Debate - Noxapater

Neshoba Democrat - Top Third District candidates spar at Republican forum in Noxapater

NOXAPATER - Four of the leading Republican candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives in Mississippi's Third Congressional District met at a catfish house here beside Mississippi 15 on Monday night for a political forum that focused on illegal immigration, the Iraq war and the economy. The candidates spent about an hour on the stage at the Catfish Opry before a packed house of about 200, not debating each other, but answering questions. All four concurred on most policy issues but differed on what type of experience best prepares one for a career in Congress.

The most pointed question of the evening was directed at Landrum, who was asked about a campaign contribution he made to Democrat Ronnie Musgrove in his re-election bid for governor against Republican challenger Haley Barbour in 2003. Scott Boyd, the editor and publisher of The Beacon in Macon and one of the panelists, asked who Landrum voted for, which drew laughter from the audience. "Well, my vote is for Gov. Barbour," Landrum said. Landrum acknowledged making the Musgrove donation at the request of friends and business associates interested in tort reform. Landrum said his political support had always been with Barbour and that he'd never asked anyone to vote for Musgrove. "My political support has always been with Gov. Haley Barbour," he said. And he countered that he had served on Barbour's transition team in 2004, his finance committee in the last election and finance chair for Madison County. Landrum noted that he also worked on Phil Bryant's steering committee for lieutenant governor. Landrum claimed to have given more money to the Republican Party than any other man on the stage within the last five years.

Landrum suggested Boyd's line of questioning was a distortion of the facts, noting that "my friend Phil Bryant" ran a "contentious" primary campaign for lieutenant governor. Although he never called Ross by name, Landrum vowed he would not get into any "mudslinging" with fellow Republicans. Ross was accused of negative campaigning during his run for lieutenant governor.

Rounsaville, a Madison resident who has worked as and aide to both Pickering and Barbour and who most recently was serving a presidential appointment as head the USDA's Rural Development Office in Mississippi, criticized last year's proposed legislation in Congress that would have contained an amnesty provision for illegal immigrants. "We've got to start over at the federal side," he said. While local law enforcement could do their part with the help of Homeland Security grants and equipment upgrades, the lion's share of responsibility for enforcing immigration laws remained with the federal government, according to Rounsaville.

Harper, a Pearl attorney and chairman of the Rankin County Republican Party, said he was "100 percent opposed" to amnesty for illegal immigrants and vowed to fight any bill proposed by a Democratic president that included such an option.

Ross, an attorney and former state Senator from Brandon, argued that Democrats had grown quiet about withdrawing from Iraq since the success of the troop surge. America needed to be strong in the face of continuing adversity, Ross stressed. Instead of slashing troop levels, he argued, the country needed to further boost funding for forces in Iraq. "We didn't win World War II by being weak," he said.

Rounsaville, meanwhile, focused on the importance of workforce training and education. Both he and Ross said they were proud of their roles in creating junior college programs with $20 million in annual federal funds that emphasized vocational skills. Education levels, according to Rounsaville, had to match the new jobs at places like Toyota and Nissan. "We've seen a lot of high-tech jobs coming into Mississippi," he said.

Harper and Ross disagreed about the recent $150 million stimulus bill passed by Congress. Ross said the final bill was an acceptable package of rebates, but Harper argued later that the stimulus package gave $35 million to people who had not originally paid the equivalent sum into the system.

Rounsaville dismissed concerns that he had never managed a payroll, saying he was proud of his public service over the last decade and knew how to get things done and compromise with people of all stripes in Washington. "There's not a county in the district that I haven't done something for over the last 10 years," he said.

But Landrum said voters were ultimately more interested in leadership than bureaucratic expertise, and his entrepreneurial background with Primerica, a financial services company, proved his executive qualities. "Signing the front of a check is a lot different than signing the back of a check," he said.

Citing his work in the state Legislature promoting tort reform and the Castle Doctrine, a self-defense statute giving homeowners greater leeway in defending their property, Ross put it bluntly: "Don't listen to what I say, look at what I've done."

Harper, meanwhile, highlighted his experience in prosecuting illegal aliens as a good example of his approach to tough problems.

After the debate, Robert Clark of Louisville said he thought Harper and Ross had done the best job articulating the importance of the Iraq War, although he added, "They were all good."

Dorothy Blalock, also of Louisville, said she came into the debate wearing a sticker for another candidate, but removed it and switched her support.

The Catfish Opry is in a blonde metal building surrounded by a chain-link fence where about 200 partake of catfish fillets and chicken on the weekends with live volunteer entertainment. A drum set served as a prop for the candidates with a Winston County Republican Party banner hung on the curtian behind them. Alongside Mississippi 15 were a sea of campgaign signs at the entrance to the gravel parking lot.