Rep. John Read of Gautier, a Democrat since first winning election in 1992, has qualified to run as a Republican. He will be seeking a fourth term. Read is the fifth lawmaker to switch to the GOP since December, when Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck left the Democrats. Read said he changed parties to better represent his Jackson County district, which is overwhelmingly Republican. He said the decision won't affect the way he votes in the House. "I've always been a conservative," he said. "A lot of people have always assumed that I was a Republican." There are now 82 Democrats,...
