Mississippi Republicans announce minority, women outreach initiatives

The Mississippi Republican Celebration, touting its unifying conservative values, kicked off a minority outreach initiative Wednesday outdoors of get together headquarters in downtown Jackson.

The state get together additionally introduced an initiative, led partly by Lawyer Common Lynn Fitch, to attempt to improve the variety of ladies elected officers within the state.

On the occasion, attended by about 20 African Individuals, get together officers stated Republicans and Mississippians of all races maintain the identical conservative values.

“There’s extra that connects us than divides us,” stated Rodney Corridor of Southaven, the chair of the GOP outreach committee.

Fitch, whose workplace defended the Mississippi legislation that led to the U.S. Supreme Court docket choice that repealed a nationwide proper to an abortion, stated: “We’re very conservative about life. We’re conservative about household … Now greater than ever, Republican values are wanted.”

In Mississippi, maybe extra so than in any state within the nation, the overwhelming majority of white residents vote Republican whereas most Black residents assist the Democratic Celebration. African Individuals comprise about 38% of the full state inhabitants — the very best proportion of any state in America.

There are few elected Black Republicans within the state and none within the Legislature.

On the occasion, state Republican Celebration leaders didn’t deal with among the points that African American elected officers usually stress, reminiscent of the necessity to broaden Medicaid to supply well being care protection for about 250,000 primarily working Mississippians. Republican leaders have blocked these efforts, leaving Mississippi as one in all solely 12 states within the nation not guaranteeing well being care protection for poor employees.

One other subject the place there have been coverage variations is on the elimination of the tax on groceries, the very best of its form within the nation. Efforts to get rid of the tax have been blocked in previous years by Republican leaders, although it leads to poor folks, a lot of them folks of shade, paying a bigger proportion of their earnings in taxes. Plus, many have cited efforts of Republicans to ban the educating of essential race concept as an effort to stop the educating of the impression of racism on the historical past of the state and nation.

Fitch did endorse offering Medicaid protection for moms for one 12 months after giving delivery. Presently, the state Medicaid program solely gives 60 days of postpartum protection, although the Biden administration mandated a 12 months of protection as a part of the federal COVID-19 emergency order.

Many Mississippi Republicans have opposed increasing well being look after poor moms.

“We as Mississippi Republicans are desperate to develop our get together,” get together Chair Frank Bordeaux stated in a information launch. “We all know our plans and insurance policies to cut back inflation, decrease taxes, reduce wasteful spending, safe our borders, spend money on nationwide protection, and restore American power are interesting to all Individuals. We’re going to take that message to communities the place Republicans haven’t historically been as profitable with the intention to recruit, prepare, and elect a extra numerous group of candidates and produce hundreds extra freedom-loving Mississippians into our get together.”

Fitch stated there have been solely 4 ladies elected to statewide “constitutional” workplace in Mississippi, and simply 15% of the bulk Republican Legislature is comprised of girls.

There have, nonetheless, been six ladies elected statewide: Nellah Bailey as tax collector, Julia Henrich Kendrick as Supreme Court docket clerk, Evelyn Gandy as lieutenant governor and treasurer, Amy Tuck as lieutenant governor, Cindy Hyde-Smith as commissioner of agriculture and commerce, and Fitch as legal professional common and treasurer.

Hyde-Smith is presently serving within the U.S. Senate as the primary lady from Mississippi elected to federal workplace.

The posts of tax collector and Supreme Court docket clerk have been eradicated as elected workplaces.