Cost to attend is $20, payable at the door, and includes buffet luncheon. (Make checks payable to Stennis Institute).  The event is open to the public.

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED BY NOON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 20.  To register, email phil.hardwick@msstate.edu.

LOOKING AHEAD:

Monday, February 6, Lt. Governor Tate Reeves

Mississippi Business Journal Magnolia Marketplace Blog (Clay Chandler):

Congressman Gregg Harper said at the Stennis Capitol Press Corps luncheon Monday that he will vote “yes” on all three ballot initiatives Tuesday.  That was the newsiest item from his 20-minute speech to maybe 50 people at the University Club in Jackson, but certainly not the most entertaining.  Read more… 

AP – Ocean Springs Mayor Connie Moran, the Democratic candidate for state treasurer, said the officeholder must take a more active role in Mississippi’s economic development. Speaking Monday at a luncheon sponsored by the Capitol press corps and Mississippi State University’s John C. Stennis Institute of Government, Moran said the treasurer sits on a dozen state boards – many of which lend themselves to a greater role on economic issues. Read more…

JACKSON FREE PRESS - Connie Moran, Democratic candidate for treasurer, promised to keep the Public Employees Retirement System intact if she is elected. “There will be no tinkering with the 13th … cost-of-living-adjustment check, and I am not in favor of morphing it into a 401(k) type of system,” she said.  Read more…

MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL (Chandler blog) -   Moran opposes all three ballot initiatives.  Read more… 

MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL (video) – View on YouTube – 4:37

NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI DAILY JOURNAL -  Democratic Mayor Connie Moran says she has proven she has the ability to work across party lines to handle difficult issues as mayor of Ocean Springs and says she can do the same as state treasurer.  Read more…  

Looking ahead, on Monday, October 24, we will have the State Treasurer Candidates forum featuring Connie Moran and Lynn Fitch (invited).  More info coming as the date approaches.  On Monday, November 7, Congressman Gregg Harper will be the speaker.

*****

AP:  Both candidates for Mississippi attorney general said Monday that they’re voting for an initiative that would amend the state constitution to say life begins at conception… The two men spoke Monday at a luncheon sponsored by the Capitol press corps and Mississippi State University’s John C. Stennis Institute of Government.
Article at – http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MS_MISSISSIPPI_ATTORNEY_GENERAL_MSOL-?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

CLARION-LEDGER: Both candidates for attorney general say, if elected, they will defend initiatives that would outlaw abortions, require voters to show identification at the polls and restrict the use of eminent domain in Mississippi if voters approve them in November. But Democrat incumbent Jim Hood and Republican challenger Steve Simpson were more reserved regarding their personal views on some initiatives.The two appeared Monday at a press luncheon that was the candidates’ first and possibly last joint event of the election cycle.
Article at – http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20111004/NEWS/110040337/AG-foes-back-personhood-

MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL (video): Mississippi attorney general Jim Hood and his Republican challenger Steve Simpson debate the state’s legal and political involvement in challenging Obamacare.
http://msbusiness.com/2011/10/hood-simpson-debate-obamacare/

MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL (Chandler):Current attorney general Jim Hood and his Republican opponent Steve Simpson both support the personhood amendment.Things are pretty murky after that. The two candidates’ feelings about the three initiatives with which they will share a ballot next month were what I really wanted to learn during their appearance at Monday’s monthly meeting of the Stennis Capitol Press Corps.
Story at:  http://msbusiness.com/magnoliamarketplace/2011/10/03/hood-simpson-duck-major-policy-issues-at-stennis-luncheon/

NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI DAILY JOURNAL:  Both Mississippi attorney general candidates struggled somewhat to answer questions concerning three citizen-sponsored initiatives that will be on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Read more: NEMS360.com – AG hopefuls differ on initiatives health care challenge

ONLINE MADISON (Brian Perry):  In their first and perhaps last joint appearance of the 2011 election, Mississippi’s top lawyer faced off with Mississippi’s former top cop Monday at the Stennis-Capitol Press Luncheon at the University Club in Jackson. Attorney General Jim Hood (D) and his challenger, former Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner Steve Simpson (R) compete in November to serve as Attorney General.
Article at:  http://onlinemadison.com/main.asp?SectionID=3&SubSectionID=3&ArticleID=24172&TM=86369.27

WJTV-TV: (video)  Candidates running for Mississippi attorney general squared off Monday in a political forum.
Story at -http://www2.wjtv.com/news/2011/oct/03/hood-simpson-appear-political-forum-ar-2503285/

WLBT-TV (video):  In about a month, one of two men will become the state’s elected leader in all things legal.  Monday afternoon, incumbent attorney general, democrat Jim Hood faced off against his only opponent, republican Steve Simpson.
Story at – http://www.wlbt.com/story/15606494/first-and-most-likely-last-meeting-for-ag-candidates

FOX40 NEWS:  Both candidates for Mississippi attorney general say they’re voting for a “personhood” initiative that would amend the state constitution to say life begins at conception.
Story at:  http://www.fox40tv.com/news/state/story/AG-candidates-back-personhood-initiative/Uv-mPckPL0a5PdxyewGxmA.cspx

ASSOCIATED PRESS: The two major-party candidates for Mississippi agriculture commissioner said Monday that they support country-of-origin labeling for products such as catfish and beef.Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith of Brookhaven and Democrat Joel Gill of Pickens also both said they support an eminent domain initiative that will be on the Nov. 8 general election ballot because they believe it would protect private property ownership.
Read more: http://www.sunherald.com/2011/09/12/3421441/2-in-miss-ag-race-support-limit.html#ixzz1Xt4daWtS

NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI DAILY JOURNAL: State Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Brookhaven, the Republican nominee, and Pickens Mayor Joel Gill, the Democratic candidate, appeared together during a lunch meeting of the Mississippi State University Stennis Institute/Capitol press corps where they talked in detail about the state’s farming industry.  The candidates were cordial to each other and at no time did the joint appearance become contentious.
Read more: NEMS360.com – Ag candidates have cordial debate

MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL:  Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Joel Gill give their civil but candid pitches for the post of Mississippi agriculture commissioner. (video)
http://msbusiness.com/businessblog/2011/09/13/agriculture-commissioner-candidates-debate/

WLBT-TV:  It’s the state’s largest industry and two candidates want to be the leader who capitalizes on what the Magnolia State has to offer when it comes to agriculture.  (includes video)
http://www.wlbt.com/story/15445810/two-candidates-want-to-be-ag-commissioner

MISSISSIPPI PUBLIC BROADCASTING:  The two candidates spoke Monday at a luncheon sponsored by Mississippi State University’s Stennis Institute of Government agreed on a number of issues, such as supporting eminent domain and country-of-origin labeling for products such as catfish and beef but they also differed on issues such as the role of biofuels. http://mpbonline.org/News/article/ag_commissioner_candidates_square_off 

CLARION-LEDGER (Elizabeth Crisp blog): Both major party candidates for agriculture commissioner say they support a ballot initiative that would restrict the use of eminent domain for private economic development projects in Mississippi.
http://tinyurl.com/6gp5fx8

BRIAN PERRY:  Pickens Mayor Joel Gill (D) and Brookhaven Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) plowed off in a candidate forum Monday hosted by the Stennis-Capitol Press Luncheon at the University Club in Jackson. The two compete on the November ballot for Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce. (Neshoba Democrat column)
http://tinyurl.com/3bdgbra 

*****

LOOKING AHEAD:

October 3 – Attorney General candidates Jim Hood and Steve Simpson

Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal (Bobby Harrison blog):  Republican political strategist Andy Taggart predicted at Monday’s Mississippi State University  Stennis Institute of Government/capitol press corps luncheon that for the first time since the 1800s more people would vote Tuesday in the Republican primary than in the Democratic primary.

Mississippi Public Broadcasting - Every statewide office and legislative seat, is up for grabs today in the primary election. Two popular Mississippi political pundits are giving their predictions on who wins the statewide seats. Republican analyst Andy Taggart says the hottest race to watch today is between Billy Hewes and Tate Reeves for Lieutenant Governor. He expects Hewes to win…but not by much.

Mississippi Business Journal (video) - (Taggart)  In my estimation of this news cycle is that the Dave Dennis campaign never came on … The lieutenant governor’s race is exactly the opposite. (Nash)  There are two rules that will be in play … The first is that the candidate that spent the most money in the last two election cycles won that race… (the second is that) you have a ground-based campaign versus an air-based campaign in the Luckett – Dupree race.. 

MBJ Magnolia Marketplace blog - Political analysts and authors Jere Nash and Andy Taggart offered Monday at the Stennis Capitol Press Corps luncheon their predictions for how Tuesday’s elections will go. Without delay, here they are:

… In the down-ballot races, Taggart was less decisive. He said there will almost certainly be a runoff among two of the three GOP candidates for treasurer,…Nash spent the majority of his time at the podium on the local legislative races. He concedes that it will require a minor miracle for the Democrats to control the Senate. The fight to control the House — something Republicans have made a priority to pave the way for a GOP Speaker — “will be very, very close,” he said.

WLBT-TV - Political watchers like Jere Nash and Andy Taggart say it’s the republicans set to gain to most representation in statewide elections.

Clarion-Ledger - … Right-leaning political pundit Andy Taggart said he expects more people will cast their ballots on the GOP side, rather than the Democratic side, this year…His left-leaning counterpart, Jere Nash, said he thinks local elections will keep more voters on the Democratic side.  ”Many are still voting Democratic in local races,” he said.

Jere Nash and Andy Taggart, authors of Mississippi Politics and Mississippi Fried Politics will offer their predictions on the August 2 Mississippi primary elections at today’s Stennis-Capitol Press Luncheon.  It should be interesting and fun.

Registration is closed for this event, however I will be posting their predictions in this space around 3:00 p.m. CDT today.  I’ll also be tweeting @philhardwick and @jcstennisinst on twitter.com.

Stay cool and don’t forget to vote on Tuesday.

The luncheon is held at the University Club, located at the top floor of the Regions Bank building in downtown Jackson, Mississippi. Although all are welcome to attend, advance reservations are required in order to secure the proper sized meeting room. Cost is $15.00, payable at the door, and includes a luncheon buffet. Make checks payable to Stennis Institute of Government.

A list of registrants for the upcoming luncheon is posted on this site the week before the luncheon. If you plan to attend and do not see your name on the list, send an e-mail to phil.hardwick@msstate.edu. If you need to cancel, please let us know as well by sending an e-mail to the same address.