlets should decline all political advertising? What would you do, if you owned a media outlet? Only accept ads from your friends? your opponents? what?

Author

kate

Date

2007-08-02T16:28:03-06:00

ID

81870

Comment

L.W.: You have to click the actual ad to get through to the DSCC web site. The Advertise Here link is for the BlogAds system.

Author

Todd Stauffer

Date

2007-08-02T17:04:52-06:00

ID

81871

Comment

L.W.: You have to click the actual ad to get through to the DSCC web site. The Advertise Here link is for the BlogAds system. I knew that, Todd. I was focusing on who is responsible for the ads showing up. :-)

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2007-08-02T17:19:39-06:00

ID

81872

Comment

Logic trumps conspiracy everyday of the week! Ah, logic. Indeed, most of the primary battles in our area are in the Democratic primary. There's not a whole lot the JFP can do about that. ;-)

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-08-02T18:49:55-06:00

ID

81873

Comment

I've barely looked at the Cochran ad. But it doesn't seem to "bash," does it? Maybe I'm missing something. Since when does urging people to vote someone out mean "bashing"? That word has been used a bit too liberally, pardon the expression, on the site of late. Too many people are equating "challenging" or "disagreeing" with "bashing." Ad hominem attacks are bashing. Telling lies is bashing. Otherwise, I don't have much feeling one way or other about the BlogAd. It's just an ad, and I'm on the editorial side of the church-state wall. The money from that stuff helps us afford to put out a newspaper. And I don't care what party advertises, as long as the ads themselves aren't filled with lies, distortions, bigotry and such.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-08-02T18:53:40-06:00

ID

81874

Comment

Donna, I don't like the ad because the picture freaks me out a little. You're scrolling down the page and WHOOMP, there it is! :-P

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2007-08-02T19:05:41-06:00

ID

81875

Comment

I knew that, Todd. I was focusing on who is responsible for the ads showing up. :-) Ah, gotcha. Well, the DSCC bought it through the BlogAds system, which has a cluster set up for members of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. It then filters down to all the papers that use the BlogAds system on their website. We approve them, but ahead of time...I actually approved an ad that was generic about how the DSCC Web site was about to launch a new version -- you may have seen it -- and then the art was changed about a week in to the Cochran ad. I could have canceled the Cochran ad once it showed up, but it would need to be considerably more offensive than "time to make a change" before it would even be ethical for me to cancel it. (It would really need to either trumpet a falsehood or cross a community standard line.) I don't really even see that as negative campaigning -- if you didn't think it was "time to make a change" then why would you ever run or vote against an incumbent?

Author

Todd Stauffer

Date

2007-08-02T19:57:06-06:00

ID

81876

Comment

but it would need to be considerably more offensive than "Time For a Change" before it would even be ethical for me to cancel it. Shoot, isn't that what half the candidates are saying? "It's time for a change" is one of Wake Up Jackson's mottos, and we're not even a political group.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2007-08-02T20:00:38-06:00

ID

81877

Comment

Perhaps it would be more interesting to discuss Cochran's record? You know, whether you like it or not, use the ad as a jumping-off point for a good, civil discussion about the pros and cons of Thad Cochran as senator? Just a thought.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2007-08-02T21:05:58-06:00

ID

81878

Comment

Maybe this will help: Cochran voting record

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2007-08-02T21:41:16-06:00