Mississippi College Alumnus Phil Bryant Wins Republican Gubernatorial Primary

Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant

Hours after winning the Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday, Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant returned to the campaign trail to prepare for the November 8th general election.

Issues like economic development and education top his list as Bryant courts voters from south of Memphis to the Gulf Coast.

At this point, Bryant, a Mississippi College graduate and part-time political science professor on the Clinton campus, has clearly emerged as the heavy favorite to succeed Gov. Haley Barbour, observers say.

After grabbing 59 percent of the vote in a five-man GOP primary, Bryant is “the candidate to beat for governor,” declared a front-page headline in Tuesday’s “Clarion-Ledger.”

During television studio visits in Jackson Tuesday night, Republican strategists like Andy Taggart, former Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove and former Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Espy agreed that Bryant is the front-runner in the race this fall.

Bryant’s name has appeared on ballots numerous times, including his re-election bids as state auditor and as a member of the Mississippi House in Rankin County.

The 56-year-old Brandon resident will be tough to beat for either Democratic opponent, Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree or Clarksdale lawyer and businessman Bill Luckett, no matter who wins the August 23 runoff, political analysts say.

“Just to boil it down, he (Bryant) is stronger than 20 acres of cut onions in this state,” said Taggart, a Ridgeland lawyer and longtime GOP activist. “People admire him, they respect him and they like him and the primary results show that.”

When it comes to the November general election, Bryant “will not be seriously challenged by the Democrat nominee,” added Taggart, a Mississippi College trustee and longtime friend of the front-running gubernatorial candidate.

With 99 percent of the precincts reporting, Bryant received 166,854 votes to 72,631 or 26 percent for the closest challenger, Gulf Coast businessman Dave Dennis. Three other GOP candidates, Ron Williams, Hudson Holliday and James Broadwater, received a combined 15 percent of the vote.

Bryant, who earned a master’s degree in political science from Mississippi College, wasn’t the only one with MC connections who fared well on election day.

A member of the Mississippi Senate, MC graduate Lee Yancey will head into an August 23 runoff with Lynn Fitch after he took second place Tuesday in the Republican primary in a battle to become state treasurer. Fitch has served as director of the state Personnel Board. Fitch had 37 percent of the vote to 34 percent for the 43-year-old Yancey.

“Last night we had an incredible victory. Watching those results come in was like watching an exciting football game,” Yancey said on his campaign website. “We came from behind and continued to grow throughout the night. Now we go to overtime!”

Yancey, whose Mississippi Senate District 20 includes Madison and Rankin counties, said he’s got three weeks to “blanket this state with grassroots supporters who make sure conservative voters come to vote.”

Taggart says Yancey “ran a great campaign for state treasurer on a little money and a ton of hard work and relationships. Those are things that make the real difference in down-ticket races.”

Elsewhere, Republican Steve Stanford scored a decisive victory in the GOP primary in his bid for the Senate District 29 seat that spans portions of Hinds County. The district includes Byram, Terry and parts of Clinton and Jackson. Stanford, who serves as Mississippi College’s vice president for administration and government relations, will now face incumbent state Sen. David Blount, a Democrat, in the November general election.

Stanford thanked supporters at a post-election victory party Tuesday night at the Baptist Healthplex in Clinton.