Mario Barnes
Mario Barnes (Republican Party) ran for election to the Mississippi State Senate to represent District 5. Barnes lost in the Republican primary on August 6, 2019.
Barnes completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2019
See also: Mississippi State Senate elections, 2019
General election
General election for Mississippi State Senate District 5
Daniel Sparks defeated Steve Eaton in the general election for Mississippi State Senate District 5 on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Daniel Sparks (R) | 72.1 | 14,109 |
 | Steve Eaton (D)  | 27.9 | 5,450 | |
| Total votes: 19,559 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Mississippi State Senate District 5
Steve Eaton advanced from the Democratic primary for Mississippi State Senate District 5 on August 6, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Steve Eaton | 100.0 | 3,687 |
| Total votes: 3,687 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Mississippi State Senate District 5
Daniel Sparks defeated Patrick Eaton, Mario Barnes, and Mel Greenhaw in the Republican primary for Mississippi State Senate District 5 on August 6, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Daniel Sparks | 53.0 | 5,724 |
 | Patrick Eaton | 34.2 | 3,687 | |
 | Mario Barnes | 10.7 | 1,150 | |
| Mel Greenhaw | 2.2 | 235 | ||
| Total votes: 10,796 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Mario Barnes completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Barnes' responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
1. Promoting an efficient government. 2. Create a more business friendly environment to both keep the employers we have and attract new ones. 3. Reduce taxes.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
I am pretty concerned with Mississippi's business climate. I would love to address our lack of labor force by promoting scholastic/training programs which integrate the industry needs with our education system.
Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?
In the political world, I admire Ron Paul. He was not afraid to stand alone in his fight to keep America's founding principles intact.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
If there were a book to recommend reading to better understand me, I'd say Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. If there were a movie you could watch to grasp my perspective a little better, I'd say Green Zone w Matt Damon. My experience in the Middle East transformed my opinions of both Government and Media.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
What I appreciate from people in general is honesty. Honesty has become a not so common trait, even more so among politicians.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
I have the courage to follow through in my fight for liberty and against corruption.
What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?
Some of the core responsibilities of this position are to create/review and vote on legislation. I will do this with a conservative nature ensuring that legislation I support does not grow the size/scope/role of government. I will fight to keep government in it's appropriate role.
What legacy would you like to leave?
I would like to ensure people remember I fought to reduce government spending and government intrusion into our lives. I fought to not only preserve individual liberty, but to expand it.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
The first major event I remember as a child was the space shuttle Challenger disaster. I must have been about 7 when that happened. It was on the news nonstop. We also discussed the issue at school.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
My first job was bagging groceries at Piggly wiggly in Iuka, MS. I was 15 or so when I started that job.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
My favorite holiday is Christmas. I love seeing the kids' faces when they open their gifts.
What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?
Some of Mississippi's greatest challenges over the next few years are definitely the education system and our labor force.
Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.
It is beneficial to build relationships with fellow legislators. Though, it imperative to remember your allegiance is to your constituency and not your new found 'friends'.
If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?
There are a few committees I believe I would enjoy serving on. 1. Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency 2. Business and Financial Institutions 3. Constitution 4. Housing 5 Investigate State Offices
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2019 Elections
External links
Footnotes
