In the past week, we’ve seen a slew of endorsements between both Jackson mayoral candidates Councilman Chokwe Lumumba and Jonathan Lee. There is no question that the most prized endorsement belonged to Second District Congressman Bennie Thompson of Bolton.

In this 1 minute radio ad that features the congressman’s very familiar hook “He’s the one we need”, Rep. Thompson skewers Lee by tying him to Rankin and Madison County Republicans and referring to Councilman Lumumba as “the real Democrat” in the race.

I’m certain that all of the candidates sought the endorsement of Congressman Thompson but now that he has thrown his support behind Chokwe Lumumba, it will be interesting to see if it will close the gap and and change the trajectory of the race.

LISTEN HERE: Congressman Bennie G. Thompson Endorsement of Chokwe Lumumba AD

They also seem to be matching their email pleas with support and fundraisers from the state party and elected officials. The GOP will be operating continuous phone banks out of their downtown Jackson headquarters now until election day. Gov. Phil Bryant will be stumping and hosting fundraisers for Dan Moreland in Starkville and John McKay in Ocean Springs while Chairman Joe Nosef will be headlining a fundraiser later this month for Fred Pitts in Tupelo. Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves is slated to also hold a fundraiser on behalf of John McKay and I am told Rep. Gregg Harper is planning to stump for Roy White in Philadelphia.

For their part, state GOP officials have targeted what will undoubtedly be the most contentious general election match-ups across the state. State Democrats and other allied organizations have taken notice as well. The Democratic Party along with the Mississippi Democratic Trust have been raising funds in an effort to aid municipal Democratic candidates as well.

Mayor Connie Moran of Ocean Springs, Starkville’s Parker Wiseman, Meridian’s Percy Bland and Jason Shelton of Tupelo are clearly the party’s marquee candidates heading into what will likely be hotly contested races. The Democratic Trust hosted a fundraiser on behalf of Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman in Jackson yesterday and South Forward will be working several of the marquee races on behalf of Democrats including Ocean Springs and Meridian. The field organizer for the state Democratic Party has been handling the party’s volunteer coordination with the various campaigns.

One thing is certain: both party’s recognize the importance of winning on June 4 and how that translates into momentum heàding into 2014 and 2015.

Tupelo mayoral candidate Jason Shelton unveiled his vision for Tupelo at a press conference in front of City Hall on Thursday. Shelton released a detailed nine-page platform document titled “The T.U.P.E.L.O. P.L.A.N.” which outlines what his priorities would be as mayor of the All-America City.

“As a voter, you deserve to know the vision and the priorities of candidates seeking office,” Shelton said. “This platform was developed so that every citizen of Tupelo can know what my priorities will be as mayor and the approach I will take to address those priorities.”

Each letter of T.U.P.E.L.O. P.L.A.N. stands for an element of the platform. The letters in T.U.P.E.L.O. indicate the core priorities that Shelton would focus upon as mayor. The letters in P.L.A.N. stand for governing principles that Shelton says will guide him as he puts his priorities into action.

The T.U.P.E.L.O. priorities are: Transportation, Urban Renewal, Public Schools & Public Safety, Economic Development, Low Taxes, Limited Spending & Less Regulation, and Openness in Government.

The governing principles of his P.L.A.N. are: Public-Private Partnerships, Leadership, Accountability, and New Energy.

The nine-page platform document discusses each of these elements in more detail and is available to the public on his campaign website at www.JasonForTupelo.com

Jason Shelton is a dynamic candidate and his vision for Tupelo is what is needed to continue its growth and prosperity.

In our first segment of our “Power Player’s” series, we interviewed Rep. Charles Busby of Pascagoula and a Republican member of the House Education Committee. With so much of this past legislative session dedicated to charter schools and other education proposals, it was hard not to miss Rep. Busby in the spotlight.

Still a relative newcomer to the Mississippi political scene, Rep. Busby has become the ultimate “rising star” since his ascension to house education committee at the beginning of the legislative session. He defeated former Rep. Brandon Jones by a razor thin margin of 50 votes in 2011 to represent the Jackson County city of Pascagoula in the legislature.

1) MSPOLITICALPULSE: Why did you run for the legislature?

Rep. Busby: Initially I was approached by a group of citizens who asked me to consider it. After weeks of research and prayer I came to believe that my background gave me a perspective reflective of the people of District 111 and provided me a unique opportunity to be their voice. I visited with other legislators from around the state and became comfortable that I could be an effective representative. Once I convinced myself that I didn’t need all the answers, just the ability to ask the right questions, my mind was made up and I submitted the paperwork that day.

2) MSPOLITICALPULSE: What are your top 3 legislative priorities?

Rep. Busby: Coastal Insurance, Education, Economic Development/Jobs

3) MSPOLITICALPULSE: Who is your political role model? And why?

Rep. Busby: I don’t really have one. I just want to help lead our state to fulfill its potential.

4) MSPOLITICALPULSE: How will you work across the aisle to gain bipartisan support for your initiatives?

Rep. Busby: By showing respect to every member and attempting to see issues from their perspective which is what I want from them. I find it frustrating when legislators support or oppose issues for purely political reasons with no regard for the impact of the policy. It would be difficult for me to expect that of others if I don’t do the same for them.

5) MSPOLITICALPULSE: In what way(s) will you take the lead in working to bring economic development and jobs to your district?

Rep. Busby: My priorities of insurance and education have nearly as much impact on job creation as economic development. These form a continuum of issues that are forever linked. It would be futile to address one while neglecting the others. Education is vital to provide social and economic mobility for our children as well as a skilled work force for our businesses so I will continue to work for better educational opportunities for Mississippi’s children.

I have worked to get the Wind pool and the mitigation project on the same page as private insurers and they have successfully adopted IBHS standards for the on-going mitigation program. This will make the program much more beneficial to coastal residents because the mitigation measures taken now will be recognized by private insurers and not just the wind pool. We must strive to bring private insurers back into the coastal market and depopulate the wind pool, once again making it the insurer of last resort. Representative Scott Delano was a big part of making this happen and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention him here.

Over the coming weeks I will be working with our federal delegation to determine the impact of the Biggart-Waters Act of 2012 on our coastal region. This act substantially changes the level of subsidy provided by the federal government for flood insurance. Finally I will be working with MEMA, FEMA and the American Society of Civil Engineers to bring some level of reason to our current wind and flood maps. It is incomprehensible to me why most of Southern Jackson County has to contend with a wind speed of 150 mph and the rest of the coast is 130 mph. This provides double impact by not only increasing the cost of construction but also by creating a larger “Velocity” or “V” zone on the flood maps.

Once the new municipal leaders are in place I will be sponsoring a meeting of city and county leaders as well as our state delegation to discuss the best use of Restore Act funds. I am of the opinion that these dollars should be used to increase our tax base by attracting new businesses rather than building projects that must be maintained by our existing tax base putting an additional burden on our citizens.

6) MSPOLITICALPULSE: Were you satisfied with this past legislative session?

Rep. Busby: What would you like to see accomplished next session? There is always more we can do. I won’t be satisfied until every child in Mississippi has a chance at a quality education. I won’t be satisfied until there is a job in Mississippi for every person that wants one and every able-bodied person who doesn’t want one is off the backs of those who do. I won’t be satisfied until reasonably priced insurance is available for our coastal counties. I won’t be satisfied until we have squeezed every drop of wasted tax money out of our government and put it back into the pockets of our citizens. I won’t be satisfied until the rest of the United States aspires to be like Mississippi.

Rep. Charles Busby is a Republican member of the House of Representatives and her currently sits on the conservation and water resources, energy, education, insurance, judiciary B, ports, harbors and airports and wildlife, fisheries and parks committees. He and his wife, Felicia, reside in Pascagoula

The legislature has seen an unprecedented amount of departures over the past 9 months and we may see a few more before the year is out. Here is a snapshot at possible districts that may see turnover in the near future.

All of these house districts are minority majority thus making them safe Democratic.

House District 55

Rep. George Flaggs resigned from the state house at the beginning the session and announced that he was running for mayor of Vicksburg. As of the moment, he is leading the pack with 50.11% of the vote staving off the need for a run-off. HD 55 lies mainly within the city limits of Vicksburg proper. There will likely be a who’s who running in the upcoming special election which is likely to be held this fall.

The key to victory here is running up the numbers in these vote rich precincts:

Jett

Vicksburg Jr. High

American Legion

Elks Lodge

Auditorium

House District 110

Rep. Billy F. Broomfield won the Democratic Primary last night defeating Mayor Aneice Liddell in a very spirited campaign. Rep. Broomfield in the legislature since 1992 and worked a long time for Chevron Refinery in Pascagoula. HD 110 encompasses all of Moss Point and also a couple of the larger African American precincts in Pascagoula like Chicot and Fair Elementary.

There have already been a few whispers that outgoing Mayor Liddell, former Mayor Ira Polk and others are looking at announcing.

The key to victory here is Moss Point but with a crowded field possible, a candidate who runs strong in the following precincts may eke out a win.

Jefferson Street

Union Hall

Fair

Chicot

House District 80

Rep. Omeria Scott has past what was likely the toughest obstacle which was getting out of the Democratic Primary. She now faces Johnny Magee in a showdown that may put her in line to be the next mayor of Laurel HD 80 encompasses most of Laurel, parts of Clarke County and precincts out of Jasper County including Heidelberg and Paulding.

The victor here has to post strong numbers out of Laurel proper maximizing their votes in the following Laurel boxes:

Shady Grove

Nora Davis

National Guard

Oak Park School

While running strong in Jasper County’s Heidelberg precinct

House District 5

Rep. Kelvin Buck, who has served in the House since 2004, will be the next mayor of Holly Springs. Buck defeated current Mayor Andre DeBerry and is unopposed in the general election.

HD 5 is located primarily in Marshall County and gets all of Holly Springs. The district also covers parts of Lafayette and Benton counties. As is the case in most minority majority districts, the key here is the Holly Springs boxes , while running strong in Benton County’s Lamar Precinct and Lafayette’s Abbeville.

With 94% of the votes tallied, incumbent Jackson mayor Harvey Johnson is firmly ensconced in 3rd place behind Chockwe Lumumba (2nd) and Jonathan Lee (1st). Lee has the lead with 35%, Lumumba has 25%, and Johnson has 21%. The gap between Johnson and Lumumba is 1,300 votes.

Each of them clinched the Democratic nod tonight and are headed into the general election in traditionally safe Democratic cities. We will update.

More to come..

With 85% of the precincts reporting, Bland has clinched the Democratic nomination with over 90% of the vote. He will once again face Republican incumbent Mayor Cheri Barry.

With 100% of the precincts reporting, Rep.Billy Broomfield easily defeated incumbent Mayor Anniece Liddell with 55% of the vote. He moves on to face Independents Dennis Dobbs and John Mickey Mosley.