On the National level Ted Cruz has made a few moves as of late that certainly would affirm he is planning on a run for the Presidency. The Texas Senator has been crafting a foreign policy portfolio and has moved his Chief of Staff, Chip Roy, from his congressional office to a campaign operation. Indeed, since Senator Cruz played an instrumental role in last year’s shutdown he has narrowed his agenda to focus on international affairs, raising his profile among GOP donors and pivoting away from his reputation as an ultra conservative wreaking havoc inside the halls of Congress. The entire interview with Ted Cruz can be found in National Journal, September 28, 2014 (Nationaljournal.com).
Statewide Saturday is the last day to register to vote in the Nov 4 general election. The Secretary of State’s office reports all Mississippi Circuit Clerk’s office will be open until noon on Saturday, October 4th to accommodate those last minute registration applications. State Representative Randall Patterson of Biloxi switched to the Republican Party on Thursday, Sep 25th , boosting the GOP majority in the lower chamber of the MS legislature to 66-56 with 2015 elections right around the corner. Lt Governor Tate Reeves has made no decision as to who will fill the shoes of the recently deceased Pro tem Terry Brown, a Columbus Republican. The Pro tem is in effect the second in command of the state Senate and presides in the absence of the Lieutenant Governor. The Pro tem chairs the Rules committee, which oversees much of the management of the Senate staff. This position is second in line of gubernatorial succession behind the Lieutenant Governor. (djournal.com) The Southern District Public Service Commissioner seat will be open as the appointee has made it clear he will not run for the seat which was vacated by Leonard Bentz. State Senator Tony Smith is rumored to be gauging support for a run for this post. (Y’all politics) According to Ya’ll politics the 2015 vetting process for a fair number of GOP voters and many significant campaign donors and classify Republican candidates in 2015 will be by who they supported in the Cochran vs. McDaniel showdown. Ya’ll writer Frank Corder’s opinion is high dollar GOP donors aren’t likely to pony up substantial funds to candidates who were embedded within the McDaniel political machine anytime soon. Time will tell whether or not this is the case. I personally know some very good elected officials who were strong supporters of McDaniel. Locally the Republican Women and the Republican Founders committee will host Congressman Steven Palazzo at their Oct 23rd meeting. The meeting will be held at the Crosby Library at 6:00pm. Please make every effort to attend.

By Bonnie Holland