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Mississippi special election date causes uncertainty
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Race
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| Contributor | ArmyDem |
| Last Edited | ArmyDem Nov 26, 2007 05:54pm |
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| Category | News |
| News Date | Monday, November 26, 2007 11:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | By Aaron Blake | Posted: 11/26/07 03:34 p.m. [ET]
November 26, 2007
The timing of Sen. Trent Lott’s (R-Miss.) resignation has opened legal questions about the date of the special election, which state officials were still trying to clarify Monday afternoon.
Gov. Haley Barbour (R) said in a statement Monday that he would schedule the special election for the same day as the November 2008 general election. State law, however, appears to require an earlier date if Lott retires this year, as he said he would.
While Lott sneaks in under the wire for the extended ban on lobbying Congress by retiring this year, the secretary of state’s office said Monday that state law appears to require a special election within 90 days if he does so.
Conversely, if Lott were to wait and retire in 2008, the law allows for the special election to be held the same day as the general. Of course, he would then be subject to the new two-year ban on lobbying his former colleagues, instead of the current one-year ban.
Secretary of state spokesman Kell Smith said the fact that 2007 was a statewide election year could affect how the language of the law is interpreted. He added that the office is checking that law to make sure the 90-day window still applies. |
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