General Reports

Y'all Politics: Congressional Race Developing in Mississippi's 3rd District

Sid Salter: Mississippi's 2008 congressional campaigns launching today: "Chip Pickering of Flora is stepping down after six terms in office at the end of his current term. As it was when the late 3rd District U.S. Rep. Sonny Montgomery stepped down in 1996, expect a relatively large Republican primary. Pickering was one of nine candidates seeking to succeed Montgomery. In all, 12 candidates sought the seat Montgomery was vacating in a 1996 race that eventually came down to a general election showdown between Pickering and a young trial lawyer named John Arthur Eaves Jr. In 2008, the GOP is again expected to be crowded for the open 3rd District seat. Possible Republican contenders include longtime Rankin County GOP chairman Gregg Harper, a Brandon attorney; state Sen. Charlie Ross of Brandon, fresh off a tough GOP lieutenant governor primary with Phil Bryant; former U.S. Rural Development Authority state director John Rounsaville; Madison businessman David Landrum; and state Sen. Walter Michel of Jackson. What's missing in a lot of the speculation over a successor to Pickering is a long list of Democratic Party contenders in a district that is believed to favor Republicans. The most mentioned name in Democratic circles is former 4th District U.S. Rep. Ronnie Shows, the man Pickering dispatched in their 2002 showdown after congressional redistricting gave Shows the short end of the straw in much of his former district."

CQ Politics: In Mississippi, Republicans Competing to Replace Pickering

Hastings Wyman: Congressional Race Developing in Mississippi's 3rd District: "The district has a strong Republican tilt -- Bush carried it by 65% in 2004 and 64% in 2000 -- so more GOPers are likely to run. For the GOP, Gregg Harper, chairman of the Rankin County Republican Party, announced this week, as did John Rounsaville, the state director of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Office. Rounsaville, 33, a former aide to Pickering, has been to Washington, DC, to meet-and-greet with potential contributors. Businessman David Landrum is expected to announce any day now. State Sen. Charlie Ross, an unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor this year, is likely to announce soon. For the Democrats, the most prominent prospective contender is former Congressman Ronnie Shows, who represented most of the district before the last reapportionment. Shows lost to Pickering by 64% to 35% in 2002."

Y'all Politics: Contenders and Pretenders in Scramble for MS-03