Genealogy research indicates that I'm distantly related to LeSueurs, but ... well, I guess anything is possible. < |:)~
Posted on 09/09/2004 3:24:57 PM PDT by WKB
VICKSBURG
It was a big day last week when a skinny kid from Holly Springs - the 10th of 15 children of a holiness preacher and his wife - walked up to the microphone at the Republican National Convention in New York City's Madison Square Garden.
It will be an even bigger day if Clinton LeSueur actually accomplishes his larger quest: winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from Mississippi's 2nd Congressional District.
In LeSueur's way is a formidable obstacle. Bennie C. Thompson is solidly entrenched after five full terms - and not giving any indication he fears a challenge on Nov. 2.
LeSueur, 33, ran a no-budget, no-frills campaign against Thompson, 56, two years ago. He knocked on doors all across the district's 23 counties, offering his simple, theology-based platform.
For its part, the national GOP, despite talking about a big-tent approach to courting voters, treated LeSueur worse than a stepchild back then. For example, when President Bush visited Rankin County to endorse Chip Pickering in a big hoo-ha two years ago, word is that LeSueur was invited to shake the president's hand - backstage. And while Pickering's staff was spending the donations that rolled in to stave off Democrat Ronnie Shows, LeSueur was up in Greenville, where he now lives, making solo trips to Wal-Mart to buy staples so he could keep tacking up his own green-and-white signs.
It was actually after the 2002 voting that LeSueur started picking up friends. That's because he actually carried six counties en route to polling nearly 43 percent of the vote in a district Gov. Haley Barbour has described as "specifically created for a black Democrat."
So this time around, hopes are a little brighter for the Rust College graduate whose strongest stances are against abortion and gay marriage and for putting prayer back in schools. Those who've never liked Thompson and can't really deal with a liberal Democrat in the delegation from this most conservative state have looked at the numbers. They believe Thompson can be retired to Bolton to live life as the multimillionaire he has become since he was first elected in 1993.
But is 7 percentage points too much to overcome?
It depends.
Across the South, including a record 14 contests in Georgia, black Republicans like LeSueur are challenging the conventional wisdom that they are total freaks or traitors to their race who will get 5 percent, at most, of black votes.
But the point to remember is that they don't have to shatter the lock Democrats have on minority voters. They just have to wiggle it a little. In fact, in some districts only a slight shift - dropping the Democrats' command of black votes to 85 percent - would lead to a Republican victory.
In Mississippi's 2nd Congressional District, about 60 percent of the voting-age residents are black. If one in five of those who cast ballots picks LeSueur, he needs only one other thing to win. He needs the district's white voters - who have never gotten so much as a tip of the hat from Thompson - to go to the polls and vote for him.
That might not happen for a variety of reasons, one of which is lingering racism. Even some Bush voters, who are natural LeSueur voters, will not put a check by a black man's name. Too, because Bush is expected to score a commanding win in Mississippi, a lot of conservatives may stay home.
Another key is the population spread. While most of the district's territory is Delta farmland, where Thompson does well, he has a mortal lock on key precincts in Jackson that never fail to deliver big numbers. In 2002, for example, 30,000 of Thompson's 90,000 total votes came from Hinds. That means LeSueur or anyone else could traipse all over the sparsely populate flatlands - and even pick up majorities in 10, 12 or 15 counties. But if Thompson holds the Hinds boxes, he wins.
This will not be a money race. Even though the RNC granted LeSueur 90 seconds to talk about his love for his district and its people, campaign reports show the incumbent still has $10 in the bank for every dollar available to LeSueur.
No, if he wins, it will not be because of anything his fellow Republicans did. It will be because of his perseverance in knocking on doors. It will be because the Rev. Jeremiah LeSueur of the Tabernacle of Prayer Overcoming Church of God In Christ and his wife, Hazel, not only raised a thin child, they raised one who's gutsy, too.
Genealogy research indicates that I'm distantly related to LeSueurs, but ... well, I guess anything is possible. < |:)~
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Holly Springs..what that is my home town, I can't believe I missed him before.
From the sound of this article he needs some help!
Question: are there any white Republicans in MIssissippi who can campaign with LeSueur around the district..to convince the white voters that voting for this man is the right thing to do, and yet NOT turn off the black voters..Barbour?..
I am a Mississippi ex-patriate now living in Fresno. Last time around, in 2002, we worked for Clinton's election in Vicksburg and Warren County. So did a fair number of other folks....we're white. For what it's worth, Clinton carried Warren County.
I really liked this article.
CBL did splendid without RNC help.
(shame on the RNC)
With RNC help, I believe he will win.
Thanks for the post and ping. ;o)
He's getting my vote.
BTTT
I had no idea you were Italian . . .
Naw.
Black Irish.
< |:)~
He's getting my vote
He'll get both of my votes. :>)
If you two can find two votes for me,
I'd be MORE than happy to throw them
his way. ;o)
I haven't kept up with politics yet.
If this feller's distrct includes Port Gibson, I reckon I'll register to vote next week. I know MS requires we register 30 days out from any given election.
I might still be registerd, hell if I know.
Well Miss Onyx here you are again.
My lucky night finding you twice.
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