From SunHerald.com:

With Gov. Haley Barbour leaving office in 2012 because of term limits and other statewide elected officials possibly seeking higher office in 2011 elections, as many as four South Mississippians might run for vacant posts.

But in recent decades, only two Coastians have won Mississippi-wide races — former U.S. Sen. Trent Lott and former Attorney Gen. Mike Moore. Many think that’s partly because, for many years, South Mississippi was considered relatively cut off from the rest of the state and also culturally different from more upland areas.

The true reason few Coastians have won may be that since 1987, Moore and Lott, besides being the only Coast candidates to be elected in statewide races, are also the only South Mississippians who sought open seats.

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