Mike Gunn: Back in the News

Mike Gunn, a former Mississippi state legislator, is back in the news but probably wishes he wasn't.

There certainly was no love lost between Gunn and The Clarion-Ledger, which he called “that Pravda on Pearl Street.” Editorial cartoonist Mark Bolton once ran an outrageous cartoon of Gunn wearing Ku Klux Klan regalia.

In 1995, Charlie Ross ran for Gunn’s state Senate seat, and Gunn beat him, despite U. S. Sen. Thad Cochran doing TV ads for Ross.

“Gunn made a run for former U.S. Rep. Sonny Montgomery’s seat when Montgomery retired in 1996, but lost to Rep. Chip Pickering.”

Gunn didn’t make the Republican runoff, which was between Pickering and Bill Crawford of Meridian (’John Eaves Jr.’ beat state Sen. Rob Smith for the Democratic nomination. In 2007, Eaves and Smith were the Democratic nominees, respectively, for governor and secretary of state).

Gunn supported Pat Buchanan for president in 1996.

Gunn also ran for Congress in 1988 in the district in the southwestern part of the state. Tom Collins, a former Vietnam prisoner of war, defeated Andy Taggart in the GOP runoff. Mike Parker of Brookhaven won the Democratic runoff over Brad Pigott, after Steve Patterson had finished third. Patterson, who later served as state auditor, has recently pleaded guilty to charges related to the Dickie Scruggs scandal.

Parker, who beat Collins in the 1988 general election, later switched parties and was the 1999 Republican nominee for governor against the Democrat Ronnie Musgrove.

When Gunn took the job with the Tobacco Institute in 1997, that was “proof positive” to The Clarion-Ledger that he was the Prince of Darkness.