Mississippi voters will head to the polls today and cast their vote for the special election U.S. Senate race between appointed Sen. Roger Wicker and former Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove.
In December 2007, Mississippi’s long-time U.S. Senator Trent Lott resigned, leaving an open seat to be filled. Gov. Haley Barbour appointed at the time U.S. Congressman Wicker to fill Lott’s seat until today’s election.
Marty Wiseman, director of the Stennis Institute of Government, said record numbers of voters are expected at polls around the state for the high profile presidential race between John McCain and Barack Obama, but this race will be an extremely close one and equally as important for Democrats and Republicans in Washington, D.C.
“Democrats will be the majority in the Senate, but the magic number is 60,” Wiseman said. “One of the only weapons Republicans have against Democrat legislation is the filibuster, which means Republicans can block legislation on the floor of the Senate by prolonging debate indefinitely.”
If Democrats have a good Election Day and grab the 60th seat, then they will have the ability to stop Republicans from using the filibuster tactic with a 60 plus majority vote, he said.
Fierce campaigning from Wicker and Musgrove has focused on issues from the war in Iraq to Katrina recovery, but both have made comments concerning research dollars flowing into Mississippi universities, including MSU.
Senator Roger Wicker said research dollars are essential to job development and economic growth in the state.
“Mississippi State University is conducting numerous research projects with the federal government from agriculture to building highly sophisticated unmanned aerial vehicles,” he said. “Not only do these research projects enhance higher education, but it creates job opportunities that keep our college graduates in the state of Mississippi.”
Musgrove said he will fight to eliminate earmarks flowing into Mississippi and research fields at universities.
“John McCain said earmarks are the gateway to corruption and behind every earmark is a lobbyist attached to it,” he said. “If I am senator, no university should have to hire a lobbyist to come see me because I will fight for research projects in the Senate for the state of Mississippi and we can go through the right appropriation process.”
Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi Coast in 2005 and the U.S. Senate and House since then has been battling multi peril insurance bills for Coast residents in Washington, D.C.
The multi peril insurance bill provides Coast residents affected by the wind-driven waters of the storm a chance to get affordable wind coverage on their flood insurance plans.
Wicker said the original bill passed in the House last year, but not in the Senate.
“I voted for the bill as a member of the House and offered the bill up for passage in the Senate,” Wicker said. “We are holding the leadership of the Senate to their promise now of finding a solution and passing the bill the second time around.”
Musgrove said he believes he can do better in the Senate at getting the insurance bill passed with the help of party colleagues.
“Roger Wicker only got 19 votes for the bill of the 100 votes in the Senate and I believe as the majority I can do better than that and we can get the multi peril bill passed,” he said.
Coast resident and MSU senior biological science major Kelly McKenzie said she believes Wicker’s policies are more in line with the needs of Mississippi and Coast recovery.
“In a time when there are still great needs on the Coast, Wicker is actively working to fulfill those needs by working with Sen. Cochran and House members like Gene Taylor to ensure Coast residents are able to finish the rebuilding process,” McKenzie said.