United States House of Representatives elections in Mississippi, 2006
Encyclopedia
The Mississippi U.S. House elections took place on November 7, 2006. All 4 House seats for Mississippi were up for election with all incumbents (2 Republicans and 2 Democrats) running for re-election. All incumbents succeeded in being re-elected.
Incumbent Roger Wicker
(R) faced political consultant Ken Hurt (D). Wicker has represented the conservative northern Mississippi district since 1995 and has been easily re-elected since. Hurt won a plurality in the Democratic Primary on June 7, but since he did not win over 50% of the vote, he was forced into a run-off with Bill Bambach, the second highest vote winner.
CQ Politics rating: Safe Republican.
Congressman Bennie Thompson
(D) competed against Tchula mayor Yvonne Brown
(R). The Democratic-leaning majority-black district is compromised of the Mississippi Delta and Jackson, the capital and largest city in Mississippi. Thompson first won in a special election in 1993 caused by then-Representative Mike Espy
resigning to become Secretary of Agriculture under President Clinton
. The congressman had generally easy elections except for in 2002 when Republican and political newcomer Clinton LeSueur
won a surprising 44% of the vote. And in this race state representative Chuck Espy (nephew of Mike Espy) competed against Thompson for the Democratic nomination, though Thompson won 65% to Espy's 35%.
Yvonne Brown was nominated by the Republicans without any primary opposition. She was elected mayor of the small Delta town of Tchula in 2001 and re-elected in 2005, which is notable in that she is a black Republican in a very Democratic area.
CQ Politics rating: Safe Democrat.
In a repeat of the 2004 race, Republican incumbent Charles "Chip" Pickering, Jr.
had no Democratic challenger, but faced independent Jim Giles and Reform Party candidate Lamonica Magee. This Republican-leaning district starts in the lower western part of the state and goes through the Jackson suburbs and up to east central Mississippi. Pickering was first elected in 1996 after the retirement of long-time incumbent Sonny Montgomery (D). The only strong challenge he as faced so far was in 2002 when re-apportionment caused Mississippi to lose a House seat. Pickering was pitted against Democrat Ronnie Shows
, the two-term incumbent in the old 4th District; Pickering won with over 60% of the vote. The only candidates running against him this year are independent candidate Jim Giles, an organic farmer and ex-systems engineer known for his white supremacist views, and Reform Party candidate Lamonica Magee.
CQ Politics rating: Safe Republican.
Democrat Gene Taylor, the incumbent, faced Republican Randall McDonnell. This district, heavily devastated by Hurricane Katrina
, covers the Mississippi Gulf Coast and inland areas directly north of it. While the district leans Republican, conservative Democrat Taylor has comfortably won since winning in a 1989 special election caused by the death of freshman congressman Larkin Smith (R). McDonnell is an accountant and ran against Taylor in 1998 and 2000.
CQ Politics rating: Safe Democrat.
Overview
| United States House of Representatives elections in Mississippi, 2006 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | Percentage | Seats | +/– | |
| Republican | 304,308 | 50.66% | 2 | — | |
| Democratic | 260,330 | 43.34% | 2 | — | |
| Independents | 36,059 | 6.00% | 0 | — | |
| Totals | 600,697 | 100.00% | 4 | — | |
District 1
Incumbent Roger Wicker
Roger Wicker
Roger Frederick Wicker is the junior U.S. Senator from Mississippi and a member of the Republican Party. In December 2007 he was appointed by Governor Haley Barbour to fill the seat vacated by Trent Lott. He subsequently won the 2008 special election for the remainder of the term. Wicker served...
(R) faced political consultant Ken Hurt (D). Wicker has represented the conservative northern Mississippi district since 1995 and has been easily re-elected since. Hurt won a plurality in the Democratic Primary on June 7, but since he did not win over 50% of the vote, he was forced into a run-off with Bill Bambach, the second highest vote winner.
CQ Politics rating: Safe Republican.
District 2
Congressman Bennie Thompson
Bennie Thompson
Bennie 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....
(D) competed against Tchula mayor Yvonne Brown
Yvonne Brown
Yvonne R. Brown was a mayor of Tchula, Mississippi.An African-American, she was the Republican nominee for U.S. Congress in Mississippi's 2nd congressional district , unsuccessfully challenging incumbent Democrat Bennie Thompson in the 2006 mid-term election. She received 35.73% of the...
(R). The Democratic-leaning majority-black district is compromised of the Mississippi Delta and Jackson, the capital and largest city in Mississippi. Thompson first won in a special election in 1993 caused by then-Representative Mike Espy
Mike Espy
Alphonso Michael "Mike" Espy is a former United States political figure. From 1987 to 1993, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi. He served as the Secretary of Agriculture from 1993 to 1994. He was the first African American Secretary of Agriculture...
resigning to become Secretary of Agriculture under President Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. The congressman had generally easy elections except for in 2002 when Republican and political newcomer Clinton LeSueur
Clinton LeSueur
Clinton Bernard LeSueur is an American politician and journalist from the state of Mississippi.-Personal life:LeSueur was born and raised in Holly Springs, Mississippi as the son of a Church of God in Christ minister. He now lives in Greenville...
won a surprising 44% of the vote. And in this race state representative Chuck Espy (nephew of Mike Espy) competed against Thompson for the Democratic nomination, though Thompson won 65% to Espy's 35%.
Yvonne Brown was nominated by the Republicans without any primary opposition. She was elected mayor of the small Delta town of Tchula in 2001 and re-elected in 2005, which is notable in that she is a black Republican in a very Democratic area.
CQ Politics rating: Safe Democrat.
District 3
In a repeat of the 2004 race, Republican incumbent Charles "Chip" Pickering, Jr.
Chip Pickering
"Charles Willis Pickering" redirects here. For this former congressman's father, see Charles W. Pickering.Charles Willis "Chip" Pickering, Jr. is a politician in the U.S. state of Mississippi. He represented as a Republican in the United States House of Representatives...
had no Democratic challenger, but faced independent Jim Giles and Reform Party candidate Lamonica Magee. This Republican-leaning district starts in the lower western part of the state and goes through the Jackson suburbs and up to east central Mississippi. Pickering was first elected in 1996 after the retirement of long-time incumbent Sonny Montgomery (D). The only strong challenge he as faced so far was in 2002 when re-apportionment caused Mississippi to lose a House seat. Pickering was pitted against Democrat Ronnie Shows
Ronnie Shows
Clifford Ronald "Ronnie" Shows is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi....
, the two-term incumbent in the old 4th District; Pickering won with over 60% of the vote. The only candidates running against him this year are independent candidate Jim Giles, an organic farmer and ex-systems engineer known for his white supremacist views, and Reform Party candidate Lamonica Magee.
CQ Politics rating: Safe Republican.
District 4
Democrat Gene Taylor, the incumbent, faced Republican Randall McDonnell. This district, heavily devastated by Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, covers the Mississippi Gulf Coast and inland areas directly north of it. While the district leans Republican, conservative Democrat Taylor has comfortably won since winning in a 1989 special election caused by the death of freshman congressman Larkin Smith (R). McDonnell is an accountant and ran against Taylor in 1998 and 2000.
CQ Politics rating: Safe Democrat.