Lott to Resign; Mammouth Battle to Ensue
Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott will soon announce his intent to resign at the end of the year according to members of his staff. A new election will be held 120 days after the vacancy occurs. (There is some uncertainty as to whether this would take place in that timeframe or at the time of the general election in November.) Most people will remember Lott for the true statement that he made at Sen. Strom Thurmond’s 90th birthday party, in which he said that we wouldn’t have many of the problems we have today had Thurmond been elected when he ran for President. That has been spun ad nauseam as an endorsement of slavery, but in fact was an endorsement of the kind of limited government of which Lott, in practice, was an enemy. Instead, he should be remembered for his ineffective leadership and willingness to surrender faster than the French on most major issues.
Lott’s departure is likely to set up a battle between Democrat former Attorney General Mike Moore and one of the state’s Republican Congressmen, though it remains to be seen which one. Gov. Haley Barbour would appoint a replacement until the special election can be held, so which of the state’s Congressmen has the upperhand going into the speciail election could be determined by the Governor. Given their records on pork, either one of the Republican Congressmen could well face a challenge from a Club for Growth backed candidate. Should one of the Congressmen emerge as the nominee from that kind of situation, he could suffer from an already depressed Republican base.
Should the nominations go cleanly to the leading candidates, i.e. Mike Moore and Rep. Chip Pickering, Pickering would likely be the early favorite, albeit not an overwhelming one. He had over $760 thousand in the bank at the end of the third quarter even though he announced his retirement from the House months ago. He’ll need that advantage, as the NRSC is in no position to help him out given the fact that it has been dominated in fundraising by the DSCC. Democrats have been looking for places to use their financial advantage, and this seat just might offer them that opportunity.
Especially if the election is held in November, the real significance of this retirement could be less that the Democrats actually will pick up the seat and more that we have to spread our resources even thinner. While we would enjoy a major advantage if the election is held in November, that would probably not be enough to make it a lock in and of itself. It may, however, be enough to deter the Attorney General from entering the race, especially if it looks like Hillary will be the Democrats’ Presidential nominee. That, by extension, could put the race beyond contention.
November 26th, 2007 at 8:53 am
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