National Journal reported in the "Almanac of American Politics 2008" that Mississippi "is increasingly a Republican state, carried by Republicans in the last seven presidential campaigns." For this year's presidential election the Cook Political Report http://www.cookpolitical.com/presidential predicts that the state's six electoral votes will go to John McCain (Solid Republican).However one of the Senate seats is currently regarded as a toss up. Incumbent Senator Thad Cochran is regarded as safe. It is the second seat which is of concern to Republican strategists. The seat is up for election because Roger Wicker was appointed temporarily to replace Trent Lott, who stood down from the Senate in December 2007.
The two contenders are Senator Wicker and Democrat, Ronnie Musgrove. Senator Wicker is a former Congressman from the 1st District of Mississippi (1995-2007). He lives in Tupelo, the town where Elvis Presley was born. His campaign website is http://www.wickerforsenate.com/. His opponent, Ronnie Musgrove, is a former governor of the state. His website is http://musgroveforsenate.net/home.html
Mississippi continues to have the lowest per capita income in the USA, but the gap is closing. Sixty years ago it was 36% of the national average, but it had risen to 73% by 2005. It is a paradox that the state with the highest illiteracy rate has produced the most Pulitzer Prizes for literature.
