Gray Tollison
| Gray Tollison | ||
 | ||
| Mississippi State Senate, District 9 | ||
| Incumbent | ||
| In office | ||
| 1996 - present | ||
| Term ends | ||
| January 3, 2016 | ||
| Years in position | 17 | |
| Party | Republican | |
| Compensation | ||
| Base salary | $10,000/year | |
| Per diem | $109/day | |
| Elections and appointments | ||
| Last election | November 8, 2011 | |
| First elected | 1995 | |
| Next election | November 3, 2015 | |
| Term limits | N/A | |
| Education | ||
| Bachelor's | Rhodes College | |
| J.D. | University of Mississippi School of Law | |
| Personal | ||
| Birthday | September 8, 1964 | |
| Place of birth | Memphis, Tennessee | |
| Profession | Attorney | |
| Religion | Episcopalian | |
| Websites | ||
| Office website | ||
 | ||
Contents |
From 1996 to November 2011, Tollison served as a member of the Democratic Party. On November 10, 2011, two days after being re-elected as a Democrat, Tollison announced his switch to the Republican Party.[1]
Biography
Tollison earned his B.A. from Rhodes College, and J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law. His professional experience includes working as an attorney.
Committee assignments
2012-2013
In the 2012-2013 legislative session, Tollison served on these committees:
| Mississippi Committee Assignments, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Education, Chair | ||||
| • Executive Contingent Fund, Vice Chair | ||||
| • Constitution | ||||
| • Finance | ||||
| • Judiciary, Division B | ||||
| • Public Health and Welfare | ||||
| • Rules | ||||
| • Universities and Colleges | ||||
| • Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks | ||||
2010-2011
In the 2010-2011 legislative session, Tollison served on these committees:
| Mississippi Committee Assignments, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| • Compilation, Revision and Publication | ||||
| • Constitution | ||||
| • Education | ||||
| • Fees, Salaries and Administration | ||||
| • Finance | ||||
| • Judiciary, Division B | ||||
| • Tourism | ||||
| • Universities and Colleges | ||||
| • Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks | ||||
Issues
Campaign themes
2011
On his website, Tollison highlighted the following campaign themes:[2]
- Education: "To me, improving educational opportunities is the key to improving our quality of life. I have consistently fought for increased funding for education, and also made sure that we had accountability in our schools. We need to focus on the teacher and classroom and make sure our children are getting a quality education."
- Jobs and Economic Development: "It is important that we invest in our people through education and workforce training, so they have the skills and knowledge to work in the ever-changing workplace. We also need to continue our investment in infrastructure for transportation, energy and technology and to ensure that the government is helpful in growing new jobs and not a hindrance."
- Effective and Efficient Government: "Government is not the answer to all of society’s problems. It never has been. We have to work together as a community – private business, civic groups and churches – to seek real solutions to our problems. At the same time, state government has an important role in our community...We need to continue working on better ways to make government more effective and efficient."
- Crime and Safety: "I have provided leadership in the legislature as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary B Committee for the past seven years. I have worked to increase penalties for crimes against children and vulnerable adults, to reform juvenile justice laws and to support our law enforcement officers."
Election history
2011
- See also: Mississippi State Senate elections, 2011
Tollison won re-election to the Mississippi Senate District 9.[3] He ran unopposed in the primary on August 2, 2011 and was to face Todd Wade (R) in the general election on November 8, 2011.[4] However, Wade was removed from the ballot in mid-September by the state Election Commission for failing to be a qualified elector of the state for four years.[5]
Two days after the election, Tollison switched parties.
| Mississippi State Senate General Election, 2011, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democrat |  Gray Tollison Incumbent |
100% | 15,634 | |
| Total Votes | 15,634 | |||
2007
- See also: Mississippi State Senate elections, 2007
On November 6, 2007, Gray Tollison ran unopposed for District 9 of the Mississippi State Senate. [6]
Gray Tollison raised $6,200 for his campaign.[7]
| Mississippi Senate, District 9 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Gray Tollison (D) | 11,648 | 100% | ||
Campaign donors
2011
In 2011, Tollison received $47,955 in campaign donations. The top contributors are listed below.[8]
| Mississippi State Senate 2011 election - Campaign Contributions | |
|---|---|
| Top contributors to Gray Tollison's campaign in 2011 | |
| Miss Hospital Association PAC | $5,000 |
| Homebuilders Of Mississippi Association PAC | $2,000 |
| Mississippi Bail Agents Association | $1,000 |
| Lafayette County Democratic Executive Cmte | $1,000 |
| Liston, William | $1,000 |
| Total Raised in 2011 | $47,955 |
| Total Votes received in 2011 | 15,634 |
| Cost of each vote received | $3.07 |
2009
In 2009 Gray Tollison collected $12,200 in donations. [9]
His four largest contributors in 2009 were:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Entertainment Software Association | $1,500 |
| Commonwealth Brands | $1,000 |
| Anheuser-Busch | $1,000 |
| AT&T | $1,000 |
Personal
Tollison is married to his wife, Farish.
Recent news
This section displays the most recent stories in a google news search for the term Gray + Tollison + Mississippi + Senate
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
Gray Tollison News Feed
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found
External links
- Office website
- Campaign website as archived on January 18, 2012
- Legislative profile on Project Vote Smart
- Biography on Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2009, 2007, 2005, 2003, 1999
References
- ↑ WLBT, "State Sen. Tollison of Oxford jumps from D to R," November 10, 2011
- ↑ Re-Elect Gray Tollison, "On the Issues," accessed September 8, 2011
- ↑ http://www.sos.ms.gov/links/elections/results/statewide/MS%20Senate%20MULTI%20COUNTY%20-%20General%20Election%202011%20Results.pdf
- ↑ Mississippi Department of State, 2011 Official State Senate Candidate List
- ↑ NEMS, "Election Commission denies Wade ballot spot," September 14, 2011
- ↑ Mississippi State Senate official election results for 2007
- ↑ Follow the Money's report on Tollison's 2007 campaign contributions
- ↑ Follow the Money - 2011 contributions
- ↑ 2009 contributors to Gray Tollison
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Mississippi State Senate District 9 1996–present |
Succeeded by NA |
 |
State of Mississippi Jackson (capital) |
|---|---|
| Ballot measures |
List of Mississippi ballot measures | Local measures | School bond issues | Ballot measure laws | Initiative laws | History of I&R | Campaign Finance Requirements | |
| Government |
Mississippi State Constitution | House of Representatives | Senate | |
| State executive officers |
Governor | Lieutenant Governor | Attorney General | Secretary of State | Treasurer | State Auditor | Superintendent of Education | Commissioner of Insurance | Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce | Executive Director of Environmental Quality | Executive Director of Employment Security | Chairman of Public Service Commission | |
| Judiciary |
Mississippi Supreme Court | Supreme Court Elections | District Courts | Judicial Nominating Commission | Judicial news | Judicial activist organizations | |
| Transparency Topics |
Public Records Act | Transparency Checklist | Government corruption reports | Transparency Legislation | Open Records procedures | Transparency Advocates | Transparency blogs | State budget | Taxpayer-funded lobbying associations | |
| Divisions |
State |
List of Counties |
List of Cities |
List of School Districts | |
