Jackson Free Press

Smokin' the Polls

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is smoking the polls. Well, one poll anyway. The Raleigh, N.C.-based firm Public Policy Polling, which Democratic pollster Dean Debnam founded, unveiled its findings Friday, Dec. …

How to Win (or Lose) an Election

Johnny DuPree faced an uphill battle in his race for governor this year. As a Democrat running in a state trending more Republican, an African American where people often vote …

PERS Commission Recommends Three-year Freeze on COLA

Verbatim from Gov. Haley Barbour's office:

Verbatim: PERS Study Commission Releases Recommendations for Strengthening Pension Fund

Barbour: Don't Marginalize Women

I'm not sure what Gov. Haley Barbour is "running" for now--vice president? chief of staff?--but I was dismayed to read about his recent speech in which he focused on how …

Presidential Pardons Heavily Favor Whites

White criminals seeking presidential pardons over the past decade have been nearly four times as likely to succeed as minorities, a ProPublica examination has found.

City Crime Rankings: ‘Invalid, Damaging and Irresponsible'

We've been warning Jackson for years about the "dangerous" city rankings scam designed to sell books. Leaders in most cities across American cringe and complain when the CQ Press (formerly …

Child Abuse, Bad Diets Lead to Brain Issues Lead to Crime?

It's kind of one of those scientific findings that ought to be obvious, but here it is: Children who are physically and emotionally abused often become violent criminals. In the …

Doomsday for Black Folks?

By all measures, the state of black Mississippi should be strong. Mississippi's concentration of African American residents, 37 percent, is the highest of any state. Mississippi also has the highest …

Repub Govs: Fear Occupy, Divert Attention from Middle Class to Win

At a Republican governors meeting this week, GOP partisans were warned to keep the subject away from the middle class in the upcoming presidential election—or President Obama will win.

Our Anti-tax Governor Just Endorsed Online Sales Tax

I can't say I disagree with this: The Hill is reporting that Haley Barbour endorsed it in a letter to lawmakers today, urging them to close a loophole that lets …

Ouch: Barbour's Advisers Were Embarrassed to Show Him What They'd Dug Up

Imagine being all set to run for president, and your advisers have dug up so much "opposition" dirt on you that they don't have the courage to present it to …

Former Gov. Waller Dies

Former Gov. Bill Waller has died.

Former Gov. Bill Waller has died.

Go Get It, Saints

Sports have taken a serious turn the past couple of weeks. Games on the field have taken a back seat to the scandal at Penn State. The allegations against former …

Personhood's Next Move

Religious fervor illuminated much of the dialogue at a Yes on 26 event just moments after voters refused to pass a constitutional amendment to declare that people with legal rights …

Shop Local

The Small Business Association encourages Americans to shop at small businesses the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Small Business Saturday, Nov. 26, is part of an effort to get people to support …

Arbor Day, brought to you by Toyota

Gov. Haley Barbour announces Toyota Arbor Day.

The Ole Switcheroo

Flanked by Gov. Haley Barbour and incoming Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, state Sen. Gray Tollison announced that his becoming a member of the Republican Party was the best thing for …

Dems Lick Wounds, Prep for Battle

Mississippi Republicans are still painting the state red in celebration of the party's recent electoral successes. The GOP is maintaining control of the governor's mansion, the lieutenant governorship, the state …

The Lone Democrat

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood celebrated a large victory last Tuesday when he won his third re-election term against Republican challenger Steve Simpson, winning 60 percent of the vote. But …

Local Party Chairs React to Party Switchers

Political leaders at the county level can have tremendous sway in elections. A strong county chairperson can motivate loyal precinct captains to get the party faithful to the polls on …