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Mississippi attorney general election, 2011
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- Main article: Mississippi state executive official elections, 2011
The Mississippi Attorney General election of 2011 was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2011, following a primary on August 2, 2011. A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election.
In Mississippi, primaries are open, meaning any registered voter may vote in the primary of their choice. State law says: "No person shall vote or attempt to vote in the primary election of one (1) party when he or she has voted on the same date in the primary election of another party."[1]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Incumbent Democrat Jim Hood defeated Republican challenger Steve Simpson in the general election to win a third term as the state's attorney general.
Race background
In March 2010, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, a Democrat first elected in 2003, announced his plans to seek re-election again in 2011.[2] Hood's announcement dispelled suspicions he would attempt to replace the popular but term-limited Republican incumbent Haley Barbour as Governor of Mississippi. In a statement, Hood said that his decision would "allow [him] to continue our hunt for child pornographers and Internet predators; to protect our elderly citizens; and to shield our residents from corporate wrongdoers."[3]
Republican public safety commissioner Steve Simpson announced his candidacy on January 14, 2011.[4] Several weeks later, he resigned from his commissioner's post in response to speculation that his candidacy violated the federal Hatch Act, which prohibits appointed state executives whose duties include administering federally funded programs from running in a partisan political campaign.[5]
General election
Results
| Attorney General of Mississippi, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Jim Hood Incumbent |
61.1% | 536,827 | |
| Republican | Steve Simpson | 38.9% | 342,086 | |
| Total Votes | 878,913 | |||
| Election results via Mississippi Secretary of State | ||||
Candidates
Former Mississippi public safety commissioner Steve Simpson
Incumbent Jim Hood
Primary election
Democratic primary
Incumbent Jim Hood ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination.[6]
Republican primary
Former Public Service Commissioner Steve Simpson ran unopposed for the Republican nomination.[7] Simpson's candidacy was endorsed by Gulf Coast 9-12 Project.[8]
Campaign media
Jim Hood
Polling
An April 2011 poll by Public Policy Polling, the first of the race, showed incumbent Hood with a substantial lead over Republican opponent Steve Simpson.
| Date of Poll | Pollster | Steve Simpson (R) | Jim Hood (D) | Undecided | Number polled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr. 6-8, 2011[9] | Public Policy Polling | 32% | 49% | 19% | 817 |
Key deadlines
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| Mar. 1 | Declaration of candidacy |
| June 18 | Absentee voting begins for the primary election |
| July 2 | Voter registration (in person) for the primary |
| July 3 | Voter registration (postmark on a mailed application) for the primary |
| Aug. 2 | Primary election |
| Aug. 23 | Runoff primary election, if required |
| Sept. 2 | Certification of results for primary |
| Sept. 24 | Absentee voting begins for the general election |
| Oct. 8 | Voter registration (in person) for the general election |
| Oct. 9 | Voter registration (postmark on a mailed application) for the general election |
| Nov. 8 | General election |
| Nov. 29 | Runoff general election, if required |
| Dec. 8 | Certification of results for general election |
External links
Campaign sites:
Footnotes
- ↑ LexisNexis, "Miss. Code Ann. § 23–15–575," accessed September 3, 2025
- ↑ Legal Newsline, "AG Hood will seek re-election," March 23, 2010
- ↑ MS360.com, "UPDATE: Hood says he'll seek re-election as Mississippi AG," March 19, 2011
- ↑ Associated Press, "Steve Simpson running for Mississippi attorney general as Republican," January 14, 2011
- ↑ MS360.com, "Simpson says he’s ‘not a candidate,’ so no Hatch Act violation," January 27, 2011
- ↑ Associated Press', "UPDATE: Hood says he'll seek re-election as Mississippi AG," accessed July 1, 2011
- ↑ AP, "Steve Simpson running for Mississippi attorney general as Republican," January 14, 2011
- ↑ Facebook, "Steve Simpson for Attorney General, "June 22, 2011
- ↑ Public Policy Polling, "Hood leading for AG re-election; blacks, Dems don’t hate Lott," April 11, 2011
