Republicans rolled to victory Tuesday in what could signal the virtual end of the two-party system in statewide races, an expert said.
"We're now a one-party state, just like we were a one-party state before," said David Sansing, professor emeritus of history at the University of Mississippi. "This is back to the future for us."
From Tim Storey of the National Conference of State Legislatures:
Elections were held for legislative seats in six chambers on Tuesday and based on the unofficial, preliminary results and pending recounts, Democrats appear to have clawed to new, narrow majorities in the Mississippi and Virginia Senates...
Democrats appear to have won 28 of the 52 Mississippi Senate races giving them a majority in the Senate although several races are still very close and could wind up being recounted. Democrats picked off three incumbent Republican Senators in the Magnolia State--Sen. Ralph Doxey, Sen. Richard White and Sen. James Walley--but lost one of their own incumbents when Democratic Senator Gloria Williamson lost.
So, wait, yesterday's election results, where Democrats gained control of the state Senate, proved that Mississippi is a one-party Republican state?
I'm not sure whether the story here is the oversimplification of Southern politics or whether legislative Democrats and Republicans are so similar in Mississippi that most observers in the state don't pay attention to who controls the legislature. The Clarion-Ledger seems to take the latter view -- so far as I can tell, they haven't reported on Democrats taking the Senate.
