Ricky Bishop
Guest Columnist
The 2011 elections are approaching us Mississippians and all the talk among the political circles is who is going to run for Governor. We all know the easily predictable candidates: Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant, Gulf Coast Businessman Dave Dennis, Clarksdale Attorney and Businessman Bill Luckett, and Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny Dupree. This group of probable candidates includes formable Republicans and Democrats, meaning both primaries are going to be hotly contested. But in the Republican circles there has been one name that has been tossed around as a wild card candidate, and that name is Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann.
Secretary Hosemann was first elected to elected office in 2007 as Secretary of State and has served the state well in that capacity. The rumor going around is that Secretary Hosemann is in the process of deciding whether or not to run for re-election or for Governor in the Republican Primary in 2011. While Secretary Hosemann would make the Gubernatorial Primary very interesting and could very well turn the dynamics of it upside down, I believe he should consider another alternative. I believe he should consider a run for Attorney General in the 2011 elections against the Democratic clone of Mike Moore, the one and only Attorney General Jim Hood.
Why, you ask? Well, as a Republican voter myself that follows politics very closely, I see several advantages for our state and for Secretary Hosemann. The Attorney General’s office seems to be the one statewide office that the Republicans cannot unwrap the hands of the Democrats. Ever since the Governor’s office has been held by the Republicans since 1991, with the exception of the failed Governor Ronnie Musgrove’s four years, the Attorney General has been a big thorn in the side of the Republican Governor. The Attorney General has, on several occasions, failed to act on the wishes of the Governor for pure political differences because of the division of office between party lines.
This is where Secretary Hosemann comes in as a potential candidate for Attorney General. Secretary Hosemann, if he ran, would be the most serious challenger to the Democratic hold on the office of Attorney General in recent history. Secretary Hosemann is an accomplished lawyer with many years of experience and would probably defeat General Hood. Having popular Lt. Governor Phil Bryant at the top of the ticket would help the state out tremendously with a possible Republican Governor and Attorney General from the same party. So how does this help out Secretary Hosemann personally? For one, the Attorney General’s office is a little more high profiled that the Secretary of State’s office which would raise Secretary Hosemann’s profile. Also, Secretary Hosemann’s popularity in the Republican Party would rise tremendously because he would have unseated the Democrat’s long time hold on the Attorney General’s office. A potential Governor Bryant would also be very grateful that not only did Secretary Hosemann make his primary nomination easier, but also solidified the support of the Attorney General’s office for the Governor.
Secretary Hosemann’s biggest reward by taking this path could come in the form of the present of a coveted U.S. Senate Seat. How is this possible? Well, first of all, by not challenging the popular Lt. Governor in the Gubernatorial Primary and then by unseating the Democratic Attorney General, the Republican Primary voters will hold Secretary Hosemann in high regard. Also, it is widely talked about in political circles that current Senator Thad Cochran may very well not serve out his term as Senator which expires in 2014. If this is the case, a potential Governor Bryant would probably show his gratitude for the potential Attorney General Hosemann by appointing him to the vacant U.S. Senate seat, which would give him an edge in a special election. If no resignation takes place, it is also widely viewed that Senator Cochran will not run for re-election in 2014 leaving the door wide open for a new Senator. With Byrant possibly just into three years of his first term as Governor, Hosemann would probably emerge as the Republican front runner for the seat and, if nominated, would most likely be the next U.S. Senator for the State of Mississippi. Not a bad climb for just a two term statewide elected official.
This is all hearsay and is only my opinion, but I believe that Secretary Hosemann should really consider this route as an option. Who knows, this article could just be the playbook to put Secretary Hosemann in a U.S. Senate seat.
Ricky Bishop
Starkville, MS
Co-author, The Friendly Fire Blog
www.thefriendlyfire.info
His column does not reflect the views of Starkville-Now.com.
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