CQ Risk Rating: Safe Republican 
| GENERAL ELECTION: NOVEMBER 7, 2000 |
|
| Charles W. "Chip" Pickering Jr. (R) | 153,899 | 73% |
| William Clay Thrash (D) | 54,151 | 26% |
| Jonathan R. Golden (LIBERT) | 2,313 | 1% |
| PRIMARY ELECTION: MARCH 14, 2000 |
|
| | Votes | Percentage | | Democratic |
| William Clay Thrash | 10,213 | 100% |
| | Republican |
| Charles W. "Chip" Pickering Jr. | 28,753 | 100% |
Source: Congressional Quarterly. To suggest updates and corrections: politics.feedback@cq.com
Major Industry | Military Bases | Population | Cities | People | Race | Median Household Income | Unusual Features
MISSISSIPPI 3
:
East central - Meridian
From Oktibbera County in the north to Jones County in the south, the
timber industry dominates the central swath of the 3rd, a district changing
from the Democratic stronghold it's been since the late 19th century to a
reliably Republican voting bloc. With the exception of a few cities, the
district is broken up into scores of rural communities.
Rankin County is one of the fastest-growing regions of the state,
spurred by nearby Jackson residents seeking land in the suburbs. The
county's unemployment rate is among Mississippi's lowest. Kemper and Noxubee
counties on the state's eastern border include areas as poor as the Delta,
with a sparse population that in some places does not have running water.
Republicans now control the federal politics of the 3rd, after being
shut out for more than a century. The district provided Republican
presidential candidates with overwhelming support in both 1992 and '96. But
most of the region's local elected officials are Democrats, likely - in part
due to the historic domination of that party through 1980.
Major Industry
Timber, agriculture, higher education
Military Bases
Columbus Air Force Base, 1,365 military, 1,303 civilian; Meridian Naval Air
Station, 696 military, 600 civilian (1998)
Population
515,225 (1990)
Cities
Meridian, 40,835; Columbus, 22,724; Pearl, 21,175 (1996)
People
61% rural; 12% age 65+ (ranks fourth of five in state; middle third
nationally); 57% married couples, 28% married couples with children; 16%
college educated (ranks second of five in state; middle third nationally);
52% white collar (ranks third of in state; bottom third nationally), 34%
blue collar (ranks second of five in state; top third nationally) (1990)
Race
67% white, 31% black, 0% Asian; 0% Hispanic origin (1990)
Median Household Income
$21,625 (ranks second of five in state; bottom third nationally) (1990)
Unusual Features
During the "Freedom Summer" of 1964, two black men and one white were killed
in Philadelphia, part of Neshoba County, on a bus trip to help African
Americans register to vote.
Source: Congressional Quarterly (Updated April 1999)
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District 3
