The national soap opera known as the Republican Presidential Primaries starring Donald J. Trump will likely be passé when it gets to Mississippi on March 12th.
It will definitely be over if Trump, as nearly all predict, clobbers Nikki Haley in her home state of South Carolina on February 24th. (Gosh, even Sen. Tim Scott whom she appointed to the U.S. Senate as Governor has endorsed Trump.) That would make Super Tuesday on March 5th anticlimactic. So March 12th in Mississippi will be like watching reruns.
If Republican challengers in the Second and Fourth Congressional District and U.S. Senate primaries in Mississippi hoped large turnouts might spur upsets, they will likely be disappointed. Interestingly, Third District Congressman Michael Guest, who barely got into a runoff two years ago, has no opposition. First District Congressman Trent Kelly also escaped primary opposition.
In the Fourth District, incumbent Rep. Mike Ezell will be challenged by Diamondhead resident Carl Boyanton and Gulfport native Michael McGill. Boyanton is going at it for the third time. He finished fourth in 2020 with 7,533 votes and fifth in 2022 with 3,224 votes.
In the Second District, Raymond resident Ron Eller, Foxworth resident Andrew Scott Smith, and Jackson resident Taylor Turcotte will seek to become the next Republican nominee to challenge Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson. This will be Eller’s second try. He finished third in the 2022 GOP primary with 4,564 votes.
Sen. Roger Wicker will face two opponents in his primary – state Rep. Dan Eubanks of Walls and Tishomingo County resident Ghannon Burton.
There should be even less excitement in the Mississippi Democratic primaries. President Joe Biden has no opponent in the presidential primary. Vicksburg resident Ty Pinkins, who got 41% of the vote against Secretary of State Michael Watson in November, has no opponent in the Democratic senate primary. Rep. Bennie Thompson has no opposition in the Second District. Gulfport resident Craig Elliot Raybon has no opposition in the Fourth District.
The only actual contest on the Democratic Primary ballot is the First District race between Olive Branch resident Dianne Dodson Black and Hernando resident Bronco Williams. Black won the Democratic nomination in 2022 but lost to Rep. Trent Kelly in the general election with 27% of the vote.
While the Republican Presidential Primaries soap opera will cool off soon, Trump’s Judge Judy series will be getting hotter as his numerous appeals reach the Supreme Court.
On a side note, Mississippi University for Women will not become Mississippi Brightwell University. President Nora Miller is now working to find an acceptable name starting with “W.” This is too reminiscent of President Claudia Limbert’s failed effort in 2009.
Bill Crawford is a syndicated columnist from Jackson.