Jess Hogue to run for Mississippi State House 116

 On the night of December 16, Jess Hogue hosted a small reception for about 30 people to promote her campaign for the Mississippi 116th State House of Representatives seat.  The seat, vacated by Steven Palazzo, who himself has just been elected to represent Mississippi in the U.S. House of Representatives, will be filled in a special election on January 11th.  Jess is one of eight candidates in the district shooting for entry in the Mississippi House.

The intimate gathering on Destiny Plantations, an upscale housing development in Biloxi’s Back Bay, was an up-close and personal gathering of friends and family, all in a show of support for Mrs. Hogue.  It was a chance to hear her thoughts on the campaign, as well as her plans for the future.  The intimacy of the evening was highlighted by being personally greeted by Jess at the door, a refreshing change from many political events that seem to isolate candidates from prospective voters.

Jess Hogue enters the fray touting her family-focused, military-friendly, conservative platform.  A mother to five children, she said she “felt lead to run” by the political events and debates that take place today.  In her speech, she said, “You can only yell at the TV so much,” a statement of her desire to make life in Mississippi better than what she sees today.

Her goal for Mississippi is decidedly conservative, and she has concerns that other candidates or politicians may not have the best interest of the people at heart.  ”We need someone who will not compromise [their] morals,” and she wants to see Mississippi become a “pro-life, low-tax state.”

“This isn’t about Republican or Democrat, this is about right or wrong,” she proclaimed, to the verbal agreement and sporadic applause from her supporters at the event.

Howie Morgan, a conservative campaign consultant, has added his experience and clout to the campaign.  Jess said of Mr. Morgan, “I just don’t have the experience in running a campaign, and I need him to help me run.”  Mr. Morgan said of the campaign, “With eight candidates running, you almost never see an outright winner.  We also need to look at the runoff campaign in February.”

He also pointed out one of the oddities in Mississippi politics, “With Jess, there will only be four out of over 200 seats filled by a woman.  The conservative movement in Mississippi needs more women [in their Legislature].”

The special election, meant to fill the void by Steven Palazzo, will be held on January 11, 2011.  Should no clear winner emerge from that election (with a simple majority), the top two candidates will hold a runoff election on February 1, 2011.