Mississippi Today

An independent path might be easiest if Thomas Duff runs for governor

Published

1 week ago

June 23, 2024

mississippitoday.org – Bobby Harrison – 2024-06-23 06:00:00

Billionaire businessman Thomas Duff of Hattiesburg might be the ideal person to challenge Mississippi's two-party political system.

Reporting by Mississippi Today's Geoff Pender revealed that Duff is seriously contemplating running in 2027 as a Republican for the open seat of governor.

But what if Duff chose the radical path of running as an independent? Could he win?

Granted, there is no certainty at this point that Duff is even running, and he has likely not even considered an independent candidacy. But Duff would be in a unique position to launch what would be a historic independent campaign that might be the political unknown's easiest path to victory.

Numerous polls through the years have shown that Americans have an unfavorable opinion of at least one of the two major parties and a negative overall view of the two-party system.

But one of the primary obstacles for a candidate not affiliated with a major party, especially in a poor state like Mississippi, is the inability to raise campaign funds. Money would presumably not be an issue for Duff, who owns the Southern Tire Mart chain and has, along with his brother Jim Duff, a reported net worth of $7 billion.

The conventional wisdom is that if Duff does run, he could and would self-finance his campaign. Not many Mississippians could write themselves a check for the $12 million or more that is typically needed to run a serious statewide campaign for governor, but Duff is one of them.

Duff would be much different than any past independent or third party candidate in Mississippi, and a case could be made that he would get more bang for his buck as an independent.

If Duff ran as a Republican, he could face the daunting task of needing to spend considerable funds to battle in a party primary against what could be a crowded field of veteran statewide officeholders.

Instead, he could run as an independent, avoid an expensive party primary and direct his personal funds to a November general election, when he would face the Republican and Democratic nominees.

In such a scenario, a winning equation for Duff might be to siphon off a sizable number of votes from the Republican nominee and a smaller number of votes from the Democrat. And if no candidate obtained a majority of the votes, the top two vote-getters would advance to a runoff four weeks after the general election.

Because of Black Mississippians' allegiance to the Democratic Party, an argument could be made that the Democrat would finish first in the November general election with a little less than 40% of the vote, with Duff and the Republican battling to be the second-place vote-getter and advance to the runoff.

To think such a runoff would not be feasible, remember that in the 2023 gubernatorial election, Democrat Brandon Presley missed a runoff against Republican winner Tate Reeves by about 15,000 votes. And the third-party candidate in that 2023 election did little more than place her name on the ballot.

If Duff made that hypothetical runoff against the Democrat, he most likely would be the favorite. And in a runoff against the Republican, he surely would have a puncher's chance to prevail.

After all, if Duff made the runoff, people would be seeking him out to make contributions, especially if he was campaigning against the Democrat.

Granted, independents don't have a successful track record in Mississippi. There are currently two independents in the state House and just a handful of independents on the local level.

In the past independents faced an even more difficult time in Mississippi because of a constitutional provision that made it virtually impossible for an independent or third party candidate to win statewide office.

Until Mississippi voters changed the Constitution in 2020, if a candidate for statewide office did not garner both a majority of the popular vote and win a majority of the 122 House districts, it was left up to House members to select a winner from the top two vote-getters. It was hard to fathom a scenario where the House would not select the major party candidate.

But now, if no candidate obtains a majority of the vote, the top two vote-getters advance to a runoff.

Independents have won statewide elections in rare instances in other states — Minnesota and Maine, for instance.

Little is known about Duff's policy positions. He served on the Institutions of Higher Learning Board as an appointee of former Gov. Phil Bryant and has donated to various Republican politicians.

But the persona of being a non-politician running for office as an independent could be appealing — especially if the candidate has the money to highlight that persona statewide.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today launches collaboration with JPMorganChase

Published

3 hours ago

July 1, 2024

Staff Editor

The American Journalism Project today announced it is teaming up with JPMorganChase to support local news organizations throughout the country. In addition to providing funding for the American Journalism Project's national efforts to rebuild local news, JPMorganChase is sponsoring eight nonprofit newsrooms nationwide, sharing ongoing financial health content, organizing local events, and providing expertise tailored to their unique challenges to help meet their business and operational goals. This work with JPMorganChase marks the first time the American Journalism Project is collaborating with a financial services firm.

“As the largest bank in the country, this commitment from JPMorganChase sends a powerful signal that corporations can play an integral role in rebuilding local news,” said Sarabeth Berman, CEO of the American Journalism Project. “The investment and scale will infuse resources in a thrilling new generation of news outlets that are working to ensure local news is available to all, strengthening and informing communities.”

“The evidence is clear that a thriving local news ecosystem is key to more civic engagement and a healthy democracy. JPMorganChase believes supporting sustainable models for local news is essential to meeting information needs, strengthening communities and fostering inclusive economic growth,” said Andrew Gray, Managing Director of Regional Communications for JPMorganChase. “The American Journalism Project is playing a key role in supporting the sector by growing local news from the ground up so outlets can independently thrive. We're proud to be a part of this effort, and engage locally to identify the best opportunities where we can make an impact.”

JPMorganChase will work directly with eight local nonprofit news organizations in the American Journalism Project's portfolio, including:

THE CITY (New York City), a nonpartisan news outlet that serves the people of New York through independent journalism that holds the powerful to account, deepens democratic participation, and makes sense of complex issues.
Block Club Chicago, a newsroom dedicated to delivering reliable, relevant, and nonpartisan coverage of Chicago's diverse neighborhoods.
Mississippi Today, which as part of the Deep South Today nonprofit news network is providing free nonpartisan news to inform communities statewide and ensure accountability from public officials.
Cityside (San Francisco Bay Area), a nonpartisan digital news organization building community through local journalism with three local news sites, Berkeleyside, The Oaklandside and Richmondside.
Montana Free Press, a nonpartisan, public-powered news organization dedicated to reaching and serving the information needs of all Montanans by producing in-depth news, information, and analysis.
Signal Ohio, a statewide news organizations with newsrooms in Cleveland and Akron, committed to producing high-quality accountability journalism while working directly with residents to produce and distribute community reporting that is free to access for all
Fort Worth Report, producing independent, factual news coverage that aims to find solutions for community issues and strengthen a diverse and rapidly growing city and home county.
Spotlight Delaware, a community-powered, collaborative newsroom covering the impact of public policy, increasing access to information and civic engagement in historically underserved communities, and strengthening existing newsrooms throughout the state.

“Deep South Today is grateful for this opportunity to partner with JPMorganChase to further build the capacity of Mississippi Today to deliver essential local news to the communities it serves,” said Warwick Sabin, President and CEO of Deep South Today. “We look forward to working closely with them over the long term to achieve a healthier democracy and civil society through journalism that informs, engages, and inspires more Mississippians.”

AJP is the leading venture philanthropy working to address the market failure in local news. It is establishing and advancing a new generation of nonprofit local news organizations across the country. Founded in 2019, AJP is built on the evidence that robust journalism is an essential component of a healthy democracy. To date, AJP has raised $175M from local and national funders to address the local news crisis and has backed 44 news operations across 33 states.

JPMorganChase is a leading financial services firm and one of the oldest financial institutions in the U.S. It serves millions of customers, clients, and communities in 100+ global markets. This collaboration with AJP is part of the bank's overarching efforts to support local journalism.

About the American Journalism Project

The American Journalism Project is a venture philanthropy dedicated to local news. We believe in civic journalism as a public good and are reimagining its future by building a model to finance and sustain the local news our democracy requires. We make grants to local nonprofit news organizations to build their revenue and business operations, partner with communities to launch new organizations, and meteor leaders as they grow and sustain their newsrooms. To learn more about the American Journalism Project, visit our website.

About JPMorganChase

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading financial services firm based in the United States of America (“U.S.”), with operations worldwide. JPMorgan Chase had $4.1 trillion in assets and $337 billion in stockholders' equity as of March 31, 2024. The Firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing and asset management. Under the J.P. Morgan and Chase brands, the Firm serves millions of customers in the U.S., and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients globally. Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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On this day in 1870

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JULY 1, 1870

Congress created the Department of Justice to handle the flood of post-Civil War litigation. President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Amos T. Akerman, whose priority became the protection of Black voting rights from attacks by the Ku Klux Klan and similar groups.

Congress aided that fight by passing additional laws that gave the department powerful tools to fight these violent white supremacist groups. These new laws enabled Akerman to obtain hundreds of convictions across the South. On one day in November 1871, 250 men in a South Carolina county confessed membership in the Klan.

Historian William McFeely wrote of Akerman, “Perhaps no attorney general since his tenure … has been more vigorous in the prosecution of cases designed to protect the lives and rights of Black Americans.”

But instead of rewarding Akerman, Grant dismissed him, and the battle to preserve these voting rights became less of a priority.

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Podcast: State Democratic Chair Taylor remains committed to Biden

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Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison and Geoff Pender interview Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Cheikh Taylor about President Joe Biden's debate performance and the future of the Democratic Party in Mississippi. Taylor, a state House member from Starkville, also expressed hope that the Legislature will finally approve Medicaid expansion in the 2025 session.

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