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McDaniel vows to sideline Democratic senators if elected lieutenant governor

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2 years ago

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In his effort to label incumbent Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann “Delbert the Democrat,” challenger Chris McDaniel says Hosemann gives Senate Democrats too much power as committee chairmen.

But Hosemann counters that he’s appointed more Republicans to chairmanships than any first-term lieutenant governor and that he routes important legislation to GOP-run committees.

McDaniel, if elected, vows to break with Republican lieutenant governor predecessors Hosemann, Gov. Tate Reeves, former Gov. Phil Bryant and Amy Tuck and appoint only Republicans to Senate chairmanships.

“As lieutenant governor, I will empower my Republican colleagues and appoint Republican senators to all chairmanships,” McDaniel said in a statement.

But McDaniel faces at least one challenge in that: math.

The Senate has 41 standing and joint committees.

The Mississippi Senate has 52 members. There are 36 Republicans and 16 Democrats, a number not expected to drastically change with this year’s election.

Further complicating things, of the 36 current Republicans, there are 11 freshmen. While there are occasional exceptions, unless they come in with specific expertise, freshmen are not usually appointed to major chairmanships until they’ve served at least a term because they haven’t learned the ropes of legislating and how to run committees.

Under McDaniel’s vow, it would appear some Republican senators would chair multiple committees. Unlike the House, there is no Senate rule against one member chairing multiple standing committees, but it would create a heavy workload for someone doing so, and concentrate much power into a smaller, less diverse group.

Under the current Senate makeup, this would also mean McDaniel would appoint no Black senators to chairmanships, despite Mississippi having the highest percentage Black population in the nation, 38%. An all-white Senate leadership team would hearken back to Mississippi’s Jim Crow past style of governance.

Hosemann has appointed 13 of the 16 current Democratic senators to chairmanships. This is the same number of Democratic chairmen now-Gov. Reeves had in his final term leading the Senate as lieutenant governor. In Reeves’ first term as lieutenant governor, he appointed 17 Democrats as committee chairs.

But McDaniel has not accused Reeves, who he endorsed for governor, of closeted Democratic leanings, instead recently saying, “Tate is a conservative.”

Reeves’ predecessor, Republican Gov. Bryant, ran a Senate that still had a slim Democratic majority and fewer committees. In his term as lieutenant governor, Bryant had 17 Republican committee chairs and 19 Democrats.

In his statement, McDaniel said: “Lieutenant Governor Delbert ‘the Democrat’ Hosemann used his office to further his liberal agenda and undermine Republican lawmakers by appointing Democrats to chair powerful committees. His appointment of Democrats to these pivotal positions undermines the will of Mississippi voters — who elected supermajorities in both chambers for a reason.”

McDaniel points to Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, serving as Public Health Committee chairman — a relatively powerful position in the Legislature — and said Hosemann “appointed one of Mississippi’s most liberal leaders to its powerful post.”

But Bryan has served nearly 40 years in the Senate, and held the Public Health chairmanship under Bryant. Under Reeves for two terms, Bryan held the also-powerful post of Judiciary B Committee chairman.

McDaniel, whom Hosemann appointed chair of the Environmental Protection, Conservation and Water Resources Committee, said: “The Democratic Party is so radicalized today, they do not reflect the values of Mississippi, and certainly do not deserve appointment to position of power to wield their socialist agendas.”

Hosemann in a statement said: “I have appointed more Republicans to chair committees during this term than the first term of any lieutenant governor. Additionally, every major piece of legislation has gone through Republican chairmen — from a $525 million tax cut to our election security package to increasing penalties for violent crime to the largest teacher pay raise in the state’s history.

“My opponent simply is not being honest about the Senate’s conservative achievements and the facts.”

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

UMMC holds free cancer screenings

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1 day ago

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April 30, 2025

By

mississippitoday.org – @EricJShelton – 2025-04-30 12:00:00

by Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

  • Resident physician Claire Babin, right, performs an oral cancer screening on Ella Holmes during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
  • Physicians prepare for oral, head and neck cancer screenings during a free screening event at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
  • Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, screens Diane Carter for oral cancer as medical students Mason Nodurft, left, and Eva Kiparizoska observe during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
  • Educational giveaways advocating against smoking are available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
  • Sharon Terry, senior tobacco treatment specialist, waits for patients during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
  • Skylar Robinson, medical office assistant, left, and Kiandria Bruce, registered nurse, review materials at the patient sign-in table during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
  • Head and neck cancer literature is available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
  • Dr. Alex Brooks and registered nurse Angela Noble talk during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
  • Nina Brown, clinical manager, helps Ned Bostic with paperwork during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
  • Resident physician Brooks Lampkin performs an oral cancer screening on Ned Bostic at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
  • Ned Bostic receives a neck cancer screening during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
  • Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, and medical student Hanna Watson examine Ned Bostic during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery hosted a free oral, head, and neck cancer screening Wednesday at the Jackson Medical Mall as part of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week.

The event featured quick, noninvasive screenings aimed at catching cancer early — when treatment is most effective. Onyx Care provided free HPV vaccinations, while the ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education, and Research offered resources on smoking cessation and free services.

“These screenings take about 10 minutes and can save lives,” said Dr. Gina Jefferson, head and neck surgical oncologist at UMMC. “The earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the better chance we have of curing it.”

Tobacco and alcohol use remain major risk factors for these cancers. However, physicians say an increasing number of cases are linked to HPV, especially among younger adults with no history of smoking or drinking. Dentists are often the first to spot early signs, which can include persistent sores, lumps in the neck, or difficulty swallowing.

Oral, head and neck cancers are among the most common globally. When found early, survival rates can exceed 80 percent.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post UMMC holds free cancer screenings appeared first on mississippitoday.org


Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article presents factual information about a free cancer screening event without showing a clear ideological stance. It primarily focuses on the health benefits of early cancer detection and the availability of free resources, such as HPV vaccinations and smoking cessation support. The language used is neutral and the content is centered around public health education rather than promoting a political viewpoint. The inclusion of factual statistics, such as survival rates and risk factors, adds to its informative and objective tone. There are no signs of bias or advocacy for a particular political agenda, making this a centrist piece.

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Crooked Letter Sports Podcast

Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball?

Published

1 day ago

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April 30, 2025

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mississippitoday.org – @rick_cleveland – 2025-04-30 10:46:00

by Rick Cleveland and Tyler Cleveland, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi State didn’t even wait until the end of the season to fire Chris Lemonis, who brought the national championship to Starkville not quite four years ago. Where do the Bulldogs go from here. Robbie Faulk who covers the Bulldogs more closely than anyone else joins the podcast to discuss the situation.

Stream all episodes here.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball? appeared first on mississippitoday.org

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Mississippi Today

Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you

Published

1 day ago

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April 30, 2025

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mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-30 10:21:00

by Mississippi Today, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi Today is looking to speak with current and former mobile sports betting users. We’d like to speak with people who spend considerable amounts of time and money betting on sports through online gambling sites.

We’re interested in hearing the experience of people who have suffered from gambling addiction or problems, or friends and family members of people who have. We also would like to talk with people who believe legalizing mobile sports betting would benefit Mississippi and its residents.

We want to hear from you. Please take the survey below or contact Political Reporter Michael Goldberg by email at mgoldberg@mississippitoday.org

TAKE THE SURVEY:

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you appeared first on mississippitoday.org


Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article from Mississippi Today appears to present a neutral stance, focusing on gathering input from various groups of mobile sports betting users, including those who may have experienced addiction issues. The content does not advocate for or against the legalization of mobile sports betting but instead seeks to gather diverse perspectives, including those of individuals who may support or oppose it. The language used is objective and does not suggest a particular ideological perspective, allowing for a balanced exploration of the issue at hand.

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