Congressional Wins Fuel Mississippi College Capitol Buzz

Alan Nunnelee

Congressional Election Day victories by Republicans Alan Nunnelee and U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper generated lots of buzz in Mississippi College circles.

A state senator from Tupelo and member of the Mississippi College Board of Trustees, Nunnelee defeated Democratic U.S. Rep. Travis Childers in the First Congressional District on Tuesday.

Nunnelee served as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee during Mississippi’s worst budget crunch in decades. With 99 percent of the precincts reporting, Nunnelee received 115,537 votes to 84,789 for Childers, a former chancery clerk from Booneville, who was first elected in 2008.

“The people of north Mississippi are very much like the people of the United States,” Nunnelee said in a front-page story in Wednesday’s “Clarion-Ledger.” Added the Tupelo lawmaker: “They’re frustrated with the people of Washington, and they want a new direction.”

Childers succeeded now-U.S. Republican Sen. Roger Wicker, whose wife Gayle, is a 1972 MC graduate, former student body president who formerly served on the Christian university’s board of trustees.

Nunnelee’s win is part of the Republican Party’s pickup of scores of seats to retake control of the U.S. House.  Nunnelee, who’s in the insurance business in Tupelo, has served in the Mississippi Senate since 1995. He and his wife, Tori, have three children, Reed, Emily and Nathan, and attend Calvary Baptist Church in Tupelo.

Not getting as much media attention as Nunnelee’s win over an incumbent, was Harper, a 1978 Mississippi College graduate. A Pearl attorney for more than two decades, Harper defeated Democratic candidate Joel Gill of Canton. Harper received 125,055 votes to 56,401 for Gill with Reform Party candidate Tracella Hill picking up more than 1,000 votes.

Harper, 54, is expected to gain some prominent committee assignments in Washington, supporters  believe, since House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio will likely be the next House speaker in January.

WAPT-16 news anchor Scott Simmons asked Harper on election night which committee assignments he was eyeing, but Harper said he wasn’t ready to say just yet.

Harper first took the oath of office in January 2009 to serve Mississippi’s Third Congressional District in the 111^th Congress. He and his wife, Sidney, have two children, Livingston and Maggie. The Harpers are active members of Crossgates Baptist Church in Brandon where Gregg serves as a deacon and Sunday school teacher, while Sidney, who’s also an MC graduate, sings in the choir.

Harper told supporters at a Jackson hotel he embraces change in Washington. “We have a lot to do,” the 6’ 5” Republican told the “Clarion-Ledger” in Wednesday’s editions. “We’re looking forward to working with a new speaker of the House.”

Minutes after his election to a second term, Harper said next up for the U.S. House Republicans will be repealing this year’s health care plan and reducing the enormous levels of federal spending.

A Mississippi College administrator and longtime political science professor, Ron Howard was delighted to see two people with strong MC ties get elected to Congress.

“We at MC want to congratulate Congressman Harper for his successful re-election and Senator Nunnelee upon his initial election to Congress,” said Howard, MC’s vice president for academic affairs. “Both are good friends and supporters of MC who will serve our state and people well in Washington.”

Both Nunnelee and Harper will be sworn in January. So will Republican Steven Palazzo, who upset veteran 4^th District Congressman Gene Taylor of Bay St. Louis. Second District U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Bolton Democrat, was re-elected on Tuesday. A former Hinds County supervisor , Thompson was first elected to Congress in 1993.