Very interesting numbers from the counties, or "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated"

Mississippi Republicans have been planning on getting local officials, particularly rural white Democrats, (the folks they deem "the courthouse crowd") to switch parties this year and run as Republicans.  In fact, they've gone so far as to acknowledge that succeeding at this plan is vital to longterm Republican success in Mississippi.

Well, they're failing.

Here are the numbers from 33 counties that contain the folks the MSGOP is targeting:

There are 478 incumbents. Of that number 403 have qualified for re-election, and of that number 390 qualified as Democrats. Two qualified as Independents and 11 as Republicans. Of the seven incumbents who have so far qualified for another position, six of them are running as Democrats.

Yes, you read that correctly.  That's 12 out of 478, or 0.025%.  If that was a batting average, well, let's just say folks would start suggesting that the MSGOP needs a tee.

The 33 counties are Alcorn, Amite, Attala, Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Copiah, Covington, George, Greene, Itawamba, Jones, Lafayette, Lawrence, Leake, Lincoln, Marion, Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery, Newton, Panola, Perry, Pike, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Scott, Smith, Stone, Tate, Tishomingo, Union, and Wayne.