Jackson Free Press

James Covington, who appeared to be headed for a Democratic runoff with businessman Chris Bell, says he is ending his bid for for Mississippi House District 65.

Covington, who owns a technology-consulting firm, released a statement saying that the run-up to the primary on Aug. 4 was too toxic for his tastes, referring to a radio ad Chris Bell ran highlighting a statement by Covington in which he called himself a capitalist. The third candidate was Arqullas Coleman, a small-business owner and daughter of the incumbent, Rep. Mary Coleman, who is running for Mississippi Transportation Commission.

Wendy Shenefelt, a Bell campaign consultant, said Bell would not comment on Covington's statement until the primary results are certified on Tuesday but did confirm that the campaign produced the radio spot in question.

Covington believes the ad was a dog-whistle to raise suspicions that he is a Republican even though he ran as a Democrat. In his statement, Covington said he believes in the core values of the Democratic Party, has voted for Democrats for three decades and contributed money to the party and its candidates.

"I don't know if that affected the race, but I know when black folks hear (the word) Republican, they run from it," Covington said.

"If you're a good business man, you're a capitalist. How can you talk about economic development and not talk about capitalism? They're not mutually exclusive."