The 2008 United States Senate special election in Mississippi was held on November 4, 2008. This election was held on the same day of Thad Cochran's re-election bid in the regularly scheduled Class II election. The winner of this special election served the rest of the Senate term, which ended in January 2013. Unlike most Senate elections, this was a non-partisan election in which the candidate who got a majority of the vote won, and if the first-place candidate did not get 50%, a runoff election with the top two candidates would have been held. In the election, no runoff was necessary as Republican nominee and incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Roger Wicker won election to finish the term.

Background

On December 18, 2007, U.S. Senator Trent Lott resigned in his fourth-term to pursue "something else" in the private sector.Congressional Quarterly, December 19, 2007 He ended up starting his own lobbying firm.

Mississippi law stated that the Governor of Mississippi had ten days after receiving official notification of the vacancy to appoint an interim senator pending a special election. On December 31, thirteen days after Lott's resignation, Governor Haley Barbour appointed U.S. Representative Roger Wicker.Bloomberg: Wicker Named to Replace Mississippi's Lott in SenateHattiesburg American: Barbour to name leader to fill Lott's seathttp://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071231/NEWS/712310319/1001/news Jackson Clarion-Ledger Senate Pick to be Unveiled TodayWicker launches Senate campaign | clarionledger.com | The Clarion-Ledger

Scheduling lawsuit Barbour scheduled the special election for November 4, 2008. Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, a member of the Democratic Party, issued a non-binding opinion that the election must be held within one hundred days of Lott's resignation (no later than March 30, 2008), and sued Barbour in Hinds County Circuit Court, arguing that Barbour had 10 days to set a special election within 90 days (no later than March 29, 2008).FOX News: Trent Lott Resigns From U.S. Senate After Nearly Two Decades of Service Hood argued the date of the special election to be March 11, the same day as Mississippi's presidential primary. Governor Barbour claimed that the definition of "year" in the law in question is 365 days. Mississippi Secretary of State Eric Clark, the state's chief elections officer and a fellow Democrat, backed the governor's position.The ClarionLedger: AG opinion backs Democrats on timing of election

Judge Bobby DeLaughter ruled that the election must take place no later than March 19.Judge: AG right in election date spat | clarionledger.com | The Clarion-Ledger On February 6, 2008, after Barbour appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which reversed Judge Delaughter and ruled that the non-partisan special election may be held on November 4.djournal.com

General election Candidates Note: Mississippi special elections are nonpartisan. Party labels are for informational purposes only. Ronnie Musgrove, former Governor"Wicker Launches Senate Campaign", The Clarion-Ledger, January 1, 2008 (Democratic) Roger Wicker, incumbent U.S. Senator (Republican)

Withdrew Ronnie Shows, former U.S. Representative from Bassfield (Democratic) (withdrew February 19, 2008) (endorsed Musgrove)

Declined

Mike Espy, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and U.S. Representative from Yazoo City (Democratic) Harvey Johnson Jr., former mayor of Jackson (Democratic) Mike Moore, former Mississippi Attorney General (Democratic)

Former Governor Ronnie Musgrove, former U.S. Representative and Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy, former Jackson mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr., former Governor Ray Mabus, and former Mississippi Attorney General Mike Moore were all considered potential Democratic candidates.Democrat Finally Jumps into Mississippi Senate Race Yahoo! News January 7, 2008 Of the five, only Musgrove decided to run. Former congressman Ronnie Shows also decided to run, but withdrew on February 19, 2008, after determining that he could not raise enough funds to effectively campaign against Wicker and Musgrove. Shows gave his endorsement to Musgrove.Shows out of Senate race for Lott's seat | clarionledger.com | The Clarion-LedgerAssociated Press via The Hattiesburg American, January 5, 2008

Predictions SourceRankingAs of The Cook Political Report October 23, 2008 CQ PoliticsRace Ratings Chart: Senate CQ Politics October 31, 2008 Rothenberg Political Report November 2, 2008 Real Clear Politics October 29, 2008

Polling Poll Source Date(s) administered RonnieMusgrove RogerWickerRasmussen ReportsRasmussen Reports October 27, 2008 43% 54%Rasmussen Reports September 30, 2008 47% 49%Rasmussen Reports August 23, 2008 42% 47%Rasmussen Reports July 28, 2008 42% 48%Rasmussen Reports June 26, 2008 47% 48%Rasmussen ReportsRasmussen Reports May 27, 2008 47% 46%

Results

By county CountyRoger WickerRepublicanRonnie MusgroveDemocraticMarginTotal#%#%#%Adams5,94239.65%9,04360.35%-3,101-20.69%14,985Alcorn9,62466.07%4,94233.93%4,68232.14%14,566Amite3,82152.56%3,44947.44%3725.12%7,270Attala4,92255.66%3,92144.34%1,00111.32%8,843Benton2,27051.70%2,12148.30%1493.39%4,391Bolivar5,06235.05%9,38064.95%-4,318-29.90%14,442Calhoun4,38664.00%2,46736.00%1,91928.00%6,853Carroll3,70464.06%2,07835.94%1,62628.12%5,782Chickasaw4,29949.14%4,45050.86%-151-1.73%8,749Choctaw2,60266.26%1,32533.74%1,27732.52%3,927Claiborne1,10220.80%4,19579.20%-3,093-58.39%5,297Clarke4,78258.81%3,34941.19%1,43317.62%8,131Clay4,81345.29%5,81554.71%-1,002-9.43%10,628Coahoma3,04631.06%6,76068.94%-3,714-37.87%9,806Copiah6,39745.71%7,59754.29%-1,200-8.58%13,994Covington5,03354.73%4,16345.27%9709.46%9,196DeSoto41,36366.77%20,58533.23%20,77833.54%61,948Forrest14,62155.82%11,57444.18%3,04711.63%26,195Franklin2,60456.87%1,97543.13%62913.74%4,579George5,83865.05%3,13734.95%2,70130.09%8,975Greene3,47961.22%2,20438.78%1,27522.44%5,683Grenada5,99355.37%4,83044.63%1,16310.75%10,823Hancock10,37363.43%5,98136.57%4,39226.86%16,354Harrison35,45759.03%24,60840.97%10,84918.06%60,065Hinds35,74333.95%69,53666.05%-33,793-32.10%105,279Holmes2,14523.84%6,85276.16%-4,707-52.32%8,997Humphreys1,59332.11%3,36867.89%-1,775-35.78%4,961Issaquena37942.20%51957.80%-140-15.59%898Itawamba6,79069.99%2,91230.01%3,87839.97%9,702Jackson32,44962.05%19,84737.95%12,60224.10%52,296Jasper3,81642.66%5,13057.34%-1,314-14.69%8,946Jefferson82619.00%3,52281.00%-2,696-62.01%4,348Jefferson Davis2,77539.07%4,32860.93%-1,553-21.86%7,103Jones18,06663.05%10,58936.95%7,47726.09%28,655Kemper1,94138.57%3,09261.43%-1,151-22.87%5,033Lafayette10,65660.04%7,09239.96%3,56420.08%17,748Lamar17,11973.21%6,26626.79%10,85346.41%23,385Lauderdale18,84659.37%12,89840.63%5,94818.74%31,744Lawrence3,80356.17%2,96743.83%83612.35%6,770Leake4,69551.76%4,37548.24%3203.53%9,070Lee22,37564.95%12,07435.05%10,30129.90%34,449Leflore4,20633.28%8,43366.72%-4,227-33.44%12,639Lincoln9,76860.62%6,34539.38%3,42321.24%16,113Lowndes14,48955.27%11,72744.73%2,76210.54%26,216Madison26,92058.78%18,87441.22%8,04617.57%45,794Marion7,72960.78%4,98739.22%2,74221.56%12,716Marshall7,19147.56%7,92852.44%-737-4.87%15,119Monroe9,75257.70%7,14842.30%2,60415.41%16,900Montgomery2,98054.36%2,50245.64%4788.72%5,482Neshoba7,38466.18%3,77333.82%3,61132.37%11,157Newton6,16664.42%3,40635.58%2,76028.83%9,572Noxubee1,85329.42%4,44570.58%-2,592-41.16%6,298Oktibbeha9,89155.06%8,07344.94%1,81810.12%17,964Panola7,19245.74%8,53354.26%-1,341-8.53%15,725Pearl River13,76264.63%7,53235.37%6,23029.26%21,294Perry3,48764.05%1,95735.95%1,53028.10%5,444Pike8,13946.65%9,30753.35%-1,168-6.69%17,446Pontotoc9,23073.68%3,29726.32%5,93347.36%12,527Prentiss6,65262.94%3,91737.06%2,73525.88%10,569Quitman1,42737.08%2,42162.92%-994-25.83%3,848Rankin45,48873.54%16,36326.46%29,12547.09%61,851Scott6,01953.60%5,21046.40%8097.20%11,229Sharkey92034.28%1,76465.72%-844-31.45%2,684Simpson6,84456.50%5,26943.50%1,57513.00%12,113Smith5,48067.86%2,59532.14%2,88535.73%8,075Stone4,38463.10%2,56436.90%1,82026.19%6,948Sunflower3,46232.15%7,30767.85%-3,845-35.70%10,769Tallahatchie2,78842.18%3,82157.82%-1,033-15.63%6,609Tate7,19659.41%4,91640.59%2,28018.82%12,112Tippah6,31567.20%3,08232.80%3,23334.40%9,397Tishomingo5,47767.33%2,65732.67%2,82034.67%8,134Tunica1,26132.34%2,63867.66%-1,377-35.32%3,899Union8,08267.56%3,88032.44%4,20235.13%11,962Walthall3,82251.20%3,64348.80%1792.40%7,465Warren10,84451.75%10,10948.25%7353.51%20,953Washington6,44234.87%12,03365.13%-5,591-30.26%18,475Wayne5,20453.80%4,46946.20%7357.60%9,673Webster3,80071.70%1,50028.30%2,30043.40%5,300Wilkinson1,53133.19%3,08266.81%-1,551-33.62%4,613Winston5,34453.71%4,60546.29%7397.43%9,949Yalobusha3,68455.12%3,00044.88%68410.23%6,684Yazoo5,25448.25%5,63651.75%-382-3.51%10,890Totals683,40954.96%560,06445.04%123,3459.92%1,243,473

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Adams (Largest city: Natchez) Chickasaw (Largest city: Houston) Clay (Largest city: West Point) Copiah (Largest city: Hazlehurst) Jasper (Largest city: Bay Springs) Kemper (Largest city: De Kalb) LeFlore (Largest city: Greenwood) Panola (Largest city: Batesville) Pike (Largest city: McComb) Tallahatchie (Largest city: Charleston) Yazoo (Largest city: Yazoo City)

By congressional district Wicker won three of four congressional districts, including two that elected Democrats. District Wicker Musgrove Representative 61% 39%Travis Childers 36% 64%Bennie Thompson59%41%Chip Pickering (110th Congress)Gregg Harper (111th Congress) 62% 38%Gene Taylor

See also 2008 United States Senate elections Mississippi's 1st congressional district special election, 2008, an election to fill Roger Wicker's former U.S. House of Representatives seat.

References

External links Roger Wicker official campaign website Ronnie Musgrove official campaign website The Real Roger Wicker site critical of Wicker by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Musgrove Facts site critical of Musgrove by the National Republican Senatorial Committee