From MajorityInMs.com:

Not that Tegerdine wasn’t a Republican, but he was certainly cut from the libertarian mold similar to a Ron Paul- and someone like Hampton. And while it would be impossible to pigeon hole which direction his 11,000 or so voters will go a fair statement would say a good many of those votes are up for grabs. And the same goes with the Tea Party and 912 groups in South Mississippi who endorsed Tegerdine. I don’t know of any groups affiliated with the Tea Party movement supporting a third-party candidate over a credible Republican, but it could certainly happen. Same goes with some of Tegerdine’s most ardent supporters and campaign volunteers. (…more from majorityinms.com)

Adding even a small portion of the Tea Party and 912 grassroots support to Tim Hampton’s campaign would change the dynamics of the MS-4 race going into November. It would send a strong message to the cozy political establishment of both parties that their ideas have failed – miserably – and politics as usual just won’t cut it anymore.

It should be noted as well that the Libertarian Party is the fastest growing 3rd political party in America. And according to Danny Bedwell (Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Mississippi), from April 2009 through April 2010 the Libertarian Party of Mississippi grew 38.4% – making Mississippi the 2nd fastest growing Libertarian Party of any other state – the exception being Arkansas which grew by 39.1%.

No doubt the Libertarian Party candidate, Tim Hampton, will gain support from Democrats, Republicans, and Independents that are fed up with the ever-reaching personal and economic intrusions by our federal government. Peaceful, voluntary interaction brings neighbors and communities together instead of dividing them along the two major political parties whose only goal seems to be to grow in power over one another – despite what’s best for your family or the country.

We all basically want the same things in life – to keep what we earn without having to worry that our money and private property will be devalued or taken by the government; to live peacefully with our neighbors; and to keep our personal choices personal – so long as we don’t harm or defraud others. The freedom to learn from our own decisions (good or bad) and the God-given right to simply live and let live is something that reasonable people from all “sides” can agree on.

The question is… how much of your personal and economic relationship with others should be regulated, manipulated, and forced on you by our federal government and how much should be voluntary and left up to the individuals involved? The answer to that question and the courage to vote accordingly in November will determine the winner of the race to represent Mississippi’s 4th congressional district.

26,844 voters turned out yesterday to elect the Republican Party candidate to face Gene Taylor in November. It was a clear choice between the political establishment and big money contributors versus the grassroots candidate.

In the end, South Mississippi voters decided they were satisfied with what they’ve always had and elected Steven Palazzo over Joe Tegerdine, 57% – 43%.

Congratulations to Steven Palazzo for his victory. He won the opportunity to face Gene Taylor (Democrat), Tim Hampton (Libertarian), and Anna Jewel Revies (Reform) on November 2nd.

Now the question must be asked – is Gene Taylor the problem or is he simply part of the much larger problem – that is the political establishment? If he’s only part of the problem, how will electing another establishment candidate solve the problem? If the overall problem is that we keep electing ambitious politicians to Washington DC, how and when do we begin to solve that problem?

So for the Tegerdine camp – the question becomes, which candidate (if any) will they support throughout the rest of the election season? His grassroots supporters made it clear that they were sick and tired of the status quo on both sides – that they’re fed up with the establishment Republicans and establishment Democrats running Washington DC the way that’s in Washington DC’s best interest.

Do the grassroots concede the victory to the establishment of “either-or”? Do they quietly fall back in line and support the status quo they rallied together and fought against for the last 18 months? Or do they continue to reject the establishment and decide to support one of the two 3rd party candidates – Anna Jewel Revies of the Reform Party or Tim Hampton of the Libertarian Party?

The political establishment hasn’t skipped a beat. The MSGOP is alive and well today. But one way or the other politics in South Mississippi changed last night. The energy and activities of the grassroots will either take their place in the GOP tent – just as the MSGOP intended and expected, or they’ll stay relevant in the fight for constitutional governance and true representation in Washington DC.

As Joe Tegerdine has said so many times over the past year, if Americans want to see a change in the way Washington DC works – we have to change the way we elect our leaders. We have to continue to reject the status quo.

Grassroots billboards are the best – simple, straightforward, and they express the frustration felt by the average voter that clean, professionally made political signs just can’t convey.

This big red billboard, homemade out of a sheet of 4′x8′ plywood, recently popped up on Hwy 45 in Wayne County, just south of Quitman, Ms…

“REP. GENE TAYLOR: YOU VOTED FOR NANCY PELOSI TWICE! NEVER AGAIN!”

Well stated! If you spot a billboard on the side of a road – send it in and I’ll post it for everyone to see!

This is just inconsiderate of Congressman Gene Taylor and it shows how detached from south Mississippi he has become over his 21-year career in Washington DC. 11 people are dead; the gulf coast’s fishing, shrimping, and tourism industry have already taken a hit; dead animals are washing ashore; and the long term increase in gas prices consumers will have to pay if this oil spill brings new regulations – are all pretty damn bad in most people’s opinion.

I don’t know what Gene Taylor could possibly be thinking to go on WLOX after returning from a fly-over Saturday and flip-flop like this. On Friday, April 30th – just the day before his appearance on WLOX News – Gene Taylor called the oil spill “…a crisis threatening the Gulf Coast.”

Just as a side-note to the “chocolate milk” incident in the gulf… After a $4 jump in Tidewater Inc’s stock since the oil spill, Gene Taylor’s brother and CEO of Tidewater Inc, Dean Taylor, sold-off 15,000 shares of his company’s stock (TDW) at $54.95/share (15,000 x $54.95 = $824,250) on Friday April 30th before the stock dropped back down to $51/share (15,000 x $51 = $765,000) ($824,250 – $765,000 = $59,250) at the time of this writing.

Tidewater, Inc has provided services to the offshore drilling industry for decades, but the company only donated to Gene Taylor for the first time in 2002 – the same year Dean Taylor became President and CEO of the company – and has donated $5,000 to Gene Taylor in 4 out of the 5 election cycles since then.

But all of this is really just a lot of side-notes. Really.

As I mentioned last week, I’m a big fan of the Patriot Pledge as well as any candidate that takes the oath and signs his or her name to it. Such a pledge may seem like simple words on a document, but I think it’s more than that. I believe it’s an important part of restoring the people’s trust in our elected officials.

Now I add Tim Hampton to that short list of candidates I respect and admire for having the courage to do what is right over what the political establishment in Washington DC wants. From what I can tell, Tim Hampton is the 2nd congressional candidate in America and, as a candidate for the Libertarian Party, he’s the first 3rd Party candidate in America to sign the Patriot Pledge.

It takes a certain amount of courage to pledge to your constituents that, if elected, you’ll stop doing things in Washington the way Washington wants them to be done. A pledge such as this becomes a part of the public record. It provides another tool in which voters can hold their elected officials accountable. And, since accountability is something that’s been lacking in Mississippi’s 4th District and throughout America’s political system for quite some time – any candidate that steps forward and asks us to hold him or her accountable has my support.