LeSueur's run may not be so quixotic [MS-2]

The Greenwood Commonwealth ^ | March 15, 2004 | The Greenwood Commonwealth

[JohnnyZ]

Tireless campaigner made a strong showing in GOP primary.

Clinton B. LeSueur amply demonstrated in Tuesday's congressional primary that he is no flash in the pan. The indefatigable fellow knows how to get votes.

LeSueur set up a November rematch with incumbent Rep. Bennie Thompson after easily dispatching two challengers for the Republican nomination.

Although the turnout was terribly light, LeSueur did a good job of showing the Republican Party leadership that his campaign will be worth investing in. He more than doubled his vote total from the 2002 GOP primary while capturing 85 percent of the vote.

He still remains a longshot to unseat Thompson, an 11-year incumbent, in a predominantly Democratic district, but LeSueur has made the National Republican Congressional Committee's belief that Thompson is vulnerable suddenly not seem so far-fetched.

The question will be whether the Republicans put serious money into LeSueur's candidacy. Two years ago, LeSueur ran mostly on shoe leather, with the GOP treasure and muscle concentrated on helping Chip Pickering defeat Ronnie Shows in the battle of incumbents in the 3rd Congressional District.

Still, LeSueur, a Holly Springs native who now makes his home in Greenville, took a respectable 43 percent of the vote against Thompson despite being outspent almost 7-to-1.

LeSueur has not stopped campaigning in the interim, going door to door in many parts of his district canvassing for votes.

He offers an intriguing counterpoint to Thompson. Though both are black and come from humble origins, LeSueur embraces the GOP philosophy of personal responsibility and self-determination. LeSueur is more focused on individuals helping and improving themselves rather than letting the government do it for them. He is a cultural conservative, opposed to gay marriage and abortion.

Thompson's brand of Democratic politics is tried and true. He backs government programs that help those in need. He is a master at managing federal money. He walks in lock step with the liberal wing of the national Democratic Party on abortion rights and other social issues.

The most refreshing part of LeSueur's candidacy is that he is racially inclusive, a candidate - unlike Thompson - who is more likely to help unite the races than divide them. In fact, LeSueur's biggest challenge is going to be getting black voters to break their long-ingrained habit of shunning Republican candidates. To win in the majority black 2nd District, he will have to do better than the estimated 12 percent of black voters he attracted in 2002.

LeSueur, no matter how charismatic or tireless, won't be able to win on a shoestring. As of mid-February, he had just $16,000 in his treasury, compared to the $355,000 Thompson had already accumulated in his campaign kitty. If, however, LeSueur can pair the money with the rising Republican tide in Mississippi, he may just defy the oddsmakers.

[JohnnyZ]

http://www.lesueurforcongress.com/

[onyx]

I am going to give him money,
and if possible, work for his campaign.

[WKB]

A MS and Black Conservative ping Combo

[WillRain]

What the man needs is for Alan Keyes to come and speak at a few fundraisers around the state.

Maybe one at Southaven and one in Jackson with the proceeds to go to the campaign. Surely there's nothing that would motivate the average GOP doner in Mississippi more than a chance to knock of Thompson, and Keyes' rhetoric plays VERY well in MS.

[JohnnyZ]

I would imagine that LeSueur would get a great deal of support from Mississippi Republicans this time around. It's not like they have anything else to do.

[onyx]

This is where Governor Haley Barbour holds sway:

THE RNC.

LeSueur will have RNC money and backing.

[Amish]

Good post. Wish this district had another 15,000 Republicans in it.

[mhking]

Black conservative ping

If you want on (or off) of my black conservative ping list, please let me know via FREEPmail. (And no, you don't have to be black to be on the list!)

Extra warning: this is a high-volume ping list.

[AuH2ORepublican]

The 2nd congressional district of Mississippi is 63.2% black, but it would be a mistake to write it off this fall. Black consrvative Clinton LeSueur did a great job in 2002 getting the GOP vote and then some against Democrat incumbent Bennie Thompson, getting 43% of the vote in a district in which Bush got 41% in 2000. But the formula for LeSueur to win the election is obvious: Keep his lock on the (heavily Republican) white vote while increasing his percentage of the black vote.

While blacks comprise 63.2% of the district's population, they probably comprise no more than 55% of the electorate. That means that if LeSueur continues to get 80% of the white vote (which is typical in that part of Mississippi), he would need approximately 26% of the black vote to pull off the upset. LeSueur got only 12% of the black vote in 2002, not much more than what Bush got in the district in 2000, so he needs to convince an additional 14% of black voters to think about the issues involved and not vote reflexively for the candidate with a D next to his name. Most black Mississipians, like most white Mississippians, support traditional marriage, value their freedom to religious expression, do not look kindly upon abortion, and would like a hand up, not a handout. Bennie Thompson does not represent the beliefs of his constituents, and if just an additional 14% of black voters in the district vote based on their principles, they will elect Clinton LeSueuer as the first black Republican to represent a black-majority Southern district in Congress in over 100 years (and the first to represent such district nationally since 1935).

I look forward to contributing to Clinton LeSueuer's campaign and supporting him in any way possible. I never thought I would write these words, but GO, CLINTON, GO! : )

[Coop]

This is where Governor Haley Barbour holds sway: THE RNC. LeSueur will have RNC money and backing.

Very good point.

[Coop]

GO, CLINTON, GO! : )

Ugh! I think we need to convince him to go by "Clint." :-) But he looks sharp, photogenic. I wish him well.

[Constitution Day]

BUMP.

;^)

[bourbon]

I am absolutely going to give LeSueur money. I hope many other MS GOP'ers will too.

[WKB]

I would imagine that LeSueur would get a great deal of support from Mississippi Republicans this time around


Several things are in play this time that were not there
two years ago.
George W Bush will be on the ballot
Haley Barbour is Governor
The RNC doesn't have to make sure Golden Boy Chip is elected this time.
Just to name a few.

[WKB]

Posted by bourbon (in his other world) at March 11, 2004 12:02 PM



Moteworthy.com (The Mote in the Middle Distance)
March 11, 2004
A Moteworthy Congressional Candidate

Remember Gary Franks and J.C. Watts?

Wouldn't it be wonderful if a Southern state could elect a black Republican Congressman like them this November?

Well, it just might happen.

And, if it does, it won't happen in the more "enlightened" climes of a New South Mecca like Northern Virginia or North Caronlina's Research Triangle.

Nope, instead it might just happen in Mississippi. And, not just anywhere in Misissippi either. But in the Second District of Mississippi which stretches from Jackson to Jefferson County north of Natchez and up through the Delta to Memphis--a region which has been aptly described as "The Most Southern Place on Earth" and which consistently rates as one of the poorest Congressional districts in the country.

Who is the man who might just make this happen? His name is Clinton B. LeSueur. On Tuesday, Mr. LeSueur won the Republican Party primary and the right to challenge liberal incumbent Rep. Bennie Thompson (D) in November.

This will be LeSueur's second try to unseat Thompson. Even though he was outspent by a 7:1 ratio in the last election cycle, he still managed to receive 44% of the vote, losing the election by little over 10,000 votes. This time around, there is every reason to believe he will get an even greater share of the vote due to greater funding, name recognition, and party support.

I hope the Republican Party in Mississippi and nationwide gives LeSueur as much support as they can muster during this election cycle. I know President Bush will be busy near November, but I think dropping by Mississippi to help out Mr. LeSueur would be highly beneficial to both candidates.

Besides, this election is critical for the state and the national Republican party. A LeSueur victory would mean the ouster of Mississippi's most powerful, liberal politician and it would send shockwaves through the national Democratic party by demonstrating once and for all the electability of conservative black candidates in majority-black Congressional districts.

Oh, in case you're wondering LeSueur is a true conservative. He has been endorsed by the NRA. He supports the Federal Marriage Amendment, and he's profoundly opposed to judicial activism and abortion.

In case anyone is interested, the LeSueur campaign is accepting donations on his website. I plan to make a donation myself, even though I don't live in his district. In my humble estimation, LeSueur's cause is definitely worthy of our support.

[bourbon]

dude, you forgot the link. ;-)

http://www.moteworthy.com/archives/000202.html

[WKB]

Working faster than I can think again

[Dan from Michigan]

The GOP will need a very strong partisan turnout to win.

If LeSueur came from humble origins AND if he is originally from a black area of that district, that helps bigtime. Then he's one of them.

I think the social issues of Bennie Thompson(pro-abort and gun grabbing) will help LeSueur, especially among the white voters and the blacks who do vote republican. But can he get 7% more of the vote? That's going to be very tough since that 7% is likely all black voters.

On the same note though, has Thompson ever been in a real race? Since it sounds like LeSueur is doing everything right.