2007 Mississippi elections
A general election was held in Mississippi on November 6, 2007, to elect to 4 year terms for all members of the Mississippi State Legislature (122 representatives, 52 senators), the offices of Governor of Mississippi, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, State Auditor, State Treasurer, Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, and Commissioner of Insurance, plus all three members of the Transportation Commission and Mississippi Public Service Commission.[1]
| Elections in Mississippi |
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The election was generally a success for Republicans, as they held all their statewide elected offices, and won the open Secretary of State and Insurance Commissioner seats, leaving Attorney General Jim Hood the only statewide elected Democratic officeholder. However, Democrats regained control of the State Senate and maintained their majority in the House of Representatives, won a 2-1 majority on the Public Service Commission, and held their 2-1 majority on the Transportation Commission.
Mississippi State Legislature
All 122 representatives and 52 senators of the Mississippi State Legislature are elected for four-year terms with no staggering of terms. The state legislature draws up separate district maps for the Mississippi House of Representatives and the Mississippi Senate, usually after the federal U.S. Census. There are no term limits for members of both houses of the legislature.
Results for the Mississippi Senate
| Party | Votes | Seats | Loss/Gain | Share of Vote (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 171,993 | 28 | +3 | ||
| Republican | 161,042 | 24 | -3 | ||
| Constitution | 10,881 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Independent | 3,818 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 347,734 | 52 | 0 | 100.0% | |
Results for House of Representatives
| Party | Votes | Seats | Loss/Gain | Share of Vote (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 75 | 0 | |||
| Republican | 47 | 0 | |||
| Constitution | 0 | 0 | |||
| Independent | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 122 | 0 | |||
Statewide officer elections
According to the state constitution, a statewide officer must win both the majority of electoral votes and the majority of the popular vote to be elected.
The number of electoral votes equals the number of Mississippi House of Representatives districts, currently set at 122. A plurality of votes in each House District is required to win the electoral vote for that District. In the event of a tie between the two candidates with the highest votes, the electoral vote is split between them.
In the event an officeholder does not win both the majority electoral and majority popular vote, the House of Representatives shall choose the winner. The Democrats held a large edge (73–46 with three vacancies) in the House, thus ensuring that any contested race will go to the Democratic candidate.
Governor
Candidates
- John Arthur Eaves, Jr.
- William Compton, Jr.
- Fred T. Smith
- Louis Fondren
Results
| Democratic primary - Governor[2] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Vote % |
| John Arthur Eaves, Jr. | 314,012 | 70.3% |
| William Compton, Jr. | 52,343 | 11.7% |
| Fred T. Smith | 49,170 | 11.0% |
| Louis Fondren | 31,197 | 7.0% |
| TOTALS | 446,722 | 100% |
Candidates
- Haley Barbour, incumbent
- Frederick Jones
Results
| Republican primary - Governor[3] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Vote % |
| Haley Barbour (i) | 184,036 | 93.1% |
| Frederick Jones | 13,611 | 6.9% |
| TOTALS | 197,647 | 100% |
Lieutenant governor
Candidates
Candidates
- Phil Bryant
- Charlie Ross
Results
| Republican primary - Lieutenant Governor[3] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Vote % |
| Phil Bryant | 112,140 | 57.1% |
| Charlie Ross | 84,110 | 42.9% |
| TOTALS | 196,250 | 100% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Phil Bryant | 431,747 | 58.6 | -1.4 | |
| Democratic | Jamie Franks | 305,409 | 41.4 | +4.3 | |
Secretary of State
Candidates
- Robert H. Smith
- Jabari A. Toins
- John Windsor
Results
| Democratic primary - Secretary of State[2] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Vote % |
| Robert H. Smith | 308,003 | 72.7% |
| Jabari A. Toins | 34,409 | 8.1% |
| John Windsor | 81,464 | 19.2% |
| TOTALS | 423,876 | 100% |
Candidates
- Delbert Hosemann
- Mike Lott
- Jeffrey Rupp
- Gene Sills
Results
| Republican primary - Secretary of State[3] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Vote % |
| Delbert Hosemann | 102,093 | 53.8% |
| Mike Lott | 61,697 | 32.5% |
| Jeffrey Rupp | 17,838 | 9.4% |
| Gene Sills | 8,128 | 4.3% |
| TOTALS | 189,756 | 100% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Delbert Hosemann | 425,228 | 58.2 | +34.7 | |
| Democratic | Robert Smith | 304,918 | 41.8 | -29.2 | |
Attorney general
Candidate
- Al Hopkins, the Republican candidate, ran unopposed.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jim Hood (Incumbent) | 440,017 | 59.8 | -2.9 | |
| Republican | Al Hopkins | 295,516 | 40.2 | +2.9 | |
State Auditor
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Stacey Pickering | 399,279 | 55.0 | -21.3 | |
| Democratic | Mike Sumrall | 327,033 | 45.0 | +21.3 | |
State Treasurer
Candidate
- Shawn O'Hara[2]
Candidate
- Tate Reeves, incumbent
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tate Reeves (incumbent) | 436,833 | 60.5 | +8.7 | |
| Democratic | Shawn O'Hara | 284,789 | 39.5 | -7.1 | |
Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce
Lester Spell was elected as a Democrat in 2003, but changed his party affiliation to Republican ahead of the 2007 elections.
Candidate
- Rickey Cole[2]
Candidate
- Lester Spell, incumbent
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Lester Spell (incumbent) | 371,191 | 51.0 | n/a | |
| Democratic | Ricky Cole | 308,693 | 42.4 | n/a | |
| Constitution | Paul Riley | 47,647 | 6.6 | n/a | |
Commissioner of Insurance
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Chaney | 414,718 | 56.5 | +31.7 | |
| Democratic | Gary Anderson | 319,287 | 43.5 | -27.9 | |
Public Service Commission
Northern District
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brandon Presley | 134,405 | 57.9 | ||
| Republican | Mabel Murphree | 97,892 | 42.1 | ||
Central District
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lynn Posey | 122,417 | 50.6 | ||
| Republican | Charles Barbour | 112,782 | 46.6 | ||
| Independent | Lee Dilworth | 6,833 | 2.8 | ||
Southern District
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Leonard Bentz (incumbent) | 139,124 | 55.9 | ||
| Democratic | Mike Collier | 109,737 | 44.1 | ||
Transportation Commission
Northern District
Democratic incumbent Bill Minor ran unopposed in the general election.
Central District
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dick Hall (incumbent) | 126,145 | 52.2 | ||
| Democratic | Rudolph Warnock | 115,534 | 47.8 | ||
Southern District
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Wayne Brown (incumbent) | 133,029 | 52.5 | ||
| Republican | Larry Benefield | 120,293 | 47.5 | ||
References
- "A glance at 2007 Mississippi elections". Picayune Item. March 2, 2007. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- "Mississippi Democratic Primary Results" (PDF). Mississippi Secretary of State. Mississippi Democratic Election Committee. August 17, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 31, 2008.
- Herring, James H. (August 20, 2007). "Mississippi Republican Party Primary Results" (PDF). Mississippi Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 17, 2015.