1999 Mississippi gubernatorial election

The 1999 Mississippi gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 1999, in order to elect the Governor of Mississippi. Incumbent Governor Kirk Fordice, a member of the Republican Party who had been first elected in 1991, was ineligible to run for reelection due to term limits.

1999 Mississippi gubernatorial election

November 2, 1999

Nominee Ronnie Musgrove Michael Parker Party Democratic Republican Electoral vote 86 36 Popular vote 379,033 370,691 Percentage 49.62% 48.52%

County results Musgrove:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Parker:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

Governor before election Kirk Fordice Republican Elected Governor Ronnie Musgrove Democratic

In the general election, Democrat Lieutenant Governor Ronnie Musgrove won a plurality of the vote over Republican Congressman Mike Parker. Per the Mississippi Constitution, since no candidate had received a majority of the vote, the election was decided by the Mississippi House of Representatives. On January 4, 2000, the House voted 86-36 along partisan lines to elect Musgrove governor.[1] As of 2020, this is the most recent election in which a Democrat was elected Governor of Mississippi.

Democratic primary

Lieutenant Governor Ronnie Musgrove won the Democratic primary, defeating former Commissioner of Public Safety Jim Roberts and 5 other candidates.

Results

Mississippi Democratic gubernatorial primary, 1999[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ronnie Musgrove	309,519	56.74
	Democratic	Jim Roberts	142,617	26.14
	Democratic	Richard Barrett	32,383	5.94
	Democratic	Katie Perrone	16,476	3.02
	Democratic	Charles Bell	13,159	2.41
	Democratic	Carrie Harris	11,645	2.14
	Democratic	James W. "Bootie" Hunt	11,572	2.12
Total votes			537,371	100.00

Republican primary

Former U.S. Representative Michael Parker won the Republican primary, defeating former Lieutenant Governor Eddie Briggs and four other candidates.

Results

Mississippi Republican gubernatorial primary, 1999[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mike Parker	77,674	50.72
	Republican	Eddie Briggs	42,763	27.92
	Republican	Charlie Williams	17,176	11.22
	Republican	Dan Gibson	11,348	7.41
	Republican	George "Wagon Wheel" Blair	2,453	1.60
	Republican	Shawn O'Hara	1,728	1.13
Total votes			153,142	100.00

General election

Results

Under the 1890 Constitution of Mississippi, gubernatorial candidates must win a majority of the popular vote. In addition, the Mississippi House of Representatives acts as an electoral college; a candidate must win both a majority of the vote and a majority of the state house districts to be elected.

With neither candidate winning the required popular and electoral majority, the House of Representatives, where the Democrats had a supermajority at the time, decided between the two candidates with the highest popular vote. Parker refused to concede, and the House elected Musgrove 86-36 along partisan lines.[1]

Mississippi gubernatorial election, 1999[4][5]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ronnie Musgrove	379,033	49.62%
	Republican	Michael Parker	370,691	48.52%
	Reform	Jerry Ladner	8,208	1.07%
	Independent	Helen Perkins	6,005	0.79%
Total votes			763,937	100.00
	Democratic gain from Republican

References

1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2012-10-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
2. "MS Governor D Primary 1999". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
3. "MS Governor R Primary 1999". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
4. "MS Governor 1999". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
5. "1999 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Mississippi". David Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved December 2, 2016.