Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi
Encyclopedia
The Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi is the local branch of the United States Democratic Party
in the state of Mississippi
. Its headquarters is located in Jackson
which is also the state capitol.
The party has members in all eighty-two counties of the state - each county having an executive committee and officers. The state executive committee is elected by congressional districts - twenty from each district.
In August of the same year, a bus of delegates arrived at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City with the intention of asking to be seated as the Mississippi delegation
The party was formed out of collaborative efforts from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
(SNCC), and the Congress of Racial Equality
(CORE).
The officers of the Executive Committee are Jamie Franks
of Tupelo
(Chairman), Barbara Blackmon of Madison
(Vice Chairwoman), Claude McInnis of Jackson
(Executive Vice Chairman), Mona Pittman of Batesville
(Secretary), Derek McCoy of Tupelo
(Treasurer), and state Rep. Earle S. Banks
of Jackson (Parliamentarian).
Past Party chairpersons have included former Congressman Wayne Dowdy
of McComb, Rickey Cole of Ovette, Jon Levingston of Clarksdale and Johnnie Walls of Greenwood.
Mississippi has two representatives to the Democratic National Committee
: Everett Sanders of Natchez and Johnnie Patton of Jackson. These positions, unlike the officers, are elected every four years at the State Democratic Convention. Both of these DNC members are serving their second four-year terms.
The executive director of the party is Rickey Lynn Cole. Past executive directors have included Sam R. Hall, Travis Brock, Rosalind Rawls, Keelan Sanders, Amy Harris, Morgan Shands, and Alice Skelton.
The state's older citizens are being organized to form the Senior Democrats of Mississippi.
The party is partly supported by the "Yellow Dog Democrats," who contribute to the party on a yearly or monthly basis.
of Billy Nicholson, the majority of the Democratic Party members of the Mississippi House of Representatives
, for the first time in Mississippi history, are African-Americans.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in the state of Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. Its headquarters is located in Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
which is also the state capitol.
The party has members in all eighty-two counties of the state - each county having an executive committee and officers. The state executive committee is elected by congressional districts - twenty from each district.
Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party
Established in April 1964, this branch of the Democratic Party in Mississippi aimed to challenge discrimination based on race in the electoral process. It consisted of mainly disenfranchised African-Americans, although its membership was open to all Mississippians.In August of the same year, a bus of delegates arrived at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City with the intention of asking to be seated as the Mississippi delegation
The party was formed out of collaborative efforts from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
(NAACP), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee ' was one of the principal organizations of the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. It emerged from a series of student meetings led by Ella Baker held at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina in April 1960...
(SNCC), and the Congress of Racial Equality
Congress of Racial Equality
The Congress of Racial Equality or CORE was a U.S. civil rights organization that originally played a pivotal role for African-Americans in the Civil Rights Movement...
(CORE).
Party leadership
A new state executive committee was elected in 2008 at the four Congressional District Conventions and the State Democratic Convention. A new set of party officers was later elected at the first meeting of this Executive Committee.The officers of the Executive Committee are Jamie Franks
Jamie Franks
James "Jamie" Franks was a Democratic member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, representing the state's 19th district from 2000 through 2007. His district included Lee, Itawamba and Tishomingo Counties...
of Tupelo
Tupelo, Mississippi
Tupelo is the largest city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. It is the seventh largest city in the state of Mississippi, smaller than Meridian, and larger than Greenville. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city's population was 34,211...
(Chairman), Barbara Blackmon of Madison
Madison, Mississippi
Madison is a city in Madison County, Mississippi, USA. The population was 14,691 at the 2000 census. The population is currently 16,930. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is currently the highest income city in the state...
(Vice Chairwoman), Claude McInnis of Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
(Executive Vice Chairman), Mona Pittman of Batesville
Batesville, Mississippi
Batesville is a city in Panola County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,113 at the 2000 census.-History:The Land upon which present day Batesville is situated originally belonged to a Chickasaw Indian called Ish-Sho-Nu-Nah...
(Secretary), Derek McCoy of Tupelo
Columbia, Mississippi
Columbia is a city in Marion County, Mississippi, United States, which was formed six years before Mississippi was admitted to statehood. Columbia was named for Columbia, South Carolina, from which many of the early settlers had migrated. The population was 6,603 as of the 2000 census. It is the...
(Treasurer), and state Rep. Earle S. Banks
Earle S. Banks
Earle S. Banks is a Mississippi lawyer, funeral director, insurance agent, and has been a Democratic member of the Mississippi House of Representatives.- Background :Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Banks graduated from St...
of Jackson (Parliamentarian).
Past Party chairpersons have included former Congressman Wayne Dowdy
Wayne Dowdy
Charles Wayne Dowdy is a former United States Congressman from Mississippi, United States Senate candidate and currently chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party.-Early life:Dowdy was born in Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Georgia....
of McComb, Rickey Cole of Ovette, Jon Levingston of Clarksdale and Johnnie Walls of Greenwood.
Mississippi has two representatives to the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
: Everett Sanders of Natchez and Johnnie Patton of Jackson. These positions, unlike the officers, are elected every four years at the State Democratic Convention. Both of these DNC members are serving their second four-year terms.
The executive director of the party is Rickey Lynn Cole. Past executive directors have included Sam R. Hall, Travis Brock, Rosalind Rawls, Keelan Sanders, Amy Harris, Morgan Shands, and Alice Skelton.
Auxiliary organizations
The party has several auxiliary organizations, including the Mississippi Federation of Democratic Women and the Young Democrats of Mississippi. The president of the Mississippi Federation of Democratic Women is Mary Katherine Brown of Warren County, and the president of the Young Democrats of Mississippi is Kate Jacobson of Jackson.The state's older citizens are being organized to form the Senior Democrats of Mississippi.
The party is partly supported by the "Yellow Dog Democrats," who contribute to the party on a yearly or monthly basis.
Current Democratic officeholders
The Mississippi Democratic Party holds one of the eight statewide offices and holds a majority in the Mississippi House of Representatives. Democrats also hold one of the state's four U.S. House seats.U.S. House of Representatives
- MS-2ndMississippi's 2nd congressional districtMississippi's 2nd congressional district is the only majority-black district in the state, covering much of western Mississippi. The district includes most of Jackson as well as the cities of Clarksdale, Greenville, Greenwood, Clinton and Vicksburg...
: Bennie ThompsonBennie ThompsonBennie G. Thompson, is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993, and the ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security since 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
State legislative office
- Democrats currently hold 67 seats and held 68 before a party switch in the Mississippi House of Representatives and 24 seats in the Mississippi Senate. Please see the Mississippi Democratic Party website for information on each legislator.
Changing face of the DP in Mississippi
With the February 2009 defectionParty switching in the United States
In the United States politics, party switching is any change in party affiliation of a partisan public figure, usually one who is currently holding elected office...
of Billy Nicholson, the majority of the Democratic Party members of the Mississippi House of Representatives
Mississippi House of Representatives
The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi....
, for the first time in Mississippi history, are African-Americans.
External links
- Party Website: Democratic Party of the State of Mississippi