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By Ryan Thornburg
Washingtonpost.com Staff
Wednesday, March 3, 1999

The field of candidates for Mississippi's Aug. 3 statewide primary is unusually crowded, with more than 18 people vying to fill the governorship being vacated by term-limited Gov. Kirk Fordice (R). In Kentucky and Louisiana, the only other two states with gubernatorial elections this year, governors Paul Patton (D-Ky.) and Mike Foster (R-La.) face little competition.

"If Clemson didn't want him, I don't know why the voters of the 3rd District would." – Trey Walker, executive director of the South Carolina Republican Party, on a potential congressional bid by former Clemson football coach Danny Ford. (The State, Columbia, S.C., March 23 .

• Vacant Governor's Race Draws Full Field (The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss., March 2)
• Fields Set for County, State Elections (The Sun Herald, March 2)
• Governors Guide (washingtonpost.com)

Ventura, Bush Give State Addresses
Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura (Reform) and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) delivered their first State of the State addresses on Tuesday. Lawmakers gave Ventura high marks for presentation but criticized the content, calling it broadly Republican peppered with Democratic-style government programs.
• Ventura Gives Visions of Personal and Government Responsibility (The Star-Tribune, Minneapolis, March 3)
• Governor Pushes Goals: Schools, the Elderly, Tax Relief (The Miami Herald, March 2)

N.H., Iowa Media Announce Presidential Debates
Candidates are gearing up for the Iowa and New Hampshire presidential votes that are less than a year away, and so are the local media. The Des Moines Register scheduled January debates for Democratic and Republican candidates, and news organizations in the Granite State have come together to do the same.
• Register to Sponsor Debates Before Presidential Caucuses (The Des Moines Register, Feb. 28)
• NH News Organizations Attracting National Partners for Primary Plan (The Union Leader, Manchester, N.H., March 2)

Tobacco Protesters Clog Streets With Tractors
Out-of-state visitors to Raleigh, N.C., should be comforted to know that Monday's traffic jam caused by 350 tractors clogging city streets is not some strange custom of the local yokels. It was an organized protest by farmers who want half of the state's $4.6 billion tobacco settlement.
• Protesters Plow Through Capital (The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C., March 2)

Ryan Thornburg can be reached at ryan.thornburg@washingtonpost.com