Hudson Holliday is chafed about Mississippi being at the bottom of national rankings.
So he’s traveling the state and passing out lip balm bearing the message, “If you are really chapped vote for Hudson Holliday for governor of MS.”
The retired major general from the Mississippi Army National Guard will face Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant, Pass Christian contractor Dave Dennis, former state employee James Broadwater and Moss Point businessman Ron Williams in the Republican primary Aug. 2.
Holliday, a member of the Pearl River County Board of Supervisors, stopped by the Commonwealth on Tuesday for an interview.
The 66-year-old said he’s the only candidate who has served as a general, found success in business and has experience in government.
Bryant and Dennis are widely considered the favorites, but Holliday said that’s a media construct.
“Phil Bryant will never be the governor of this state. Phil, he’s lost his luster,” Holliday said.
Holliday said Dennis is a nice guy but added that his touting of his business experience is misplaced. Leadership, not business success, is the most important attribute, according to Holliday.
He said he commanded the largest transportation headquarters in the nation when serving in the National Guard and being a general officer in the military is one of the most respected professions.
“It’s not about being tough or brave. It’s about integrity. It’s about character,” he said.
A Mississippi native, Holliday said he’s waited all his life for politicians to get Mississippi off the bottom and is now tired of waiting.
Reversing Mississippi’s historically woeful ratings in economic and social factors requires a change in the state’s perception, he said.
“We’ve got to change the image of Mississippi nationwide. That turns a lot of people from considering Mississippi as an option,” Holliday said.
He said he’s not interested in antagonizing Democrats but sees everyone as Mississippians who need to work together. Likewise, blacks and whites need to quit worrying about what happened 100 years ago and worry about tomorrow, he said.
Holliday said he supports all three referendums on the November ballot: voter ID, a personhood amendment and eminent domain.
In 2009, the state Legislature passed an eminent domain law, which would have restricted the government’s ability to take private land for economic development projects, but Gov. Haley Barbour vetoed it.
Holliday criticized Bryant for not pushing for the state Senate, which Bryant presides over as lieutenant governor, to override the veto. Holliday said it’s an example of putting politics ahead of principles and people.
Holliday’s not running a shoestring campaign; he had more than $516,000 in his coffers as of May 31. However, $500,000 of that came from a donation from himself, according to campaign finance records.
• Contact Charlie Smith at csmith@gwcommonwealth.com.
