Six days and counting

Clarion Ledger - Sid Salter - 2008 congressional races present important, difficult choices - Over in the 3rd District, Democrat Joel Gill of Pickens has sewn up the Democratic nomination and will be a serious candidate in November. But the makeup of the district still leaves the Republican nominee in the driver's seat and the GOP second primary features a tight, tough race between first primary front-runner former state Sen. Charlie Ross of Brandon and longtime former Rankin County GOP chairman and Pearl attorney Gregg Harper. Ross, an experienced legislator with the pedigree of the U.S. Air Force Academy and Harvard Law School, has run a solid campaign and avoided most of the mistakes that plagued his failed 2007 GOP lieutenant governor's bid. Harper used an effective ground game, particularly in Rankin County and smaller counties on the east side of the district, to surprise the prognosticators in the first primary. Lott's backing Harper, while Ross has the backing of the influential Club for Growth. But Harper's support among evangelical voters may be the deciding factor - that and his relentless, thorough ground game.

ClarionLedger.com - Jere Nash - Update on Congressional Finances - Gregg Harper -- $139,161.25; Charlie Ross -- $241,612.20

ClarionLedger.com - Leah Rupp - On the road again... - I'm on the road with Republican 3rd Congressional candidate Gregg Harper. We're heading to Brookhaven, Natchez then back up to Meadville. Natalie (my colleague at the Capitol) was out with Charlie Ross — Harper's opponent in the run off April 1 — earlier this week. Which one do you like? And why? Or perhaps you like Democrat Joel Gill of Pickens? What are each candidates strengths and weaknesses (in your opinion)? Your favorite reporter has to write a profile this weekend.

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Meridian Star - Congressional candidates meet voters - All three candidates currently running for the 3rd Congressional District seat were in Meridian Tuesday to speak, answer questions, and mingle with voters at a Young Professionals of Meridian forum at the Hilton Garden Inn on Highway 11/80. The candidates appeared before about 120 voters at the YPM function, each giving a five minute speech about themselves and answering three questions from YPM members about health care, the war in Iraq, and the economy.

Charlie Ross said, "This race is not so much about Charlie Ross or Gregg or Joel. It's about you. What type of legislator do you want in the 3rd district?" Ross spoke of his record as a state legislator, and compared himself to the late former congressman G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery, saying that they both served 10 years in the state legislature, were both veterans, and that he hoped to follow in Montgomery's footsteps. "I believe in public service," he said. "I believe in being accessible, and I will have a fully staffed office in Meridian."

Harper talked about education in his introduction. "To be in the fight, you need to be in the system," he said. "That's why our kids are in public schools," adding that he felt many parents of public school children would agree that "No Child Left Behind needs some work," saying that it was a problem for both students and teachers. He then moved on the subject of illegal immigration, saying, "I'm sick of...tax dollars going to pay benefits to illegals," and that much of the illegal immigration problem could be solved by securing the borders and enforcing the current immigration laws.

Ross also spoke about immigration, saying that the first step in solving the problem with illegal immigration is securing the border. "We can secure a border, and we need to secure our southern border just like we secured our northern border against the Soviets," Ross said.

Gill made his first public appearance in Meridian at Tuesday's YPM function. He opened by apologizing for not being present at the debate held in Meridian last month, saying," I had given my word that I would chair the RKF convention in Omaha," even before deciding to run for the congressional seat. He then joked about the number of candidates who had been in the Republican primary, saying, "I'm proud to say of the three of us here I was able to garner the greatest vote total and I hope to do that again in November." Gill, a town alderman from Pickens who is in the livestock business, talked of the damage that he feels big box stores and free trade agreements have done to American workers, saying, "The physical toll on individuals is devastating," and that free trade agreements put both foreigners as well as Americans out of work, contributing to illegal immigration. Gill also proposed using the minimum wage to determine a person's tax deduction, so that an individual who made minimum wage would pay no taxes, while one that made a dollar over minimum wage would pay taxes on that one dollar, and so forth. He said he wants income tax rates to be determined by congressional spending because, "if you know that congressional spending is what's going to control your tax rate, then you'll be a lot more involved."

Ross touted his experience, mentioning laws he had written in that area, speaking of a tort reform law when talking of economic development, and "Jessica's law" when speaking of sexual predators. Of economic development in Lauderdale County, Ross said, "Meridian is prime for a new industry ... I fully support the new interchange...If you build it they will come." Ross also said that the cost of health care could be reduced by health insurance related tax deductions directly to individuals rather than doing so through their workplace, and that the economy could be strengthened by making the Bush tax cuts permanent.

Harper said that one way to address the health care problem was to reduce costs by slackening government regulations on hospitals. Of the war in Iraq Harper said, "I think the Republicans did a lousy job of articulating why we're in Iraq...It's about the war against fundamentalist Islamic terrorism," closing his Iraq comments with strong words, "Every time we get bombed then we ought to drop a hard bomb on Iran and Syria where all this garbage is coming from."