An electoral wish list
Published 8:41 pm Thursday, August 1, 2019
Well, come a week from last Tuesday, or “Tuesday-week” as my grandmother would have said, we will know the winners of the Democratic and Republican primaries in Mississippi (at least a third of that “we,” more or less, having learned same by calling me) and while I could make the frequent columnar mistake of “predicting” who those winners are going to be, I am not going to do that, herein.
Instead, I thought I might indulge myself in a little something I rarely do — wishful thinking — and instead talk about what would happen next week if I had my way — or “had my druthers” as my grandmother was also wont to say.
Those are but some of the grandmotherly wisdoms shared with me when she was not talking about how the moon landing was faked and professional wrestling was real.
But she loved me so all that was and remains all right. Bless her heart.
So, now, if the electoral gods working through the not always so good people of Mississippi were to give Ray his way, what would it look like for the Democrats and Republicans heading into November?
First the Democrats:
For governor, there are seven people that nobody but newspaper folk have heard of and Jim Hood running, so I will likely get my wish with a Hood win in this one.
For lieutenant governor (and Senate boss), Jay Hughes is running unopposed and hence, will win, which is OK with me. He is a very personable and bright young fellow from Oxford and he probably has a chance to go a long way in state government, just not likely this year.
For secretary of state, Johnny Dupree and Maryra Hodges Hunt are running and I guess I will pull for Dupree, since Maryra is a weird name.
The other Democratic statewide folks are running unopposed and my one prediction in this column is that they will all defeat “write-in” in their races.
In Sharkey County, House District 22 is also on the ballot, and five Democrats want to get their party’s nomination for it. Since he is both my neighbor, my friend and has proven himself to be a good public servant, I hope Louise Mayor Ruffin Smith gets it.
Now the Republicans:
Well, for governor, they are running Robert Foster, who seems like a nice enough young fellow and who will gain name recognition from the run for future elections; along with Bill Waller Jr., who in addition to being a truly nice man, in a stark anomaly with most Mississippi governors, actually has some knowledge of the law, and they are running Tate Reeves, who is about as amicable, good natured and gifted with people skills as a sidewinder with psoriasis. I don’t think he will, but I wish Waller would win.
Just a thought, folks, but a general election governor’s race between Hood and Waller would assure the state wouldn’t lose, whichever man won.
In the lieutenant governor’s race, Delbert Hosemann, who might be the state’s best retail politician, is running against a no-name and when he wins easily, that will be quite all right with me, as I rather like Delbert.
For secretary of state, Sam Britton and Michael Watson are both trying to out-Republican and out-tough each other, and since that is just such a typically Republican thing to do, it makes me not much care, other than whoever proves best at it, is likely to be a jerk in office.
For attorney general —Three GOP relative heavyweights are slugging it out in their primary, meaning a runoff is likely. Of the three, Mark Baker, Lynn Fitch and Andy Taggart, I like the latter two the most and Baker the least, so I hope Fitch and Taggart make the runoff, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.
For state treasurer, the Republican ballot will feature the names of David McRae, whom I do not know and Eugene S. ‘‘Buck” Clark, whom I do know, and for those reasons, I would be more a little gleeful and satisfied, should McRae win.
For state auditor, Shad White; for commissioner of insurance, Mike Chaney and for commissioner of agriculture, Andy Gipson are all running unopposed and it just tickles me to death that the first two of those are so.
I don’t know any of the chaps running for public service or transportation commissioner and hence, have no opinion other than the ones whose names appear first on the ballot will likely win.
And finally, for the GOP House 22 nod, Hayes Dent is running against Dwayne Self and since Hayes has been generous enough to call me a friend for about 30 years and his boy might be a future starting quarterback at Ole Miss, I can do nothing but wish him well.
This, of course, obviously represents kisses of death, all round.
Ray Mosby is editor and publisher of the Deer Creek Pilot in Rolling Fork.