CQ Risk Rating: Safe Republican 
| GENERAL ELECTION: NOVEMBER 7, 2000 |
|
| Roger Wicker (R) | 145,967 | 70% |
| Joey Grist (D) | 59,763 | 29% |
| Christopher N. "Chris" Lawrence (LIBERT) | 3,310 | 2% |
| PRIMARY ELECTION: MARCH 14, 2000 |
|
| | Votes | Percentage | | Democratic |
| Joey Grist | 10,662 | 100% |
| | Republican |
| Roger Wicker | 16,224 | 100% |
Source: Congressional Quarterly. To suggest updates and corrections: politics.feedback@cq.com
Major Industry | Population | Cities | People | Race | Median Household Income | Unusual Features
MISSISSIPPI 1
:
North - Tupelo
The rural Hill Country of northeast Mississippi supports an agricultural
economy in the 1st, while manufacturing dominates in Lee County. The
district's two most populous counties, De Soto and Lee, are also the fastest
growing: De Soto grew nearly 30 percent between 1990 and 1996.
The region's largest city, Tupelo, is a national leader in upholstered
furniture production. More than a dozen Fortune 500 companies are located
in or near the city, drawing job seekers from poorer parts of the state. In
De Soto, the burgeoning businesses in Memphis, Tenn. - just north of the
county - are attracting people into the less-taxed, less-expensive
Mississippi. East of that area, Marshall and Benton counties serve as home
to many of the district's African Americans.
For most of the 20th century, Democrats dictated the politics of the
1st. But as the national Republican Party grew more socially conservative,
voters turned away from Democrats in federal elections, favoring Bush and
Dole for president in the 1990s. Democrats, however, dominate state and
local elections, stemming from the party's provincial political monopoly
since Reconstruction.
Major Industry
Furniture, agriculture, textiles
Population
515,196 (1990)
Cities
Tupelo, 35,194; Southaven, 20,778; Corinth, 12,264 (1996)
People
67% rural; 13% age 65+ (ranks first of five in state; middle third
nationally); 61% married couples, 30% married couples with children; 11%
college educated (ranks fifth of five in state; bottom third nationally);
43% white collar (ranks fifth of five in state; bottom third nationally),
44% blue collar (ranks first of five in state; top third nationally) (1990)
Race
77% white, 23% black, 0% Asian; 0% Hispanic origin (1990)
Median Household Income
$20,867 (ranks third of five in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)
Unusual Features
Elvis Presley born in Tupelo, Jan. 8, 1935; William Faulkner lived at his
Rowan Oak estate in Oxford; Jamie Whitten represented the district from 1941
to 1995 - the longest House service in the country's history at 53 years and
two months.
Source: Congressional Quarterly (Updated April 1999)
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District 1
