From left are: Bill Rose, Overby Center Fellow; Grant Sowell, chair of the Lee County Tea Party; Geoff Pender, political editor for The Clarion-Ledger; and Hayes Dent, Republican political consultant and lobbyist.
The Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics hosted the “Long, Hot Political Summer” panel Thursday, April 16. Overby Center Fellow Bill Rose was the moderator for the discussion and panelists included Grant Sowell, chair of the Lee County Tea Party; Geoff Pender, political editor for The Clarion-Ledger newspaper; and Hayes Dent, Republican political consultant and lobbyist.
The main topic of the discussion was the 13 candidates running for congressional seats in Mississippi. Some other issues that came to the front included bills concerning Common Core, party-line discrepancies and lack of electorate participation.
“If our legislator isn’t doing a good job, bring them home and put in someone who does,” Sowell said.
The Republican party line has been drawn around conservative values. However there still is discussion about the prevalence of the Tea Party during election time. Some Republicans wish to see more participation of Tea Party activists, while others, like Dent wish to see a focus more on other issues.
“Why aren’t we talking about getting Mississippi off the bottom — those are the issues we should be concerned about,” Dent said.
–Samantha Mitchell
