The #1 answer I get when I ask candidates about what’s the hardest part about running for statewide office is this: The travel. And the ones I’ve talked to are aren’t flying the friendly skies. They’re putting miles on their cars. (And if they’re really lucky, they’ll have a driver.) From fish fry, to BBQ, to rally to fish fry. Rinse and repeat.
Mississippi is a very big state. A huge state. And if you don’t believe me, drive from an event in Tunica to one in Biloxi and then to Tupelo. Throw in Hattiesburg, Jackson, Monticello, Greenville, Oxford, Starkville and McComb in for fun and you get the kind of mileage you have to put on your car and body to get into office. Republicans have it a little easier than Democrats; they primarily focus on DeSoto County, the Jackson area and the Coast. But even those places are like a shotgun spread on the map.
Driving for votes isn’t easy. Democrats and Republicans alike have a long road to travel until election day. And when the votes are counted, I know theyll be thanking the Legislature for the 1987 Highway program.
July 1, the mileage rate goes up from 51 cents/mile to 55.5 :)