Tuesday’s elections resulted in the installation of predominantly Republican candidates into office. The Mississippi general election included governor, lieutenant governor and secretary of state positions, as well as several other positions and seats in the Senate and House.
Out of the 24 states that held elections Tuesday, Mississippi and Kentucky were the only two states to elect governors during.
Incumbent Republican Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour won re-election, defeating Democratic candidate John Arthur Eaves Jr.
Barbour received 408,123 votes, for a total of 58 percent, over Eaves’ 292,171 votes.
According to an article in The Clarion-Ledger, Barbour is the second person to win a second gubernatorial term in modern times and the second Republican to win the office since Reconstruction.
Political science and public administration instructor Whit Waide said part of Barbour’s success has been his timing, especially in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
He said Barbour’s international connections are also a huge asset for the state.
“Any successful politician, any effective government leader has one thing: vast government connections,” he said. “We have a governor with international connections. How could that possibly be bad for us?”
Republican Phil Bryant defeated Democrat Jamie Franks in the race for lieutenant governor. Bryant won 59 percent at 409,384 votes, compared to Franks’ 284,921 votes.
Republican Delbert Hosemann was elected to the position of secretary of state over Democrat Rob Smith.
Hosemann will replace former secretary of state Democrat Eric Clark, who did not seek re-election.
Incumbent Republican state treasurer Tate Reeves was re-elected over Democratic opponent Shawn O’Hara.
Republican Mike Chaney defeated Democrat Gary Anderson for commissioner of insurance.
Chaney will replace George Dale, who has served for eight terms and is the longest-serving insurance commissioner in the United States.
Republican Lester Spell, commissioner of agriculture, won re-election against Democrat Rickey Cole and Constitution Party candidate P. Leslie Riley.
The Democratic Party is in control of the Senate and the House in Mississippi.
According to a report in USA Today, all legislative seats were up for election.
Waide said he thought there was one telling statistic in the elections.
“There’s a distinctive 60/40 split in Mississippi,” he said. “That was pretty standard.”
The Republican Party has done a good job with organization and it also has hotspots and counties that it can count on for elections, whereas the Democratic Party does not really have that advantage, Waide said.
Bryant has already announced his plans to shorten the legislature and doing this would save taxpayers’ money, he said.
“As lieutenant governor, he’s going to try to make the legislature last only 90 days instead of 125 days,” Waide said.
He said it surprised him that Mississippi ballots, especially for the local elections, included numerous independent candidates.
“I was amazed by how many people ran as independents [especially in the local races],” he said.
Because there are independents listed on the ballot, this means more people have been supporting independent candidates, Waide said.
“You may be seeing the beginning of the emergence of the independents state-wide,” Waide said. “I think there is a legitimate third party candidate that will eventually come forth.”
He said if he were a Republican or Democratic candidate, he would be concerned about the rise of third parties.
“If I were a third-party candidate, I would feel very hopeful because I think their time is coming,” Waide said.
Voters are tired of hearing the same things from politicians, he said.
“They [politicians] don’t challenge and inspire people anymore. I do think that people are really beginning to grow more frustrated,” he said.
Voters are beginning to look outside the traditional two-party system for candidates, Waide said.
“The one thing I think these elections shows is the emergence of real change in governments,” he said.
Senior political science major Dan Gwaltney said he considers the candidates’ stances on issues while voting.
“I vote for a candidate that best represents my moral beliefs and values. My main platforms are abortion, gay marriage and gun control,” he said.
Gwaltney said he was not surprised by the governor results.
“Eaves has no political experience and the way Barbour handled himself, in my opinion, during Katrina [qualified him for re-election],” he said.
Junior kinesiology major Libbie Thomas said she voted for Barbour mainly because of his work during Hurricane Katrina.
“I voted for Barbour, and a lot of it was because of the way he took care of Mississippi during and after Hurricane Katrina,” she said. “I really like the way he went to work for Mississippi.”
Director of the Stennis Institute of Government Marty Wiseman was out of town and unavailable for comment.
For more information on the results of Tuesday’s Mississippi general elections, visit www.clarionledger.com.