Ronnie Musgrove: The 2008 Special Election for the US Senate

Ronnie Musgrove has dedicated his life to serving the people of Mississippi. For over two decades, he's taken a leading role in the State to improve education, expand economic development, and ensure that government lives within its means.
In 2008 he ran for the U.S. Senate to change the way Washington works and restore honesty and integrity to our government.

This was his website for the 2008 campaign.
Content is from the site's 2008 archived pages.

Campaign Headquarters
921 N. President St. - Suite A
Jackson, MS 39202
(601) 592-5047

Mailing Address
P.O. Box 24477
Jackson, MS 39225-4477

 

Washington Isn't Working

Mississippi needs a senator determined to change the Washington way of doing things, because it's hurting Mississippi and every other state in this country.

There is a complete disconnect between what they argue about in Washington and what people worry about at home. But I hear you. That's why I'm running for the U.S. Senate.

Join me and together we'll change the direction of Mississippi and our nation.

Gov. Ronnie Musgrove
Candidate for U.S. Senate



 

An aside: I followed Gov. Ronnie Musgrove's campaign from its start to his defeat by incumbent Senator Roger Wicker in a 2008 special election for one of Mississippi's seats in the U.S. Senate. His opponent, Republican candidate Roger Wicker, was appointed to the position by Governor Haley Barbour when Trent Lott resigned.

All I can say is thank goodness for the wonderful hair alternatives that most of us refer to as wigs. Without my Raquel Welch wigs saving me from any bad hair days when I was doing live on camera reports, I don't know what I would have done- perhaps wear a hat all the time. I don't think so. I can't understand how any professional woman doesn't have a least a couple of wigs in her arsenal of "looking good" under all and any circumstances back up. I happen to like the Raquel Welch wig brand, but there are certainly other wig manufacturers that offer stylish looking wigs for the professional woman. Heck, you don't even have to have a job. What a great option ( a wig) when you simply don't have the energy, or more likely the time to coif one's unruly hair.

Getting back to the campaign... In 2000 and 2004, Mississippi overwhelmingly supported George W. Bush by a nearly 60 percent margin. Despite some polling showing Republican Sen. Roger Wicker with a comfortable lead over former Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, both campaigns agreed the race was going to come down to every last vote. An exciting presidential election was also proceeding at the same time and some folks was hoping that with an African-American (Obama) at the top of the Democratic ticket, the prospect was high for all Democrats to win big in November. Unfortunately for Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, his campaign fell short of that goal.

Once the elections were over I took a well needed vacation. Several months before the end of the campaign I looked into The Whaler Resort in Kaanapali on the Hawaiian island of Maui. This Maui resort looked perfect for relaxing. I could spend my days sunbathing or snorkeling on the three mile beach right out in front of the resort which is exactly what I did for the first four days. Once I had decompressed I then started tp explore other aspects of the island. I did a sunrise watch at the top of the Haleakala crater followed by a 24 mile downhill bike tour. A stupendous adventure. Every night I would relax on the rental's lanai sipping wine and watching the sunset. I don't happen to play golf so I couldn't take advantage of the two world class golf courses located in Kaanapali. However I did stroll some of the links in the early evening after all play had stopped. By the end of two weeks I was refreshed and ready to get back to my job.

 



Issues

 

Mississippians are feeling pain at the pump every day. And we need relief. But Washington has done nothing.

Roger Wicker has been in Washington for 14 years, gas prices have gone up and he's done nothing until now - right before the election. And the measures he is talking about won't end our dependence on foreign oil or lower gas prices in the short term.

Ronnie Musgrove has called for a comprehensive plan that will lower gas prices now and lead to energy independence. It includes increasing fuel efficiency standards for our vehicles and more drilling.

We can end our dependency on foreign oil:

  • Increasing fuel efficiency standards on cars and trucks to save consumers thousands of dollars in fuel costs annually
  • Expanding oil exploration and allowing drilling off the coast and in Alaska
  • Holding the big oil companies that are making billions of dollars off our pain at the pump accountable
  • Investing in alternative and renewable energy like solar, wind, coal and nuclear
  • Increasing our clean refinement capacity and using cost effective technology to get more oil from old wells

We can lower gas prices right away:

  • Releasing 50,000 barrels of oil a day from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to get more supply into the system today. President Bush should release 500 thousand barrels of oil a day for the next 100 days. Releasing oil from the reserves in the past has lowered prices up to 33%. And it has lowed prices quickly.
  • Crack down on Wall Street Speculators who are driving up the price of a barrel of oil. Cracking down on speculators could lower the prices of gas by as much as a dollar per gallon.

Roger Wicker voted to block a bill that would have added staff to agency that polices speculators and close loop holes that allow for price manipulation.

Every day Mississippians struggle to succeed in an economy that is failing them. Washington keeps telling us the economy is strong, but working families know better. For the first time in our nation's history, middle class parents do not believe that their children will be better off than they are. It is time to restore the values of education, job creation and conservative fiscal policy which made each generation stronger than the one before. We need to elect a Senator who will change Washington to make it work for us again.

Congress has spent years turning a blind eye to illegal immigration and a deaf ear to the economic fears of the middle class. Our national debt is weakening our position in the world. We're losing jobs to countries overseas, and are on the verge of a recession. Our country has little left to bargain with. Congress has mortgaged our economy and our children's future. Their answer to these challenges is to raise the limit on the national debt so they can borrow more money. It's time for a change.

Ronnie Musgrove has the experience and commitment to change the way Washington does business. During his four years as Governor, he helped create over 52,000 new jobs, brought more than $14 billion in new investments to Mississippi, invested in creating rural jobs, and brought Nissan to Mississippi.

Musgrove knows that creating jobs here in Mississippi means giving Mississippi businesses and families the tools they need to grow and succeed.

 

There is no greater calling for the state of Mississippi than providing a quality education to every student. It is the key to our state's future. Improving Mississippi's schools will help prepare our next generation to meet the challenges of the global economy. That is why Ronnie Musgrove has dedicated so much of his career to making college affordable, providing quality early childhood education and improving our schools.

Ronnie Musgrove has the experience and demonstrated leadership to help improve education in Mississippi. While in the State Senate, Musgrove chaired the Education Committee. He served as chair of the Southern Regional Education Board and on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. As Governor, Musgrove passed historic education funding reforms to ensure every school got its fair share. His administration enacted the largest teacher raise in state history, strengthened school accountability standards, and made Mississippi the first state in the nation to have a computer hooked up to the Internet in every classroom.

But we have a long way to go. We need a Senator who will take on the broken system in Washington and fight for better education the Mississippi way.

What happens in Washington matters for Mississippi today more than ever. The national debt is weakening our position in the world and limiting what we can do here at home. We are losing jobs to countries overseas and mortgaging our future to foreign governments.

Projections show the budget deficit will continue into the next decade burdening another generation of Mississippians and Americans with a "debt tax." And in the face of these challenges, Congress continues to spend money they don't have and load up legislation with wasteful pork barrel earmarks which compromise middle class families in Mississippi.

Our economic security depends on changing the way Washington does business. Mississippi needs a Senator who will say 'no' to deficit spending, stop the special interest earmarks, and end the reckless waste of hard-earned tax dollars. That Senator is Ronnie Musgrove.

We can count on Ronnie Musgrove to stand up for fiscal responsibility because he's done it before. As Governor, Musgrove had to balance the budget. And he did. Every year. Without raising taxes. And the one year the state legislature wanted to spend more than we had, he vetoed their spending bill.

Throughout his career, Ronnie Musgrove has proudly served Mississippi as a champion for Gulf Coast development. He cares deeply about the region and has worked hard to bring good jobs and development to the area. As Governor, Musgrove worked to secure incentives for plant expansions which brought more jobs to the Gulf coast region; he helped protect the beaches; and he secured the authority required to address the region's transportation needs. After Hurricane Katrina, Musgrove got his hands dirty to help Mississippians back to their feet. Musgrove advocated giving new tax incentives to homeowners and businesses.

pic_katrina_1.jpg

Mississippi needs a Senator who is committed to smart legislation, environmental protection, economic development, Katrina recovery and disaster preparedness. Ronnie Musgrove has experience on all of these fronts and knows what it takes to get the job done.

 

 

 

Biography

The Early Years

The Early Years

1956 Born July 29 in Tocowa, Mississippihttps://web.archive.org/web/20081009165350/http://www.musgroveforsenate.net/issues/education.html

1974 Graduated South Panola High School -

1976 Graduated Northwest Mississippi Community College -

1978 Graduated the University of Mississippi - major in business, BBA

1981 Graduated the University of Mississippi School of Law -

Entering Public Service

1988 Sworn into state senate

1992 Became Chair of Senate Education Committee

1994 Musgrove fought for ethics reform

mid 90's Began volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity

mid 90's Began volunteer work with Stewpot Community Services

Mississippi Lt. Governor

1996 Sworn in as Lt. Governor

1997 Passed the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, which lead to historic education funding reforms that ensured that every school in the state got its fair share.

1998 Recognized nationally as a leader among his peers -served as chair of the National Conference of Lieutenant Governors

1999 Fought for campaign finance reform in Mississippi

Governor of Mississippi

2000 A fiscal conservative, he balanced the budget without raising taxes by ordering agencies to cut budgets 5% and cut spending $50 million in his first budget, while increasing funding for education.

2000 Enacted the largest teacher raise in state history, strengthened school accountability standards, and became the first state with an internet enabled computer in every class

2000 On June 29, repealed provision that would have given legislators twice the benefits of other state employees

2001 In March, signed legislation requiring the motto "In God We Trust" to be displayed in schools

'02-'03 Served as vice chair of the National Governor's Association

2002 Vice Chair of Policy and Executive Committee for the Democratic Governors' Association

Creating Jobs in Mississippi

'00-'04 Brought more than $14 billion in new investments to the state, invested in creating rural jobs

00-03 Brought Nissan plant to Mississippi, which was the largest economic development project in state history

2000 November 7, Governor Musgrove calls state legislature into special session to develop a $295 million incentive package to bring the Nissan plant to Madison County

2001 November 11, Official announcement made of Nissan's plans to build plant

2002 First workers report to work in February

2003 Nissan's grand opening May 27, 2003

As an Citizen of Mississippi

'00 to... Member of the First Baptist Church of Jackson

2004 Began teaching classes at his alma mater, the University of Mississippi

2005 Began teaching at Mississippi College School of Law

 

Ronnie Musgrove has dedicated his life to serving the people of Mississippi. For over two decades, he's taken a leading role in the State to improve education, expand economic development, and ensure that government lives within its means.

Now, he's running for the U.S. Senate to change the way Washington works and restore honesty and integrity to our government.

Gov. Musgrove's FamilyDuring Ronnie Musgrove's tenure as Governor of Mississippi, he helped create over 52,000 new jobs, brought more than $14 billion in new investments to the state, invested in creating rural jobs, and brought Nissan to Mississippi, which was the largest economic development project in state history.

He also passed historic education funding reforms to ensure every school got its fair share. His administration enacted the largest teacher raise in state history, strengthened school accountability standards, and made Mississippi the first state in the nation to have a computer hooked up to the Internet in every classroom.

A strong fiscal conservative, Musgrove balanced the budget without raising taxes by ordering state agencies to cut their budgets by five percent and cut spending by $50 million in his first budget, while managing to increase funding for education.

Musgrove has served in many leadership positions throughout his career of public service.  During his time as a state senator, Musgrove chaired the Education Committee. In 1998 he was recognized nationally as a leader among his peers, serving as chair of the National Conference of Lieutenant Governors. He served as chair of the Southern Regional Education Board, as the chair-elect for the Southern States Energy Board, on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and the Executive Committee for the Democratic Governors' Association, where he served as vice chair of policy

Musgrove is active in volunteerism working with both Habitat for Humanity and Stewpot Community Services.  He and his wife, Melody, are active members of First Baptist Church of Jackson. They have four children and reside in Madison, MS.

 

Ronnie Musgrove lost the special Senate race with 44.7% of the vote to the Republican incumbant, Rodger Wicker who won with 55.3%.
Roger F. Wicker had takenover Trent Lott's seat after Mr. Lott resigned.

 

MusgroveForSenate.net