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State Sen. Terry C. Burton, D-Newton, said he "was not shocked" to hear reports that Tuck had decided to switch parties. "I have heard all the rumors. If that what she's comfortable doing, I support her all the way. It won't affect her ability to preside over the Senate." Burton said he had been approached over the last two years about a possible switch to the GOP, but he said he had not reached a decision. "It's something worth thinking about and talking about," he said.

He's next for sure. I bet there's a lot more to follow.

For all those annoyed at the lack of an identifying state, I agree. I had no idea who Amy Tuck was or where this article was from until I saw Pickering's name.

Can anyone form MS explain to me the large disparity of Dems to Reps in the legislature there. I understand that southern Rats are slow to change on a local level, heck we just recently took over in Republican South Carolina. But that disparity in a conservative state is huge!

You're right that the Democrats have an overwhelming majority in both houses of the Mississippi legislature. Right now members of the legislature in both houses are broken up into three large factions, liberal (nearly all black) Democrats, conservative Republicans, and the moderate white Democrats. With things as that are now, the liberal Democrats and conservative Republican cancel each other out and that leaves the moderate white Democrats in power. Few Democrats have been willing to switch from the most powerful faction into another less powerful faction - even if it is where they belong.

Republican on the presidential level have done very well in Mississippi. Since the end of WWII Mississippi has only voted for two Democrats for president: Stevenson in the 1950's and Carter in 1976. Republicans have done fine on the Congressional level in Mississippi too. But on those levels it is easy for Republicans to paint the election as a classic battle of liberalism vs. conservativism. In the 2002 Congressional race the major issue was Speaker Hastert vs Speaker Gephart. When elections are striped down to that the Republican win overwhelming.

Local elections are harder to paint in such black and white terms. Issues like abortion and guns that Republican have an advange on in Mississippi are not covered much or as much in local elections.

Things are changing, I think 2003 will be a major breakthrough year for Republicans in Mississippi. Haley Barbour is a political genius. I believe he will destroy Ronnie Musgrove for governor in 2003. Musgrove was barely elected last time and his goverorship has been an embarassment.