Trent Lott is Mississippi’s current Senator and has decided to forgo retirement and run for a 4th term. Lott is very well known for some controversy regarding remarks he made back in December 2002 at Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina’s 100th Birthday party. Thurmond ran for President of the United States in 1948 on the Dixiecrat (or States’ Rights) ticket. Lott stated, “I want to say this about my state: When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We’re proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn’t have had all these problems we’ve had over all these years either”.
Thurmond was well known for the fact that he supported racial segregation so it was assumed that Lott only meant that he supported it too and when he referred to “all these problems” he meant it racially. Lott had also attracted controversy before with issues relating to civil rights. During his time as a Congressman, he voted against renewal of the Voting Rights Act and opposed the Martin Luther King Holiday. Lott also maintained an affiliation with the Council of Conservative Citizens, which is described as a hate group by the ADL, NAACP, and SPLC.
Bet on who will win the November 7th, 2006 senate election
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Bet on who will win the November 7th, 2006 senate election for the state of Mississippi: Trent Lott (REP), Erik Fleming (DEM) or Field (Any Other Candidates)?
Trent Lott (REP): 1/15
Erik Fleming (DEM): 10/1
Field (Any Other Candidate): 30/1
Lott’s opponent is Democrat Erik Fleming. 4 Democrats ran in the June 2006 primary and although Fleming had the most votes, he failed to obtain the necessary 50 percent needed to win. He and the second place finisher faced off and Fleming won. He is a follower of Christ and believes that his decisions will be tempered by his convictions to show mercy, do justly, and walk humbly. His political philosophy is that a politician only thinks about the next election but a statesman thinks about the next generation. He states that he loves the states of Mississippi and when men drew the political boundaries, God traced the lines with his finger. Despite historic and socio-economic challenges Mississippi has faced the citizens have risen above them and Fleming promises to continue that trend. He thinks that if the people vote for Lott to continue his run, he will only continue to segregate the people instead of joining them together to make Mississippi a better place for all.
Many hope that Fleming will win and finally get Lott out of the Senate chair. It was assumed recently that Lott would retire but then he decided to run again. Fleming will have a chance if he uses Lott’s past political controversies against him and the fact that Lott has never been able to get Mississippi away from being one of the poorest states.
Bet on who will win the November 7th, 2006 senate election for the state of Mississippi: Trent Lott (REP), Erik Fleming (DEM) or Field (Any Other Candidates)?
