Mississippi’s Second Congressional District incumbent Bennie Thompson (D) goes back to the United States Congress for the ninth time following his victory in the Tuesday’s Nov. 2 mid-term election.
As of Wednesday morning, Nov. 3, with 94 percent of the precincts reporting, Thompson received 96,405 votes compared to his opponents’ Bill Marcy’s (R) – 58,672 votes and Ashley Norwood’s (RP) – 1,354 votes.
Thompson’s fellow Mississippi congressional democratic incumbents did not fair as well. State leaders ousted Rep. Travis Childers of District 1 and Rep. Gene Taylor of District 4. State Sen. Alan Nunnelee replaces Childers and State Rep. Steven Palazzo unseated Taylor. Taylor had represented Mississippi in Congress for 21 years.
“I thank all of those folks who came out in the rain and supported me,” Thompson said. Although some media reports indicated that the rain affected the turnout, he said the voting turnout was very good in spite of the rain. “As I look at the numbers, the people in the state came out,” he said.
He said, “the Republicans were more energized because they were more focused on the President, who was not on the ballot. They could not see anything but President Obama, which translated into energy.”
That translation of Republican energy nationally caused a number of other House democrats not to be as successful as Thompson. In fact, the 2010 mid-term Elections resulted in a sweeping ‘changing of the guards’ in the United States House of Representatives. The Republican Party gained more than 60 House seats, more than needed to take control. The Democrats have controlled the House for the past four years.
On the Senate side, Democrats barely held control. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D) re-election win in his home state of Nevada gave Democratic lawmakers the edge they needed to maintain control.
What does this shift of legislative makeup mean for our nation? “The President is still the President. He is still the Commander In Chief,” said Thompson. He believes the President will look at his policies and reach out to the Republicans if they want a genuine [working] relationship.
Political analyst and Interim Jackson State University President Leslie Burl McLemore said that Tuesday’s election results set the tone for the 2012 Presidential Election. “It gives President Obama some idea of what he needs to do to fashion his campaign,” said McLemore. “The economy and jobs are essential. He has to put forth [strong] efforts to show that he’s going to work with the Republicans.”
President Obama has already extended ‘the olive branch.’ Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 3, Obama held a news conference regarding the mid-term election. He told reporters, the election “underscores for me that I have to do a better job.” He later added, “If Republicans have good ideas for job growth and driving down unemployment, then I want to try them.”
If the Republicans refuse to work with the President, McLemore said, “He can make them the whipping men and women of Congress, and remind voters that they obstructed progress. I think President Obama can take them to task [in 2012].”
When asked how will Thompson being the only House Democrat from Mississippi affect the state, McLemore told The Mississippi Link, “I don’t see it really having any negative impact on Congressman Thompson’s ability to bring home the bacon to Mississippi. Although he represents his district well, as we all know he does what he can to benefit the state as a whole.”
Entrepreneur Socrates Garrett of Garrett Enterprises Consolidated, Inc. concurred with McLemore’s assessment of Thompson. “Congressman Thompson has demonstrated his ability to hold his position and galvanize the support he needs for reelection,” Garrett said. “He has done a good job and everyone recognizes that. He’s a ‘No Nonsense’ kind of guy who speaks his mind and you know exactly where he stands on the issues.” He pointed out that Congressman Thompson is well respected in Washington and in Mississippi across racial lines.
Thompson has been in Congress since 1993. His political career includes having served as a Hinds County supervisor and mayor of Bolton.
In Tuesday’s election, he won the counties he traditionally wins in his district which includes the Mississippi Delta and portions of Central Mississippi, including Jackson. “All I have tried to do is pass good laws for the people i.e., community healthcare, education, agriculture, etc. and the people did not get discouraged. They hung in there, and the people spoke. Nationally, the people spoke.”
Publisher Jackie Hampton also contributed to this article.
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