Washington insider's campaign for governor of Mississippi draws GOP heavyweights

SFGATE ^ | Monday, October 27, 2003 | EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS, Associated Press Writer

[WKB]

In a contest cast as a test of President Bush's popularity leading into 2004, GOP luminaries are trooping through Mississippi to promote former party chairman Haley Barbour in his bid to unseat Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove.

Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole appeared in Biloxi and Jackson on Friday to campaign for Barbour, a well-connected Washington lobbyist, Republican National Committee chairman from 1993 to 1997 and member of the George W. Bush's exploratory committee before the 2000 presidential election.

[WKB]

ping

[WKB]

Adorable ping

[nonliberal]

Didn't Barbour work for the UN after his tenure at the RNC?

I still remember those commercials with Barbour telling the US to pay their back dues.

[WKB]

Didn't Barbour work for the UN after his tenure at the RNC?



I don't think so because Musgrove hasn't said anything about it in his adds

[onyx]

Whoa, POTUS and our top guns are really putting themselves on the line for the adorable one.

Take note, Mississippians, Haley has made MS one hot item; a very important state.

Not bad for an "outsider."

[Once-Ler]

The fact that Dubya is stumping for Barbour probably indicates that the internal polls confidently show a victory. If not, it is unlikely Dubya would be going to Miss. The media would play a defeat as momentum shifting against Dubya, and he wouldn't go.

[onyx]

This will be POTUS's "second" trip to MS to campaign for Haley.

Bush's reputation and clout are already on the line.

[afuturegovernor]

I know the Barbour campaign is pretty upbeat about its chances. Its still very close and they are being cautious about any things. Musgrove could try something dirty still. Right now its better to be Haley Barbour than Ronnie Musgrove.

The Barbour will start its 72-hour campaign push soon. Its a plan that the GOP developed in the 2002 election (and it helped elect Republicans in close races like Norm Coleman and Jim Talent.) I think the 72-hour campaign plan will totally out grass roots Musgrove.

[Once-Ler]

Barbours a great speaker, he knows his stuff, and he's got a winning smile. I liked the way he always seemed at ease on news show, even when he was going against 3 liberals on his own, yet he could talk circles around the mainstream media commentators. He is sorely missed on the national news talk circuit. His immediate RNC replacement Jim Nicholson stuttered and didn't know what he was talking about half the time. Marc Racicot was better but I rarely saw him on TV, and the head of the RNC should be getting the message out every chance he gets.

Barbour will make a fine governor I'm sure. He represented the Republican Party very well.