A general election was held in Mississippi on November 6, 2007, to elect to four-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 Mississippi Transportation Commission and Mississippi Public Service Commission.
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 would go to the Democratic candidate.
Governor
Democratic primary
Candidates
William Compton, Jr. John Arthur Eaves, Jr. Louis Fondren Fred T. Smith
Results Democratic primary - Governor 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
Republican primary
Candidates
Haley Barbour, incumbent Frederick Jones
Results Republican primary - Governor Candidate Votes Vote % Haley Barbour (i) 184,036 93.1 Frederick Jones 13,611 6.9 TOTALS 197,647 100
Lieutenant governor
Democratic nomination
Candidates
Jamie Franks
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
Phil Bryant, State Auditor Charlie Ross, state senator
Results
General election
Results
Secretary of State
Democratic primary
Candidates
Robert H. Smith Jabari A. Toins John Windsor
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
Delbert Hosemann, lawyer Mike Lott, state representative Jeffrey Rupp Gene Sills
Results
General election
Results
Attorney general
Democratic nomination
Candidate
Jim Hood, the incumbent Democratic Attorney General, ran unopposed.
Results
Republican nomination
Candidate
Al Hopkins, the Republican candidate, ran unopposed.
Results
General election
Results
State Auditor
Democratic primary
Candidates
Todd Brand Jacob Ray Mike Sumrall
Results
Runoff
Republican nomination
Candidate
Stacey Pickering
Results
General election
Results
State Treasurer
Democratic nomination
Candidate
Shawn O'Hara
Results
Republican nomination
Candidate
Tate Reeves, incumbent
Results
General election
Results
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.
Democratic nomination
Candidate
Rickey Cole
Results
Republican primary
Candidate Max Phillips Lester Spell, incumbent
Results
General election
Results
Commissioner of Insurance
Democratic primary
Candidates
Gary Anderson George Dale
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
Mike Chaney, state senator Ronnie D. English
Results
General election
Results
Public Service Commission
Northern District
Central District
Southern District
Transportation Commission
Northern District Democratic incumbent Bill Minor ran unopposed in the general election.
Central District
Southern District
References
Works cited