State & Local Government Policy, Business and Technology

The Democrat Who Could Be Mississippi's Next Governor

Governing: If any Democrat can be elected governor of Mississippi, it’s Jim Hood. The state’s four-term attorney general is the only Democrat who has won a statewide race in Mississippi in the last 16 years. That’s one reason Republicans are taking him seriously. Nevertheless, he faces an uphill climb in this year’s election, and an obscure provision in the state constitution may make it impossibly steep.

In Mississippi, it’s not enough for a gubernatorial candidate to win a majority of votes. He or she must also prevail in a majority of the state House districts. Otherwise, the election is thrown to the House to decide. It’s like a single-state Electoral College system.

Read article