Governor William Winter Endorses Dorsey Carson

Gov. William Winter's Endorsement of Dorsey Carson for Jackson City Council

MS Dem Third Congressional District EC Letter to DOJ: GOP Map Artist Pledged to Draw Racially Biased Maps

In a letter to the United States Department of Justice's Voting Section Chief Chris Herren, Jackson attorney Dorsey Carson, the chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party's Third Congressional District Executive Committee, recounts that during the 2011 legislative campaign Rep. Bill Denny (R - Jackson) pledged to "decrease the number of minority voters" within his House district.  Those who've followed Denny's career and studied the redistricting maps he drew this past legislative session won't be surprised, but the head of the USDOJ's Voting Division might be.

Bill Denny would be oldest legislator in state history if reelected

In a new column, Bill Minor spends some time on Rep. Bill Denny (R-Jackson), who is facing a rocky reelection battle against defense attorney Dorsey Carson, Jr. Denny has steadfastly refused to do interviews, so we're left with pieces like this one.

In it, Minor describes a campaign mailer Denny's been sending out that tell voters they have the chance to put Republicans back in control of the House for the first time since 1873. (Otherwise known as Bill Denny's senior year of high school.) In his mailer, Denny also says that he wants to throw the "obstructionist liberals" out of the House. (We'll excuse the octogenarian the oxymoron.)

In response to the "obstructionist" term, Minor goes after Denny's refusal to allow Motor Voter legislation to go forward in Mississippi back when he was chairman of the House Elections Committee. (Y'all remember Motor Voter, right? From back two decades ago when MTV actually played music and nobody knew what the Internet was?) Denny's blockage of Motor Voter was the height of obstructionist behavior, costing the state a pretty penny in legal fees.

What gets me, though, is this whole thing about Denny being chairman of the Elections Committee in the first place. Republicans are trying to sell this year's legislative elections as the opportunity to finally bring new leadership to the State. That's pretty rich, especially coming from a man who will be the oldest legislator in state history if reelected.

Dorsey Carson to hold fundraiser tomorrow night

Dorsey Carson, a Jackson attorney, is running against Rep. Bill Denny (R-Jackson) for House District 64. A longtime resident of the district, the younger, energetic Carson should be a tough out for Rep. Denny, who is getting up there in years. Carson is holding a fundraiser Tuesday night at Hal & Mal's in Jackson, and the host list isn't too shabby. Here's a copy of the invite:

Carson Invitation

A new challenge for Rep. Bill Denny

This morning, Jackson attorney Dorsey Carson (D) announced his candidacy for House District 64, a seat currently held by Rep. Bill Denny (R-Jackson).  Carson is a real threat to take this seat, as he is well-connected and will be better funded than any challenger Denny could face.  As an impressive show of strength, Carson has received 133 supportive posts on his Facebook Group's wall in the 14 hours since it was created, and boasts over 1300 members.

This seat is very competitive under the current maps, but less so under the House plan that passed last week.  Currently, District 64 has a black voting age population (called "BVAP" amongst redistricting wonks and the DOJ) of 39.5%.  Under the House plan, the BVAP drops to 26.5%.  In addition to jettisoning 13% BVAP, which traditionally is heavily Democratic, Rep. Denny also picks up Jackson's Eastover neighborhood, which is home to tons of Republican money.

So here's the dilemma for Rep. Denny: if Phil Bryant is successful in blocking the House plan, Denny faces the very real possibility of losing his seat.  If Phil Bryant isn't successful, then Denny likely holds on to office.

Wonder how this is going to play out?