Parker elected governor in Ole Miss mock election

Pamela Hamilton
Dm NEws Editor

Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Parker came out ahead in the mock elections jointly sponsored by the Ole Miss College Republicans and the College Democrats.

Approximately 367 voters turned out to vote in the mock election held Tuesday in the Union lobby from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Elections for governor and other major state offices are slated for Nov. 2.

College Republicans chairman Justin Davis said the low turnout of voters was due to the short period of time during which the elections were staged.

"We're doing good," Davis said. "We just need to put some more work into the down ticket races such as attorney general, lieutenant governor and secretary of state."

College Democrats president Robert Foster said the mock elections are likely not an accurate preview of the Nov. 2 elections for governor and other state offices.

This is a very Republican campus," Foster said. "I'm kind of surprised that it (the races) was that close dealing with a highly Republican campus."

"I think the governor's race will be really close. Hopefully, it'll go the other way."

College Democrats vice-president Andy James expected the "tilted" results of the mock elections.

"Some of them seemed a little bit tilted," James said, "and the Ole Miss campus is a little more conservative than the Oxford community and the state of Mississippi as a whole."

"We weren't disappointed (with turnout)," Davis said. "We were pleased with the turnout we did have."

In local elections, Quentin Whitwell defeated incumbent Gray Tollison in the district nine state senate race in the mock elections by a margin of more than 10 percent.

"Students turned out very well for him today," Davis said. "I think he has a tough fought race and it'll probably come down to just a few votes."

Foster thinks the few votes will swing the election towards Tollison.

"I don't think the race with Whitwell and Tollison will work out that way," Foster said.

Both the democrats and the republicans emphasize the importance of voting in the elections.

The College Democrats and College Republicans have been holding voter registration drives and encouraging voters to vote by absentee ballot to get more people out to the polls.