Jackson Free Press

With less than a week left before next Tuesday's primary election, several Republican candidates are making stops in Mississippi while on the campaign trail.

Speaking at a rally at the Hilton this morning, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich called on President Obama to open up the Gulf of Mexico and federal lands for drilling. He also said Obama is declaring war on the Catholic Church and religious organizations.

Rick Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania, was at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum last night after a stop in Tupelo. He criticized the federal health care law, but also took a few shots at the Republican frontrunner, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, saying he imposed Obamacare on his people.

Romney will be in Pascagoula today and plans to make a stop at the Mississippi Farmers Market in Jackson tomorrow morning. The campaign for Ron Paul, a former Congressman from Texas, has not yet announced any campaign stops in the Jackson area.

JFP reporter R.L. Nave will be tweeting from several of the campaign evetns, follow him @rlnave. His reporting contributed to this article.

Previous Commentsshow

$2.50/gal gas? American energy independance, which will bolster our national security, not to mention our pockets, our job growth and revenues and therefore economic growth? Finally a declining national debt? It is possible with the right leadership! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOImnCrKPZ8 My vote is going for the gentleman in the above video speaking on achieving energy independance, Newt Gingrich. While he may be a very blunt man, which I actually like and believe is necessary, he is by far the most qualified and experienced candidate to lead our country at this point in history. His record proves this, even showing he was able to achieve needed results by working in a bipartisan manner with Bill Clinton while serving as Speaker of the House. And he did so while standing firm on his Conservative principles. He is a great thinker with bold ideas, and has proven he can convert these ideas into real working solutions, contrary to the inaccurate charges stating otherwise from his past disgruntled colleagues whom he had to take on in some issues to do what he knew was right for the American people . His Conservatism has been proven time and again by his record,receiving an American Conservative Union lifetime rating of 90%, 100%. He was part of the Reagan team, Nancy Reagan having said at the 1995 Goldwater Institute Dinner honoring President Ronald Reagan, "Barry Goldwater handed the torch to Ronnie, and in turn Ronnie turned that torch over to Newt...". He has endorsements from proven Conservatives ranging from Michael Reagan to Fred Thompson to J.C. Watts. Also of importance is his undeniable ability to articulate the Conservative view better than anyone. Newt has had a very strong showing in most of the debates, winning the majority of them. Newt will take Obama to the proverbial woodshed in any debate, on any issue, at any time. And as far as his so called "baggage", that has been thoroughly scrutinized for years, with the majority proven false. There will be no October surprises with him. I implore everyone to visit his website, see for themselves, do more research, then make their decision. It is imperative we defeat Barrack Obama! Conservatives win elections by running on and standing firm on their Conservative principles.

Charles410

Mar 10 2012

I don't know that anyone should brag about being endorsed by Fred Thompson, but I appreciate your enthusiasm for Gingrich. However, the Republicans have not been honest about gas prices or energy policy. Gingrich charges that Obama has caused gas prices to rise from $1.89 when he took office to the price today. He never mentions that in the summer of 2008, gas prices were more than $4 a gallon. They only fell sharply because the economy collapsed, cutting demand. They are returning to their earlier price because the economy is recovering. As these facts illustrate, the president has only a very limited influence on gas prices. Prices are set by the markets. However, Obama has had success in increasing production and reducing imports of oil, in contrast to what Gingrich argues. From today's L.A. Times: The U.S. now imports 45% of its petroleum, down from 57% in 2008, and is on track to meet Obama’s long-term goal, the administration maintains. ... U.S. crude oil production increased by an estimated 120,000 barrels a day last year over 2010, the report says. Current production, about 5.6 million barrels a day, is the highest since 2003. As the president has said, "Drill Baby Drill" is a bumper sticker, not an energy policy. We can increase production to some extent, but the United States has only 2 percent of the world's oil reserves while consuming 25 percent of extracted oil. We simply can't produce our way to energy independence, and even if we could, that's not how oil markets work.

Brian C Johnson

Mar 12 2012