Mississippi politics : the struggle for power, 1976-2006 / Jere Nash and Andy Taggart ; foreword by John Grisham.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Nash, Jere.

Contributor:

Taggart, Andy.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political parties--Mississippi--History.

Political parties.

Power (Social sciences)--Mississippi--History.

Power (Social sciences).

Politicians--Mississippi--Interviews.

Politicians.

Mississippi--Politics and government--1951-.

Mississippi.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (421 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Jackson : University Press of Mississippi, 2006.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In 1890, white Democrats consolidated their political power in Mississippi. For more than seventy years, the state was a Democratic stronghold in which Republicans and African Americans had little political clout. The elections of 1976, however, marked the last time Mississippi would cast its presidential electoral votes for a Democrat. That year, the state's Democratic lineup included the governor, both United States senators and three representatives, and all but five seats in the state legislature. Thirty years later, Republican Haley Barbour is the state governor, four of the seven statewide elected officials are Republicans, both United States Senators are Republicans, and the GOP boasts 69 of the 174 members in the state legislature. Mississippi Politics: The Struggle for Power, 1976-2006 charts the political shift in Mississippi over the last thirty years, covering political campaigns and the struggle for power within the state legislature. Fierce debates about the tobacco industry, casinos, tort reform, education, and highways are all examined. Authors Jere Nash and Andy Taggart--political activists from different parties--examine forty years of reapportionment litigation and profile many of the personalities who changed the Mississippi political landscape. The book features interviews with more than 140 public officials, candidates, lobbyists, legislators, and others who reveal the public and backroom pressures that shaped history. A sharply detailed account of a major transition with national implications, Mississippi Politics describes how the state has evolved politically and where it may possibly be headed. Jere Nash is a consultant whose positions have included executive director of Mississippi First, deputy state auditor, and director of policy and chief of staff for Governor Ray Mabus. Andy Taggart has his own law firm and has served as executive director of the Mississippi Republican Party, chief of staff for Governor Kirk Fordice, and president/CEO of the Mississippi Technology Alliance. John Grisham is the author of eighteen novels and lives in Virginia and Mississippi.

Contents:

History of Mississippi Democrats, 1948-1975

History of Mississippi Republicans, 1955-1975

The beginning of the end, 1976

The campaign to succeed Jim Eastland, 1977-1978

Democrats win one and Republicans lose one, 1979

The origins of reapportionment, 1890-1979

Ronald Reagan and Jon Hinson, 1980-1981

Education transforms the legislature, 1982

The Allain/Bramlett campaign and William Winter's legacy, 1983

The erosion of legislative power, 1984

The rise of Mike Espy, 1985-1986

Highways, Buddie Newman, and Ray Mabus, 1987

The campaign to succeed John Stennis, 1988

Liquor and gambling in Mississippi, 1989-1990

Republicans gain the governor's mansion, 1991

The politics of reapportionment, 1992-1993

The GOP consolidates power, 1994-1996

Tobacco, 1997-1998

The legacy of Kirk Fordice, 1999

The state flag and congressional reapportionment, 2000-2001

The consequences of tort reform, 2002

The Haley Barbour years, 2003-2006.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 316-392) and index.

ISBN:

1-60473-140-0

OCLC:

648357775