Prentiss Co. Chancery Clerk Travis Childers (D) garnered more votes than Southaven Mayor Greg Davis (R), ex-Tupelo Mayor Glenn McCullough (R), state Rep. Steve Holland (D), restaurant owner Wally Pang (I) and prof/farmer John Wages (G). Childers will face Davis in a 5/13 special election runoff. Results, with 100% of precincts reporting (AP, 4/23).
MS 01 Non-partisan Special Election
votes %age
Childers 33,138 49%
Davis 31,066 46
McCollough 957 1
Holland 782 1
Pang 724 1
Wages 397 1
Dems came "extremely close" to picking up a "heavily" GOP seat in the "heart of the conservative Deep South" (Kraushaar, Politico's "Crypt" blog, 4/22), but Childers came just 410 votes short of avoiding a runoff. So voters "will go back to the polls one more time" to elect a Rep. to fill ex-Rep. Roger Wicker's (R) term (Brumfield/Le Coz, Tupelo Daily Journal, 4/23).
Davis was "buoyed by a strong showing" in his base of DeSoto Co., "a conservative and rapidly growing area" just south of Memphis, TN. Childers "fared well" in rural areas (Pettus, AP, 4/22). Childers led voting in 16 counties and won 60% of the vote outside of DeSoto Co., but Davis' 81% margin in his home base was "staggering" Tupelo Daily Journal, 4/23). Childers: "We're just going to saddle up...and start all over again. We're mighty humbled by the good vote all across the district (AP, 4/22).
At his camp hqs in DeSoto Co., Davis "pledged" to spend the next weeks "pointing to the differences" between himself and Childers. Davis said if Childers is elected, he'll "help" Barack Obama "push his liberal agenda across this country and we're going to fight against that" (Tupelo Daily Journal, 4/23). Childers said GOPers "are using 'cookie cutter' criticisms" that they use against most Dems. Childers: "They don't have a message. They've never had a message from the beginning" (AP, 4/23).
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