2007 Mississippi elections

A general election was held in Mississippi on November 6, 2007, to elect to four-year terms for all members of the Mississippi State Legislature (122 representatives, 52 senators), the offices of Governor of Mississippi, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, State Auditor, State Treasurer, Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, and Commissioner of Insurance, plus all three members of the Mississippi Transportation Commission and Mississippi Public Service Commission.^[1]

2007 Mississippi elections

← 2003 2011 →

The election was generally a success for Republicans, as they held all their statewide elected offices, and won the open Secretary of State and Insurance Commissioner seats, leaving Attorney General Jim Hood the only statewide elected Democratic officeholder. However, Democrats regained control of the State Senate and maintained their majority in the House of Representatives, won a 2-1 majority on the Public Service Commission, and held their 2-1 majority on the Transportation Commission.

Mississippi State Legislature

All 122 representatives and 52 senators of the Mississippi State Legislature are elected for four-year terms with no staggering of terms. The state legislature draws up separate district maps for the Mississippi House of Representatives and the Mississippi Senate, usually after the federal U.S. Census. There are no term limits for members of both houses of the legislature.

Results for the Mississippi Senate

Party		Votes	Seats	Loss/gain	Share of vote (%)
	Democratic	171,993	28	+3
	Republican	161,042	24	-3
	Constitution	10,881	0	0
	Independent	3,818	0	0
Total		347,734	52	0	100.0%

Results for House of Representatives

Party		Votes	Seats	Loss/gain	Share of vote (%)
	Democratic		75	0
	Republican		47	0
	Constitution		0	0
	Independent		0	0
Total			122	0

Statewide officer elections

According to the state constitution, a statewide officer must win both the majority of electoral votes and the majority of the popular vote to be elected.

The number of electoral votes equals the number of Mississippi House of Representatives districts, currently set at 122. A plurality of votes in each House District is required to win the electoral vote for that District. In the event of a tie between the two candidates with the highest votes, the electoral vote is split between them.

In the event an officeholder does not win both the majority electoral and majority popular vote, the House of Representatives shall choose the winner. The Democrats held a large edge (73–46 with three vacancies) in the House, thus ensuring that any contested race would go to the Democratic candidate.

Governor

Main article: 2007 Mississippi gubernatorial election

2007 Mississippi gubernatorial election

← 2003 November 6, 2007 2011 →

Nominee Haley Barbour John Arthur Eaves Jr. Party Republican Democratic Electoral vote 78 44 Popular vote 430,807 313,232 Percentage 57.90% 42.10%

County results Barbour:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Eaves:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Governor before election Haley Barbour Republican Elected Governor Haley Barbour Republican

Democratic primary

Candidates

• William Compton, Jr.
• John Arthur Eaves, Jr.
• Louis Fondren
• Fred T. Smith

Results

Democratic primary - Governor[2]
Candidate	Votes	Vote %
John Arthur Eaves, Jr.	314,012	70.3
William Compton, Jr.	52,343	11.7
Fred T. Smith	49,170	11.0
Louis Fondren	31,197	7.0
TOTALS	446,722	100

Republican primary

Candidates

• Haley Barbour, incumbent
• Frederick Jones

Results

Republican primary - Governor[3]
Candidate	Votes	Vote %
Haley Barbour (i)	184,036	93.1
Frederick Jones	13,611	6.9
TOTALS	197,647	100

Lieutenant governor

Mississippi Lieutenant Gubernatorial election, 2007

← 2003 November 6, 2007 (2007-11-06) 2011 →

Nominee Phil Bryant Jamie Franks Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 432,152 305,409 Percentage 58.6% 41.4%

County results Bryant:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Franks:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Lieutenant Governor before election Amy Tuck Republican Elected Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant Republican

Democratic nomination

Candidates

• Jamie Franks^[2]

Results

Democratic primary results^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jamie Franks	288,942	100
Total votes			288,942	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

• Phil Bryant, State Auditor
• Charlie Ross, state senator

Results

Republican primary results^[5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Phil Bryant	112,140	57.3
	Republican	Charlie Ross	83,660	42.7
Total votes			195,800	100.0

General election

Results

2007 Mississippi Lieutenant Governor election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Phil Bryant	432,152	58.6
	Democratic	Jamie Franks	305,409	41.4
Total votes			737,561	100.0

Secretary of State

Mississippi Secretary of State election, 2007

← 2003 November 6, 2007 (2007-11-06) 2011 →

Nominee Delbert Hosemann Robert Smith Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 425,228 304,917 Percentage 58.2% 41.8%

County results Hosemann:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Smith:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

Secretary of State before election Eric Clark Democratic Elected Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann Republican

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Robert H. Smith
• Jabari A. Toins
• John Windsor

Results

Democratic primary results^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Robert H. Smith	307,991	72.2
	Democratic	John O. Windsor	81,464	19.2
	Democratic	Jabari A. Toins	34,409	8.1
Total votes			423,864	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

• Delbert Hosemann, lawyer
• Mike Lott, state representative
• Jeffrey Rupp
• Gene Sills

Results

Republican primary results^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Delbert Hosemann	102,093	53.8
	Republican	Mike Lott	64,879	34.2
	Republican	Jeffrey Rupp	17,838	9.4
	Republican	Gene Sills	4,982	2.6
Total votes			189,792	100.0

General election

Results

2007 Mississippi Secretary of State election^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Delbert Hosemann	425,228	58.2
	Democratic	Robert Smith	304,917	41.8
Total votes			730,145	100.0

Attorney general

Mississippi Attorney General election, 2007

← 2003 November 6, 2007 (2007-11-06) 2011 →

Nominee Jim Hood Al Hopkins Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 439,668 295,791 Percentage 59.8% 40.2%

County results: Hood:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Hopkins:      50–60%      60–70%

Attorney General before election Jim Hood Democratic Elected Attorney General Jim Hood Democratic

Democratic nomination

Candidate

• Jim Hood, the incumbent Democratic Attorney General, ran unopposed.^[2]

Results

Democratic primary results^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jim Hood	316,781	100
Total votes			316,781	100.0

Republican nomination

Candidate

• Al Hopkins, the Republican candidate, ran unopposed.

Results

Republican primary results^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Al Hopkins	132,910	100
Total votes			132,910	100.0

General election

Results

2007 Mississippi Attorney General election^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jim Hood (incumbent)	439,668	59.8
	Republican	Al Hopkins	295,791	40.2
Total votes			735,459	100.0

State Auditor

Mississippi State Auditor election, 2007

← 2003 November 6, 2007 (2007-11-06) 2011 →

Nominee Stacey Pickering Mike Sumrall Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 399,721 327,033 Percentage 55.0% 45.0%

County results Pickering:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Sumrall:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

State Auditor before election Phil Bryant Republican Elected State Auditor Stacey Pickering Republican

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Todd Brand
• Jacob Ray
• Mike Sumrall

Results

Democratic primary results^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mike Sumrall	196,108	46.6
	Democratic	Todd Brand	152,246	36.2
	Democratic	Jacob Ray	72,404	17.2
Total votes			420,758	100.0

Runoff

Democratic primary runoff results^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mike Sumrall	164,980	52.9
	Democratic	Todd Brand	146,807	47.1
Total votes			311,787	100.0

Republican nomination

Candidate

• Stacey Pickering

Results

Republican primary results^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Stacey Pickering	129,561	100
Total votes			129,561	100.0

General election

Results

2007 Mississippi State Auditor election^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Stacey Pickering	399,721	55.0
	Democratic	Mike Sumrall	327,033	45.0
Total votes			726,754	100.0

State Treasurer

Mississippi State Treasurer election, 2007

← 2003 November 6, 2007 (2007-11-06) 2011 →

Nominee Tate Reeves Shawn O'Hara Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 436,833 284,789 Percentage 60.5% 39.5%

County results Reeves:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% O'Hara:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

State Treasurer before election Tate Reeves Republican Elected State Treasurer Tate Reeves Republican

Democratic nomination

Candidate

• Shawn O'Hara^[2]

Results

Democratic primary results^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Shawn O'Hara	278,819	100
Total votes			278,819	100.0

Republican nomination

Candidate

• Tate Reeves, incumbent

Results

Republican primary results^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Tate Reeves	136,145	100
Total votes			136,145	100.0

General election

Results

2007 Mississippi State Treasurer election^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Tate Reeves (incumbent)	436,833	60.5
	Democratic	Shawn O'Hara	284,789	39.5
Total votes			721,622	100.0

Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce

Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce election, 2007

← 2003 November 6, 2007 (2007-11-06) 2011 →

Nominee Lester Spell Ricky Cole Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 371,191 308,693 Percentage 51.0% 42.4%

County results Spell:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70% Cole:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce before election Lester Spell Republican Elected Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Lester Spell Republican

Lester Spell was elected as a Democrat in 2003, but changed his party affiliation to Republican ahead of the 2007 elections.

Democratic nomination

Candidate

• Rickey Cole^[2]

Results

Democratic primary results^[19]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Rickey Cole	284,923	100
Total votes			284,923	100.0

Republican primary

Candidate

• Max Phillips
• Lester Spell, incumbent

Results

Republican primary results^[20]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Lester Spell	102,422	54.5
	Republican	Max Phillips	85,478	45.5
Total votes			187,900	100.0

General election

Results

2007 Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce election^[21]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Lester Spell (incumbent)	371,191	51.0
	Democratic	Ricky Cole	308,693	42.4
	Constitution	Paul Riley	47,647	6.6
Total votes			727,531	100.0

Commissioner of Insurance

Mississippi Commissioner of Insurance election, 2007

← 2003 November 6, 2007 (2007-11-06) 2011 →

Nominee Mike Chaney Gary Anderson Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 415,242 319,287 Percentage 56.5% 43.5%

County results Chaney:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Anderson:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

Commissioner of Insurance before election George Dale Democratic Elected Commissioner of Insurance Mike Chaney Republican

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Gary Anderson
• George Dale

Results

Democratic primary results^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Gary Anderson	242,941	51.3%
	Democratic	George Dale	230,782	48.7
Total votes			473,723	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

• Mike Chaney, state senator
• Ronnie D. English

Results

Republican primary results^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mike Chaney	137,685	79.0
	Republican	Ronnie D. English	36,646	21.0
Total votes			174,331	100.0

General election

Results

2007 Mississippi Commissioner of Insurance election^[24]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mike Chaney	415,242	56.5
	Democratic	Gary Anderson	319,287	43.5
Total votes			734,529	100.0

Public Service Commission

Northern District

2007 Mississippi Public Service Commissioner, Northern District election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Brandon Presley	134,405	57.9
	Republican	Mabel Murphree	97,892	42.1

Central District

2007 Mississippi Public Service Commissioner, Central District election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Lynn Posey	122,417	50.6
	Republican	Charles Barbour	112,782	46.6
	Independent	Lee Dilworth	6,833	2.8

Southern District

2007 Mississippi Public Service Commissioner, Southern District election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Leonard Bentz (incumbent)	139,124	55.9
	Democratic	Mike Collier	109,737	44.1

Transportation Commission

Northern District

Democratic incumbent Bill Minor ran unopposed in the general election.

Central District

2007 Mississippi Transportation Commissioner, Central District election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Dick Hall (incumbent)	126,145	52.2
	Democratic	Rudolph Warnock	115,534	47.8

Southern District

2007 Mississippi Transportation Commissioner, Southern District election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Wayne Brown (incumbent)	133,029	52.5
	Republican	Larry Benefield	120,293	47.5

References

1. "A glance at 2007 Mississippi elections". Picayune Item. March 2, 2007. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
2. "Mississippi Democratic Primary Results" (PDF). Mississippi Secretary of State. Mississippi Democratic Election Committee. August 17, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 31, 2008.
3. Herring, James H. (August 20, 2007). "Mississippi Republican Party Primary Results" (PDF). Mississippi Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 17, 2015.
4. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2009, p. 554.
5. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2009, p. 588.
6. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2009, p. 621.
7. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2009, p. 555.
8. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2009, p. 590.
9. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2009, p. 623.
10. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2009, p. 557.
11. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2009, p. 591.
12. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2009, p. 624.
13. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2009, p. 615.
14. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2009, p. 594.
15. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2009, p. 627.
16. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2009, p. 558.
17. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2009, p. 592.
18. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2009, p. 626.
19. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2009, p. 562.
20. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2009, p. 597.
21. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2009, p. 630.
22. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2009, p. 561.
23. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2009, p. 595.
24. Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2009, p. 629.

Works cited

• Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2008–2012 (PDF). Jackson: Mississippi Secretary of State. 2009.