Associated Press
AP
BOONEVILLE —
Democratic U.S. Rep. Travis Childers said his Republican challenger has increased taxes on sick people and slashed Mississippi education funding.
About 100 people attended Childers’ campaign kickoff Saturday in Booneville. Childers, a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog coalition, is seeking re-election to the 1st District seat he’s held since mid-2008.
“North Mississippi comes first, that’s my job and that’s what I will continue to do,” Childers said during a rally at Northeast Mississippi Community College. “I feel like we’ve represented the people well, so we put our faith in the people of north Mississippi and we think they will send us back to Washington to continue to work for them.”
Republican challenger Alan Nunnelee says frequently during campaign speeches that voters should reject Childers to help push out Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Nunnelee said at the Neshoba County Fair last week that Democratic congressional leaders know they could lose their jobs if they lose north Mississippi and other seats.
“This is a crusade to save America,” Nunnelee said of his own campaign.
Childers voted with Pelosi on federal stimulus spending but voted against her on a federal health care overhaul.
Childers said Saturday that Nunnelee supported Republican Gov. Haley Barbour’s hospital-tax increase to fund Medicaid.
“Nunnelee led the charge to put hundreds of school employees out of work and lower the quality of education for our children, even as hundreds of millions of stimulus dollars sit unused in Jackson that could have prevented these layoffs and cuts to local schools,” Childers said.
Nunnelee chairs the state Senate Appropriations Committee and has said budgeting requires tough decisions while money is tight.
At the Childers event, John Myers applauded and leapt from his chair when the congressman said: “Make no mistake about it, I am the public education candidate.”
“That’s what it’s going to take to turn this thing around, education for our children,” Myers said. “Travis has always had passion and drive and it’s good to be able to listen to a politician speak and be able to feel his passion with every word. He’s our man and we hope to get him back into office.”
Not everyone who attended is supporting Childers. Even though he said he was not supporting Nunnelee, Bill Chambers said he wasn’t sure if Childers was going to be his choice, either.
“I heard Nunnelee speak so it was only fair to come and listen to Travis as well,” Chambers said. “I like both men and think they both are fine individuals but that doesn’t mean they’re going to make great congressmen. So now that I’ve heard both men I can start my decision making process as to who the best man for the job may be.”
Four independents also filed to run this year in the 1st District: A.G. Baddley of Hernando, Les Green of Hernando, Rick “Rico” Hoskins of Batesville and Wally Pang of Batesville. Pang ran in 2008.
Gail Giaramita of Lake Cormorant filed to run in the 1st District as a Constitution Party candidate, Harold M. Taylor of Hernando is running as a Libertarian and Barbara Dale Washer of Hattiesburg is running as a Reform Party candidate. Washer lives outside the 1st District.
