GOP’s super majority could hinge on coin flip; SW Mississippi Senate Race Still Contested
By Bobby Harrison
Daily Journal Jackson Bureau
JACKSON – A coin toss, or some other game of chance, could determine whether Republicans gain a super majority in the Mississippi House.
A game of chance apparently will be needed to determine the winner of the House District 79 contest, where long-time Democratic incumbent Bo Eaton of Taylorsville and Raleigh attorney Mark Tullos, a Republican, both garnered 4,589 votes, according to a deputy circuit clerk in Smith County.
She said the results were certified Thursday afternoon and forwarded to the office of Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann.
Republicans were hoping the results of last Tuesday’s election would give them 74 members, a three-fifths majority, in the 122-seat House.
Now it could depend on a coin toss.
Under state law, the secretary of state and governor are supposed to determine the outcome of a tie in a legislative election through “the casting of lots,” such as a coin toss or the drawing of straws.
But then either candidate could appeal to the full House chamber to make a determination of who should be seated representing the district, which consists of all of Smith County and a portion of Jasper.
Eaton said he would appeal to Gov. Phil Bryant to call a special session to change the law and then hold a new election. He said “the casting of lots” was not a fair way to decide the election for the two candidates or for the constituents of House District 79.
“The casting of lots is medieval and not suitable for today’s society,” Eaton said.
With the three-fifths majority the Republicans could, for instance, pass revenue bills, such as tax cuts or increases, without any Democrat support if the Republicans all voted together.
Another close legislative election from Nov. 3 is the Senate District 37 race. It appears former incumbent Bob Dearing, D-Natchez, has about a 60-vote lead over incumbent Melanie Sojourner, R-Natchez. Sojourner, who defeated Dearing in 2011, has indicated that she has not yet conceded.
District 37 includes all or portions of Adams, Amite, Franklin and Pike counties in southwest Mississippi.
If Dearing captures the seat, the makeup of the Senate will be 32 Republicans and 20 Democrats just as it was during the past four-year term. Republicans will have actually lost a seat though, as the result of the recent election, because through legislative redistricting, one Democrat incumbent from the past four-year term was eliminated by placing two incumbent Democrats in the same district.
bobby.harrison@journalinc.com
Twitter: @BobbyHarrison9