State Lawmakers Plan to Run for Reelection this Year

2015 is an election year for state office holders. State lawmakers from local state Senate and House representatives to the Governor plan to run for reelection this year. Most of the state’s current lawmakers plan to run for another term at the capitol.

News 25 caught up with a few of them Tuesday. Many of the state’s lawmakers are going to run for reelection this year. Governor Phil Bryant is one of them. While there’s no apparent forerunner yet on the Democratic ticket, recent polls show the incumbent Governor has a pretty good shot at another four years in office. Bryant says, "Been very fortunate. You’re right, the recent polling indicates people appreciate what we’ve done, how we’ve worked. Progress in government is never immediate. It’s long range, so you’re looking at an eight year plan to really have the transformational change I want as Governor. We’ve been in three years. I’d like to have a second term to finish strong because I think we can take Mississippi to the next level. So we’re going to have a vigorous campaign."

During election year, these legislative chambers are typically quieter than usual, as many lawmakers seeking re-election shy away from taking on controversial issues in fear of isolating voters. Republican State Senator Sean Tindell qualified Tuesday to run for another term on November’s ticket. He believes this won’t be the typical election year. Tindell says, "It doesn’t look like it’s going to be a session where people can just put their head in the sand and act like an ostrich and not see what’s going on around them. Everybody’s getting geared up. There are going to be a lot of controversial issues to come to the floor and we’re going to tackle those issues."

Some South Mississippi lawmakers at the Capitol see this election year as an opportunity to pass legislation to help reduce the cost of skyrocketing home insurance and property insurance across the state. State Senator Michael Watson says, "The issues I was talking particularly about, the catastrophe savings account. Last year, we heard some rumbling around the Capitol that the reason it was killed because we wanted to save something good for election year. That’s dead wrong in my opinion, but at least this year maybe we’ll get it. I’m hoping that the pressure on that, maybe people are paying a little more attention this year so maybe we can get that passed."

This year, south Mississippi lawmakers hold key positions in important committees, such as tourism and state marine resources, influential and powerful positions that often come with tenure and re-election. February 27th is the qualifying deadline for state office.