Will Stribling
Party chairmen hope current progress, policy promises drive voters
Mississippi Republicans are going into this election holding all statewide offices and a supermajority in the legislature. Republican Party Chairman Frank Bordeaux says the large number of Republicans on this year's ballot for local-level races bodes well for a high turnout in his party's primary.
"You're seeing a larger number of Republicans on the ballot than we've seen," Bordeaux said. "I believe that's indicative of the job that we've done over the past several years, and I think we're gonna continue to see that grow."
Looking forward to the general election in November, Bordeaux thinks Republicans can win by touting the progress made in the state over the last few years.
"We're going to tout our successes... whether it's job growth in Mississippi, or education gains, we've passed policy over the past four years that's made all Mississippians’ lives better," Bordeaux said.
On the other side of the aisle is Cheikh Taylor, who represents District 38 in the Mississippi House of Representatives and serves as chairman of the state Democratic Party. While he acknowledges that Democrats in Mississippi have an issue fundraising and getting their message out because of it, he thinks they can win on the issues.
“Whether it's cutting the car tag tax, whether it's cutting the grocery tax, and also expanding of Medicaid, those are things that I don't care who you are, what background you come from, if you're rich or poor. Those are ideas that you can really wrap your mind around and sink your teeth into," Taylor said.
A major problem for the party is that there are no Democratic candidates running in many races, but Taylor says they will be contesting those races next time.
There were over 74 contested seats in the state of Mississippi that did not have primaries with Democrats and Republicans," Taylor said. "So we will be challenging those 74 empty seats coming up in the next election cycle."
The polls for today's primary elections close at 7 p.m.
For an overview of the biggest contested races, head to our 2023 primary election guide.
