PHILADELPHIA, Miss. - The Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor for months have promoted their positives and avoided harping on their opponents' negatives.
With Tuesday's primary looming, it appears the gloves are coming off.
Former Supreme Court Justice Jim Roberts of Pontotoc, who rarely refers to his challengers without commending their achievements, said state Sen. Barbara Blackmon's legislative experience doesn't automatically qualify her to hold the state's second-highest elected office.
"I don't mean to be derogatory at all, but a technical knowledge of the Senate rules is not all that is required to effectively serve in that position," Roberts said in an interview on Friday.
"The Clarion-Ledger (newspaper) to the contrary notwithstanding, someone with broad experience over this state and with all the people in this state, in my opinion, is the best person to serve," Roberts said referring to the Jackson newspaper's endorsement of Blackmon.
Blackmon said in a separate interview that she's spent the past few weeks showing voters her vision for the state by introducing a plan to lower medication costs for seniors and an economic development proposal calling for tax credits and other incentives for businesses.
"None of my opponents have brought forth any plans as it relates to economic development, as it relates to health care, and I have been proposing solutions to the problems that we are confronted with in this state," said Blackmon.
Roberts said it's going to take more than that.
"There's going to need to be a (lieutenant governor) who has made hard decisions in places, and I have done that as a prosecutor, as commissioner of public safety, as a chancery court judge, as a Supreme Court justice," he said.
The lieutenant governor presides over the state Senate, assigning members to committees and chairmanships. The lieutenant governor also serves on the Joint Legislative Budget Committee.
Neither Roberts or Blackmon mentioned their challengers in stump speeches at the Neshoba County Fair this week. But Troy Brown, a Greenwood businessman who is considered a long-shot candidate, criticized Blackmon and Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck, who is unopposed in the GOP primary.
Blackmon and her husband, state Rep. Ed Blackmon, have a successful law firm in Canton.
"You have a trial lawyer who has made her wealth suing business. For her to say, I have an economic plan and a health plan to attract more doctors is a contradiction," Brown said of Blackmon.
Blackmon responded:
"Does he know more about my business than my husband and I?"
Blackmon said half of her clients are defendants and the other half plaintiffs. The firm represents Microsoft, R.J. Reynolds, Entergy and Illinois Central, among others, she said.
"By representing both sides, we understand the issues. As a lawyer, I understand the importance of negotiation and compromise," Blackmon said.
All three candidates say they're making a last-minute push to reach voters across the state.
A black turnout will be "pivotal" in the lieutenant governor's race, said Leslie McLemore, a political science professor at Jackson State University.
Blackmon and Brown are black. Roberts is white.
"(Blackmon) has been such a visible presence in this race, it's going to be very difficult for Mr. Roberts to garner any of the black votes," said McLemore.
He said Brown hasn't run an aggressive campaign.
On the money side, Blackmon has fared better than Roberts.
Blackmon raised $176,394 from July 1 through July 26, bringing her total to $735,147. Roberts raised $45,670 during the same period, with a total of $224,884.
Brown's latest contribution report was not immediately available. A campaign finance report he filed in June showed he had raised $2,000.
