2007 General Election, Part I

Election Day is a little less than three weeks away, and I've already pretty much decided which candidates will receive my votes. Every few days, I'll blog about particular races.

While each of these entries may not have a general theme, I'll focus attention on contests involving the scions of politically prominent families in Mississippi. A sample ballot can be seen here.

Central Public Service Commissioner
Charles Barbour (Rep.) v. Lynn Posey (Dem.) v. Lee Dilworth (Ref.)

Barbour is a Hinds County supervisor and a nephew of the Governor. I voted for Posey in both the Democratic primary and runoff and will vote for Posey again in the general election.

Auditor
Stacey Pickering (Rep.) v. Mike Sumrall (Dem.)

As previously mentioned in past blog entries, my family has known members of the Pickering family for many years. I don't know Stacey, who is a cousin of Chip's though.

While Stacey is a state senator, I've not heard much about him from my friends and relatives (most of whom are Republicans) who still live in and around Jones County. If I've not been given a good enough reason to vote for someone local this late in the election, then that's cause for concern for me. I voted for Sumrall in the Democratic runoff and will vote for him again in the general election.

Governor
Haley Barbour (incumbent Rep.) v. John Arthur Eaves Jr. (Dem.)

Eaves is the son of a two-time gubernatorial candidate and well known attorney who's been regarded as one of the better campaign speakers in recent Mississippi political history. Eaves Jr. is running a faith-based campaign, bringing up religion early and often-- What Would John Arthur Do indeed.

I didn't vote for Barbour in 2003. If I were eligible to vote in the 1982 Senate election, I wouldn't have voted for him then either. I did vote for Eaves in the Democratic primary since he was easily the best, most qualified candidate running for the nomination.

That being said, elections involving incumbents are essentially referendums on their performances. In the 2003 election, Barbour made campaign promises concerning my place of work which I took with a grain of salt. Well, he's actually followed through on those promises.

You can call it what you wish. I prefer to think of it as enlightened self-interest, and that means Barbour's getting my vote.

One bit of good news for Eaves. I've not voted for the winner of Mississippi's governor race since 1991, so he still has hope.