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Blaine Eaton, II
Blaine "Bo" Eaton is a former Democratic member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, representing District 79 from 1995 to 2016.
Eaton was unseated on January 20, 2016, after a special House committee declared that five votes should not have been counted in the November 2015 general election. Eaton drew straws in November 2015 to determine whether he or Mark Tullos (R) could claim District 79 after the general election ended in a tie. Eaton won the draw but Tullos challenged the result in the Republican-controlled House. The committee declared Tullos the winner and the House voted 67-49 to unseat Eaton and to seat Tullos.[1]
Biography
Eaton earned his B.S. from Mississippi State University and also attended Jones Junior College. His professional experience includes working as a farmer and logger.[2]
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Eaton served on the following committees:
| Mississippi committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Forestry, Vice Chair |
| • Appropriations |
| • Conservation and Water Resources |
| • Public Utilities |
| • Transportation |
2012-2013
During the 2012-2013 legislative session, Eaton served on the following committees:
| Mississippi committee assignments, 2012 |
|---|
| • Appropriations |
| • Conservation and Water Resources |
| • Forestry |
| • Public Utilities |
| • Transportation |
2010-2011
During the 2010-2011 legislative session, Eaton served on the following committees:
| Mississippi committee assignments, 2010 |
|---|
| • Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, Chair |
| • Agriculture |
| • Appropriations |
| • Fees and Salaries of Public Officers |
| • Public Health and Human Services |
| • Public Utilities |
| • Select Cmte on Utility Cost Recovery |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2015
Elections for the Mississippi House of Representatives took place in 2015. A primary election was held on August 4, 2015. The general election took place on November 3, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 27, 2015.[3] Incumbent Blaine Eaton was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Mark K. Tullos defeated Gary Blakeney in the Republican primary. Tullos faced Eaton in the general election, but the race ended in a tie. Eaton and Tullos drew straws on November 20 to break the tie, which Eaton won. Tullos filed a challenge to the state House after Eaton won. On January 20, 2016, a special House committee concluded that five votes in the election for District 79 should not have counted. The House committee voted 4-1 to seat Tullos. The House voted 67-49 to unseat Eaton and to move Tullos into the seat.[4][5][6][7]
| Mississippi House of Representatives, District 79 General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Mark K. Tullos | 50% | 4,589 | |
| Democratic |  Blaine Eaton Incumbent |
50% | 4,589 | |
| Total Votes | 9,178 | |||
| Mississippi House of Representatives, District 79 Republican Primary, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|
Mark K. Tullos |
77.3% | 1,707 |
| Gary Blakeney | 22.7% | 501 |
| Total Votes | 2,208 | |
2011
On November 8, 2011, Eatonwon re-election to District 79 of the Mississippi House of Representatives. He defeated Frankie Chisholm in the primary on August 2, 2011.[8] Eaton defeated Republican Ron Swindall in the November 8 general election.[9][10]
Eaton was one of six incumbents that the Mississippi TEA Party’s Move the House Committee specifically targeted as needing to be defeated in order to gain conservative control of the House.[11]
| Mississippi House of Representatives, District 79 General Election, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Blaine Eaton, II Incumbent |
57.6% | 4,956 | |
| Republican | Ron Swindall | 42.4% | 3,652 | |
| Total Votes | 8,608 | |||
| Mississippi House of Representatives District 79 Democratic Primary, 2011 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Blaine Eaton, II Incumbent |
69.2% | 3,909 |
| Frankie Chisholm | 30.8% | 1,738 |
| Total Votes | 5,647 | |
2007
On November 6, 2007, Eaton was re-elected in District 79, defeating Republican challenger Bill Allen.[12]
| Mississippi House of Representatives, District 79 (2007) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | Percent | ||
| Blaine Eaton, II (D) | 5,265 | 63.14% | ||
| Bill Allen (R) | 3,074 | 36.86% | ||
Campaign finance summary
Ballotpedia currently provides campaign finance data for all federal- and state-level candidates from 2020 and later. We are continuously working to expand our data to include prior elections. That information will be published here as we acquire it. If you would like to help us provide this data, please consider donating to Ballotpedia.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Mississippi scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2015
In 2015, the Mississippi State Legislature was in session from January 6 through April 2.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business and economic issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2014, the Mississippi State Legislature was in session from January 7 through April 2.
|
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Eaton has been a member of the Farm Bureau, Forestry Association, Masonic Lodge, Mississippi Cattlemen's Association, National Rifle Association, and Taylorsville Lions Club.[2]
External links
- Profile from Open States
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions: 2009, 2007, 2005, 2003, 1999
Footnotes
- ↑ NY Times, "Republicans Unseat Mississippi Democrat Who Drew Winning Straw After Race Ended in Tie," accessed January 22, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Project Vote Smart - Rep. Eaton
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "2015 Elections Calendar," accessed December 2, 2014
- ↑ NY Times, "Republicans Unseat Mississippi Democrat Who Drew Winning Straw After Race Ended in Tie," accessed January 22, 2016
- ↑ Clarion Ledger, "Eaton draws green straw, wins election," accessed November 20, 2015
- ↑ Clarion Ledger, "Candidates in House race tie will draw straws on Friday," accessed November 18, 2015
- ↑ Gulflive.com, "Tied Mississippi House race may be decided by luck of draw," accessed November 13, 2015
- ↑ Associated Press, "Mississippi Primary Election Results," accessed August 3, 2011
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "2011 Primary Election Results," accessed February 13, 2014
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "Official 2011 General Election Results," accessed February 13, 2014
- ↑ Sun Herald, "TEA Party targets 10 Mississippi House seats," September 6, 2011
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "2007 Statewide Elections," accessed February 14, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Mississippi House of Representatives District 79 1996–2016 |
Succeeded by Mark Tullos (R) |
