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2008 United States Senate special election in Mississippi: Difference between revisions

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→‎Democratic: Only candidates who actually considered or declared their candidacies should be listed. Those who were asked to run and declined should not be listed. Speculation does not count.
You are removing cited information from the article... it is not me speculating... it was the Clarion Ledger... this is standard
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* [[Ronnie Musgrove]]<ref>[http://www.sunherald.com/306/story/279284.html Former governor Musgrove to run for U.S. Senate]</ref>
* [[Ronnie Musgrove]]<ref>[http://www.sunherald.com/306/story/279284.html Former governor Musgrove to run for U.S. Senate]</ref>
* [[Ronnie Shows]] <ref>[http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080105/NEWS01/80105012 '''Associated Press''' via '''The Hattiesburg American''', January 5, 2008]</ref>
* [[Ronnie Shows]] <ref>[http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080105/NEWS01/80105012 '''Associated Press''' via '''The Hattiesburg American''', January 5, 2008]</ref>

''Declined''
* [[Mike Espy]]<ref name="ClarLedger">[http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080101/NEWS/80101004 '''The Clarion-Ledger''', January 1, 2008]</ref>
* [[Harvey Johnson, Jr.]]<ref name="ClarLedger"/>
*[[Ray Mabus]] <ref name="ClarLedger"/>


==Election date controversy==
==Election date controversy==

Revision as of 14:58, 8 February 2008

This is an article about the U.S. Senate seat once held by Trent Lott and currently held by Roger Wicker.
For the election article regarding the Senate seat currently held by Thad Cochran, see United States Senate election in Mississippi, 2008.

Template:Future election in the United States On November 42008, Mississippi will hold a special election to fill a seat in the United States Senate. The winner will serve the balance of the Senate term, which ends in January 2013.

Background

On December 18, 2007, U.S. Senator Trent Lott resigned in his fourth-term to pursue "something else" in the private sector.[1][2]

On December 31, 2007, Mississippi governor Haley Barbour appointed Roger Wicker to the seat vacated 13 days earlier by Sen. Trent Lott. Wicker then began his senate campaign.[3]

Candidates

Republican

Qualified

Democratic

Qualified

Declined

Election date controversy

There was a dispute about the date on which the special election should occur and whether the governor appointed the interim senator in keeping with state law.

Mississippi law states that Gov. Barbour had 10 days after receiving official notification of the vacancy to appoint an interim senator pending a special election. Barbour appointed Wicker on December 31 2007, 13 days after Lott's resignation.[7][8][9]

The state Democratic party objected to the timing of the special election. Barbour set the special election for November 4, 2008.[10] Democrats claimed that he had 10 days to set a special election within 90 days (no later than March 29, 2008), and the issue went to court for resolution.

Mississippi Attorney General, Democrat Jim Hood, issued a non-binding opinion that the election must be held within 100 days of Lott's resignation.[11] Hood said that Barbour would be breaking the law if he holds the special election in November 2008. Hood has sued Barbour in court over the issue.[12] Hood wanted the date of the special election to be March 11, the same day as Mississippi's presidential primary.[13]

As the state’s chief elections officer, the then-Mississippi Secretary of State, Democrat Eric Clark, backed the governor's position.[14]

On November 26, 2007, the Mississippi Democratic Party issued the following news release:

JACKSON –- Wayne Dowdy, chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party, issued the following statement after U.S. Sen. Trent Lott announced plans to resign from office by the end of the year.

According to multiple news reports, Senator Lott intends to resign his seat by the end of the year. Section 23-15-855 (1) of the Mississippi Code[15] makes clear that if Senator Lott does indeed resign during this calendar year, as stated, then Governor Barbour must call a special election for within 90 days of making a proclamation –- which he must issue within 10 days of the resignation -– and not on Nov. 4, 2008, as he has announced he intends to do.

We will wait for Senator Lott’s official notice of resignation, when he will undoubtedly announce the exact date he will leave office. But if he does resign this calendar year we expect the governor to uphold the law and call a special election within 100 days. It is important that Mississippi be represented in Washington by a senator who was elected by the state’s voters as soon as possible.[16]

Governor Barbour claimed that the definition of "year" in the law in question is 365 days. Mississippi Attorney General Hood claimed that "year" means calendar year.[17]

Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Bobby DeLaughter ruled that the election must take place no later than March 19.[18] On 2008-02-06, after Barbour appealed[19], the Mississippi Supreme Court reversed Judge Delaughter and ruled that the special election may be held on November 4.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ Nossiter, Adam and Herszenhorn, David M. (November 26, 2007). "Mississippi's Lott to Leave Senate Seat". The New York Times. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Congressional Quarterly, December 19, 2007
  3. ^ http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080101/NEWS/80101004
  4. ^ Former governor Musgrove to run for U.S. Senate
  5. ^ Associated Press via The Hattiesburg American, January 5, 2008
  6. ^ a b c The Clarion-Ledger, January 1, 2008
  7. ^ Bloomberg: Wicker Named to Replace Mississippi's Lott in Senate
  8. ^ Hattiesburg American: Barbour to name leader to fill Lott's seat
  9. ^ http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071231/NEWS/712310319/1001/news Jackson Clarion-Ledger Senate Pick to be Unveiled Today
  10. ^ Hattiesburg American: Barbour to name leader to fill Lott's seat
  11. ^ FOX News: Trent Lott Resigns From U.S. Senate After Nearly Two Decades of Service
  12. ^ http://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=7568072&nav=menu119_3
  13. ^ http://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=7562258&nav=2CSf
  14. ^ The ClarionLedger: AG opinion backs Democrats on timing of election
  15. ^ Section 23-15-855. Elections to fill vacancies in office of U.S. Senator; interim appointments by Governor.
    (1) If a vacancy shall occur in the office of United States Senator from Mississippi by death, resignation or otherwise, the Governor shall, within ten (10) days after receiving official notice of such vacancy, issue his proclamation for an election to be held in the state to elect a Senator to fill such unexpired term as may remain, provided the unexpired term is more than twelve (12) months and the election shall be held within ninety (90) days from the time the proclamation is issued and the returns of such election shall be certified to the Governor in the manner set out above for regular elections, unless the vacancy shall occur in a year that there shall be held a general state or congressional election, in which event the Governor's proclamation shall designate the general election day as the time for electing a Senator, and the vacancy shall be filled by appointment as hereinafter provided.
    (2) In case of a vacancy in the office of United States Senator, the Governor may appoint a Senator to fill such vacancy temporarily, and if the United States Senate be in session at the time the vacancy occurs the Governor shall appoint a Senator within ten (10) days after receiving official notice thereof, and the Senator so appointed shall serve until his successor is elected and commissioned as provided for in subsection (1) of this section, provided that such unexpired term as he may be appointed to fill shall be for a longer time than one (1) year, but if for a shorter time than one (1) year he shall serve for the full time of the unexpired term and no special election shall be called by the Governor but his successor shall be elected at the regular election.
  16. ^ The Hill: Mississippi Dems threaten battle over special election date
  17. ^ http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080120/NEWS01/801200330
  18. ^ http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080115/SPECIAL02/801150381
  19. ^ http://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=7690497&nav=menu119_2
  20. ^ http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=265388&pub=1&div=News
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