campaign-donations-oxford-ms

With two of the most polarizing presidential candidates in American history, their combined rhetoric and baggage has seemingly left their vice presidential picks in the dark.

However, Lafayette County members from differing political ideologies have taken note of both Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana and Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia. With the sole Vice Presidential debate taking place on Oct. 4 at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia, citizens tuned in to gain a better profile of each nominee.

Republican leaning voters like Barbara Hardin [age, 65+] of Oxford, who manages rental property in the area, was impressed with Pence’s performance during the debate.

“I thought he was very patient and in control. He was knowledgeable and knew what he was talking about,” Hardin said.

Resident of Bruce, Mississippi and local pastor, J.R. Eaton [age, 34] also mentioned Pence’s calm demeanor as something he liked in the VP candidate. Both Hardin and Eaton, attribute Pence’s Christian core values as a quality they appreciate in Donald Trump’s running mate, and believe Trump’s pick of Pence to have been a wise and thought out decision.

The two republican voters differ in whether Pence as the presidential nominee would make them feel more comfortable versus Trump. Eaton would feel a closer connection and draw sharper support of Pence due to the governor’s strong ties with faith. Hardin sees that anyone would suffice over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, whether that be Trump or Pence.

Zachary Shaw
Lafayette County VP Reaction Page 2

Polled democrats in the area had a different take away from the debate that was hosted by CBS News.

“Tim Kaine impressed me but I found his role as attack dog a bit not his personality and once he stopped interrupting and settled down he was more successful,” Oxford resident and Project Coordinator at the University of Mississippi, Nancy Jones [age, 44-64] said.

Full-time Ole Miss student, Logan Wallace [age, 20], from Naperville, Illinois, settles near the moderate end of the Democratic Party, but was rather more impressed with Pence’s performance over Kaine’s.

“Pence semi-impressed me for the mere fact that he’s actually a sensible person and showed poise that his running mate does not.”

Wallace also made clear that this election cycle has been “atrocious”, with poor party nominees for both the RNC and DNC. Therefore, he would feel slightly better if Pence and Kaine were the presidential party nominees instead. If that were the case, it could possibly swing Wallace’s vote from blue to red.

“I would have to look more at their [VP candidates] respective policies and character without the influence of their running mates.”

However, Jones takes a more hardline approach in her views as a democrat, and does not see Pence as a suitable fit for the presidency. She instead views Clinton with high praise, and believes she is a better party nominee than her VP choice.

Zachary Shaw
Lafayette County VP Reaction Page 3

“I think that Secretary Clinton has decades of experience … First Lady of Arkansas, a partner in the Rose Law firm, First Lady of the United States, a U.S. Senator, and Secretary of State.” Jones said. “I don’t think there has ever been anyone as qualified to be president.”

In the center of the isle, one might say the independents are stuck between a rock and a hard place in this current election cycle.

Kalen Francois [age, 21], a full-time student at Ole Miss from McDonough, Georgia, who plans to vote for libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson, sees that the VP candidates are taking this election more seriously than their counterparts, and in effect balance out their running mates in multiple ways.

Francois, who favors conservative views, is a fan of Pence and would support him on Nov. 8 if he was the republican nominee over Trump.

“ I do agree with Trump on some things,” Francois said. “However, I’m not a huge fan of Trump because he seems rigid and heartless. I like Pence because he is always honest about how he feels about Trump’s words and actions; he doesn’t defend Trump very much. Plus, the issues that I don’t agree with Trump are the same issues I agree with Pence on.”

Similar to Francois, full-time Ole Miss student, Katelyn Morrison [age, 19], from Brandon, Mississippi has been turned off by both major party candidates, and in result has turned a deaf ear to the political campaigns by now. So much as to ignoring the VP and presidential debates. Morrison does not see that either Pence or Kaine would be a better choice than Trump or Clinton.

“I don’t see them [Pence and Kaine] to know anymore or be as prepared as Trump or Clinton,” Morrison said.

As a true middle of the road independent, Morrison believes only through bipartisan cooperation that strides in America will be made.

“I think that our country should come together as both democrat and republican if we want to improve and get anywhere.”

The Tuesday night debate between Pence and Kaine saw a television viewership of 37.2 million people tune in to watch the candidates in a 90 minute discussion. This was the lowest television viewership for a VP debate since 2000, which totaled 28.5 million viewers according to CNN. Of the over 37 million who chose to watch, only 3.4 million came from the 18 to 34 age bracket.

“The VP debate is extremely important because I think many people are overlooking the VP candidates for this election,” Francois said. “With all of the drama and name calling taking place between Trump and Hillary, the VP’s are rarely given a chance to express their stance on various issues in comparison to their presidential running mate.”

Zachary Shaw

A survey taken at the Beacon on Thursday revealed views of the second presidential debate from people ages 76 and older.

Tyce Buntin, 78, a retiree from first Tennessee bank in Memphis, and a 1960 graduate of Ole Miss, said his views on this debate and the election as a whole are mixed.  When comparing this election to those of the past, he explained the difference he’s seen.

“This has been the worst election I think I’ve ever experienced,” he said.  “It’s nothing but mudslinging and trash.  I’m not fond of either candidate.”

Buntin said he thinks the economy and immigration are the main issues candidates should focus on.

“We need better jobs,” he said,. “I think we should put a handle on illegal immigrants.  I’m not at all saying that people shouldn’t be allowed into the states but I think the borders are too open.”

Bob Brunson, 76, has views similar to Buntin.  He said he thinks the debates have gotten a bit too personal, distracting the candidates from the real issues the country is facing.

“Immigration is something they should focus on, and the economy,” Brunson said. “I don’t think we can have an open border and I don’t think enough has been done to bring jobs back into our country.”

Brunson said there’s no way to control who enters the country from the borders.

“If you bring 2-300,00 people displaced out of Syria, there will be some terrorists,” Brunson said. “There’s no way to control such a mass amount of people. I think it’s inviting terrorism into the country.”

Brunson said his views on both candidates is mixed.

“I don’t feel very good about either one,” Brunson said. “Trump is too much mouth.  I think he has some ideas and I don’t know how some of them would be implemented.  I don’t know if he can implement some of the things he wants to implement without the support of Congress.  I’m not very supportive of Hillary though.

Mia Sims

The past two presidential elections have seen stagnant trends in Oxford, Lafayette County and Mississippi.

Of the 18,460 votes cast in Lafayette County for the 2008 presidential election, 43.3 percent of people voted for President Barack Obama. The percentage of Democratic votes for the county dropped 1.8 percent in the 2012 election. These numbers were strikingly similar to the entire state of Mississippi where 42.8 percent voted for Obama in 2008 and 43.5 percent voted for him in 2012.

“That surprises me,” said Cristen Hemmins, chair of the Lafayette County Democrats. “Oxford is, from everything I know, very blue, and the county tends to change the demographics and percentages as I understand it.”

The past two presidential elections did not see a drastic change in the election according to the percent of registered votes who cast ballots. The voter turnout had similar trends throughout the 2008 and 2012 elections: Oxford had an 8 percent increase from 11,848 to 12,798, Lafayette County had a 5.7 percent increase from 18,460 to 19,505, the state of Mississippi had a 0.4 percent decrease from 1,218,286 to 1,214,004 and the nation had a 1.8 percent decrease from 131,071,135 to 128,768,072. Hemmins said the Lafayette County Democrats are trying to change that by holding a voter registration drive at a local grocery store every day for the next two weeks.

“I think this is such a controversial presidential election,” Hemmins said. “I think we have a real opportunity as Democrats to reach across the aisle and get some new voters because Trump is such an unset candidate.”

In both 2008 and 2012, the difference between percentage of votes for an individual party for Lafayette County barely varied from the percentage of votes for the same party on the state level. In fact, the widest difference between Lafayette County and the state for both elections was a 2 percent decrease in 2012 for the Democratic Party. Mississippi voted 43.5 percent Democratic in 2012, and that same year Lafayette voted 41.5% Democratic.

“A lot of people have said that this is an election that can really go blue for Mississippi, shocking as that may be,” Hemmins said. “We’re trying to make sure we get out our Democratic vote. That’s where statewide we have a failure.”

Since the 2004 presidential election, Mississippi has voted 3.5 percent more democratic. However, Lafayette County dropped 1.8 percent from 43.3 percent in 2008 to 41.5 percent in 2012. The Libertarian Party rose 0.8 percent between the 2008 and 2012 elections, and the Republican Party rose 1.1 percent during the same timeframe.

Both Lafayette County and Mississippi did not vary much between the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. Oxford voted for 1.4 percent more Republican and voted 2.3 percent less Democratic from 2008 to 2012.

“I think party is going to play less of a role in this election,” said Dr. Robert Brown, a political science professor at the University of Mississippi. “I think you’ll probably see a little more party defection in both parties this year since both candidates are being viewed so poorly.”

While it is uncommon for a city to reflect a county and for that county to reflect the state, Brown said this could be explained if Oxford’s demographic makeup reflects the same makeup for the county and state. However, he also mentioned that this could be a statistical anomaly.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Oxford’s demographics are very similar to Lafayette County’s. Mississippi as a whole contrasts of these demographics, such as age, race, gender and ethnicity.

The state is far more racially diverse and impoverished than Oxford and Lafayette County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Mississippi is 37.6 percent African-American. Both Lafayette County and Oxford are below 30 percent African-American. Lafayette is 23.9, and Oxford is 21.8. Oxford and Lafayette both have higher per capita income than the state average of $20,956. Oxford has a median of $22,025, and Lafayette has a median of $21,838.

“When I looked at my voters,” Hemmins said speaking of her candidacy for Mississippi State Senate as a Democrat last year, “my support was really strong here in Oxford, but, in the county and the rural areas, you find they are much more conservative and much more republican.”

Three Lafayette County precincts, Abbeville, Oxford 3 and Taylor 3, overwhelmingly voted for the Democratic Party in 2008. They also voted strongly Democratic in the 2012 election. According to Hemmins, these three precincts are Democratic strongholds in the county.

“Seeing Lafayette County vote for a Democrat for the presidential elections would be a great change,” Hemmins said. “It still blows my mind, though. I feel like we are a blue dot in a sea of red. It never ceases to surprise me that we’re not really.”

While many of the statistics were similar between 2008 and 2012, Hemmins said she is optimistic for change in the 2016 Presidential Election.

“Just talking to people, I know lots of Democrats that are really fired up about supporting Hillary,” Hemmins said. “I think that the enthusiasm for her added to the horror over considering Donald Trump being our representative for our country could make the difference this time around.”

The information in this article is from the Lafayette County Circuit Clerk Baretta Mosely, The New York Times and the

U.S. Census Bureau. 

John Cooper Lawton

Lafayette County has 31,576 registered voters as of July spread out between 18 voting precincts. The Election Commission is preparing each precinct for this year’s presidential election.

Of the 18 precincts, the five biggest are all in Oxford. All polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. on Nov. 8. The Election Commission said they were all confident that the election will go smoothly.

“We’re planning to make it as smooth as possible,” said Max Hipp, Election Commissioner for District 2. “We try to plan for every potentiality. There are always little things that can happen, but we think we’ll have it covered.”

The Election Commissioners said that the Oxford 5 precinct’s polling location had caused confusion in the past. The address leads people to the Lafayette County Health Department; however, the polls are actually in the Lafayette County Extension Office, which is the building connected to the health department.

“They’re actually voting at the county extension office,” said Lola Pearson, Election Commissioner for District 3. “So, we put extra signs up down there.”

Each polling location will have volunteers to assist the process. Volunteers include poll workers, box carriers, bailiffs, affidavits, machine workers and student interns from the University of Mississippi.

Poll workers ensure that every person voting is registered. The box carriers are the facilitators for each polling location. Bailiffs are present to handle any altercations and keep campaigners away from the polls. The affidavits sort out any registration issues that may have occurred on Election Day. Machine workers help solve minor problems with the polling machines, and Don Smith, the polling machines’ technician, will fix any major concerns. The student interns serve as runners for any additional help that may be needed.

All of the volunteers have been trained. The next step in preparing for Election Day is Smith running diagnostic tests on each machine the week before.

“We have kinda done extra planning for this one because we know it’s going to be big,” Hipp said.

Map of Lafayette County’s precincts and polling locations:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1T546iz31FWIh8cQ2gEVfm5yJWwU&hl=en_US

John Cooper Lawton

With banners, yard signs, and brochures covering the windows, the Lafayette County Democrats are excited and thankful to call 1603 University Ave their new 2016 election headquarters.

Brad and Sharon Morris heard the group had been looking for a place so out of the kindness of their hearts decided to donate a vacant office space for the month before the election.

“We had an office before the 2012 election, we generally only have a brick and mortar office like a month or so before an election, because really there is no need, i mean otherwise.” said Cristen Hemmins the Chair of the Lafayette County Dems.

They moved into their new space at the first of October to ensure Oxford had a physical space for people to come to and buy “Hillary and Kaine” yard signs, “I’m with Her” t-shirts, as well as a variety of car stickers. They understand buying merchandise from the campaign could take weeks to come in and with roughly 20 days until the election time is running out.

“I think it makes people feel like there are democrats here who are obviously in Mississippi, the most conservative state in the country, I think it helps increase moral for Hillary supporters and democrats. I think there are a lot of cross over voters this election because Trump is such a terrible candidate. I’m hoping there are going to be a lot of republicans who wouldn’t want to say, there not democrats, but they’re voting for Hillary.” said Hemmins.

The Lafayette County Democrats group is strictly a volunteer based group. They are just trying to increase visibility and awareness for Hillary and her campaign. Along with canvassing and phone banking, The Dems have set up multiple tables in Oxford to register voters despite party affiliation as well as setting up debate watch parties and a final election watch party at the Lyric.

“We are going to do pole watcher training. You know Trump’s been saying the last few days, he’s been talking a lot about the election being rigged and encouraging his supporters to go to minority precincts and essentially intimidate voters and so I’ve had people actually contacting me saying I want to be a pole watcher to make sure this doesn’t happen so there is a lawyer, a woman here in town, who’s going to do a pole watcher training session the Sunday afternoon before the election so that we can try and have people at the poles to try and keep an eye on things.” said Hemmins.

The Lafayette County Democrats understand the election is right around the corner and it is time to put their feet to the pavement in this primarily conservative republican state.

It is clear to the Democratic party that if Donald Trump is to win the 2016 Presidential election, the future of America does not look good.

Alejandra Arrelano is a 28-year-old Hispanic female that resides in Lafayette County and is not fond of Trump at all.

“It’s going to be bad if Donald Trump is president,” Arrelano said.

Arrelano hasn’t really paid much attention to the election at all, but with that being said, she is still very much against Trump.

Arrelano has never voted in an election before and is still to this day not a registered voter but knows who she would vote for if she wanted to.

“I think I would go for Hillary Clinton,” Arrelano said.

It’s been a commonality throughout this Presidential election that even though a person may not pay much attention to it, they still feel very strongly against Trump because of the things they see or hear coming from him in the media.

Nicki Moore, 39, is an African-American resident living in Oxford and is really hoping Secretary Clinton pulls off the victory in this election.

When asked about how she felt about each candidate’s tactics, she didn’t take long to speak her mind in just a few short words.

“Trump, can’t stand him. Hillary, I’m rooting for her,” Moore said.

Moore also does not think America is set up well for the future after this election, saying that the world was “coming to the end,”.

Mary Flanders, 40, is a Caucasian woman with a daughter that she is scared for to live in this world with either of these presidential candidates.

On the outlook for the future of America, she was not so hopeful saying, “Well, it depends on who’s elected. I hope it’s going to be okay because I have a little girl, and it scares me to death about this election, honestly, because I’m not so sure America is very stable whichever way it goes.”

Flanders is affiliated with the Democratic party but will actually be voting for the Libertarian, Johnson.

She also went on to say that “The economy and stabilization,” are the most important issues to her in this election.

That has been a common recurrence when people are asked what the most important issues are to them and their families.

Geardline Campbell, 50, is an African American woman that is a strong Democrat and very against Trump.

“I think if Hillary is our president then our future looks great, but if Trump becomes president then things will be worse than what they are,” Campbell said.

Campbell also agreed with Flanders that the state of the economy is very important.

“The economy is one of the issues I want them to get ahold of, crime is bad,” Campbell said.

Campbell also thinks that Trump’s campaign has been ‘a lot of downfall’ because of all the trash talk that has occurred in his campaign.

Demerits Carothers, 32, is an African American male that is just hoping for the best for America and hopes that the future will get better but is unsure what is going to happen.

“Well, my guess is, I’m hoping that everything gets better. You know or whatever. It’s got to get better. Other than that, that’s my only thought on it. I just hope everything gets better.”

Carothers saying that he hopes America gets better three times in one quote goes to show how desperate America is hoping that America can get to a better place from where it is now.

Hunter Kirk

Campaign volunteers from all generations are making their contributions to the Democrat and Republican parties by registering voters, making phone calls and working behind the scenes at campaigns.

Volunteers from both parties set out to inform the public about their candidates in the hopes of getting them to vote either Republican or Democratic.  Getting out information on the candidate to potential voters is a key part of campaigning. The Democrats and Republicans have been recruiting volunteers to register voters in Oxford and Lafayette County.

“I volunteered to help register to vote because I believe that it is a fundamental right, it’s not something you can expect to happen, you have to get out and make it happen,” said Will Fryerson, an ambassador for the UM Vote Everywhere Program.

Fryerson and the other ambassador for Vote Everywhere are trying to get 1,000 new voters registered. He is pushing for student voters by helping out different sororities and organizations on campus that are registering voters at the Student Union.

According to Fryerson, people need to go out and be the change they want to see in the political system. Nate Larkin and John Owen Yoste are two young Republican volunteers who are trying to help change the political system and elect a Republican president.

Millennials have been getting more involved in politics in the last few elections and Larkin, a senior political science major at the University of Mississippi, first became interested in politics when he saw George W. Bush while on a trip with his father in D.C.

“My parents would always take me to different political rallies at a young age,” Larkin said. “At that time, Bush drove out of his motorcade, while I was in a big crowd of people.”

“When he began to wave to the crowd, it felt like he was waving directly at me,” Larkin said.

Ever since then, Larkin has had the drive to be a part of the process, getting involved, with campaigns, as early as his junior year of high school, where he was on the campaign trail with Mitt Romney and staff.

“There’s a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes,” Larkin said. “They put me in a phone back where we called the more left wing people, to try and get them to vote for the Republicans.”

Along with answering phones, Larkin was tasked with making home visits during the Romney campaign, recalling the few times when it was difficult.

“Unfortunately, if you happen to go to people’s homes and knock on doors they want your candidate to be exactly like them,” Larkin said. “It really makes it tough to connect with the general public in that way, when one thing on their checklist doesn’t line up with your candidate.”

After working for the Romney campaign as a junior, during his senior year of high school Larkin was able to find more interesting jobs to be a part of while volunteering.

“I got an internship that was just a whole lot of data collecting and filing data into different spreadsheets,” Larkin said. “Being able to look up voters and see when they voted in the past was really neat.”

Larkin said he is thankful for having been given the opportunity to experience all he has, up till this point, believing that being introduced to politics at a young age has made him more aware of the world today.

Yoste, the son of Lafayette County Executive Republican Committee member Geoffrey Yoste, has had his fair share of volunteer experience as well. Yoste started volunteering at 10.

Getting thrown into the world of politics at such a young age, Yoste was able to gain insights on political figures and how the adult world, of politics, operated.

“Mainly I was in charge of passing out stickers, flyers and holding up signs on election day, as well as throughout the entire campaign,” Yoste said. “Being in the atmosphere growing up I learned to let it grow on me and begin to love it.”

Most recently, Yoste attended the Republic National Convention where there, he too, was a volunteer, helping with the everyday process of checking the attendees in and handing out the daily itinerary.

Along with the chance to hear key figures in the Republican Party speak such as Donald Trump and, challenger, Ben Carson, Yoste said volunteering can have its benefits.

“There’s going to be people who disagree with you on every inch of the spectrum, but that’s okay,” Larkin said. “Through those interactions, it will be nice to know that all my work could lead to more opportunities, in the future.”

“I volunteer because I want to make America great again,” Yoste said. “I want to do everything I can to make, not only the city of Oxford better, but our great nation as a whole.”

With campaigns taking new volunteers all the time, it becomes easier and easier to get involved and be a part the process.

Evelyn Smith was in charge of recruiting volunteers from Lafayette County to be a part of the political process by registering people to vote. Smith said she does not represent a party when she registers people to vote, she is representing democracy.

“We think it’s very important that people vote because it is part of our democracy which is why we needed to find volunteers to register people to vote,” Smith said.

Smith started recruiting volunteers a few weeks before the registration drive started on September 26. The voter registration drive table was set up outside of Larson’s Cash Saver and registered voters from September 26 thru October 7. The volunteers worked in two-hour shifts from 8 a.m. till 4 p.m.

Smith and her partner, Ann Philippi, created a sign-up sheet and invited people to volunteer; consequently, volunteers began texting, calling and emailing them. The voter registration drive was non-partisan so volunteers came from the Lafayette County Democrats, Republicans and anybody who wanted to register voters.

71 volunteers registered over 300 voters during the two-week registration drive. There were millennials up to seniors who helped to register new voters.

Volunteers registered new voters and made sure people who have changed their names or addresses could re-register, according to Smith. Volunteers were given information on how to register voters.

“We’ve had volunteers who have registered with us before and for those volunteers who have never registered anybody I sent detailed information. For example, I would send what the voter application looks like and it would be highlighted for how to use it and cheat sheets with all kinds of good examples of how to use it,” Smith said.

Information was shared between volunteers. Volunteers were asked to arrive 15 minutes early so that the previous shift of volunteers could share any pertinent information with the new volunteers.

At the end of every day, Smith went to the drive and picked up the applications and dropped them off at the city clerk’s office. If approved, a voter got their voter registration within two weeks of registering. Some voters received their registrations as fast as one week after registering.

The Lafayette County Democrats asked for volunteers to help register voters and many of the members signed up to work multiple shifts. Connie Parham volunteered to work four hours of the voter registration drive and was willing to work as much as she was needed.

“It’s the first time I’ve worked for a party, but this is non-partisan, but it’s to help Hillary get elected because if we could get enough people to vote its possible she could carry Mississippi,” Parham said.

Parham is a long time resident of Oxford and has lived here for over 40 years. She worked at the Ole Miss Law School for almost 35 years before she retired. Even though Parham identifies as an Independent, this year she is working for the Democrats because she does not want Donald Trump to be elected so she is registering voters in the hope that they will elect Clinton over Trump.

“I think this election is so important. I’m so terrified that Donald Trump is going to get elected that several friends and I decided we needed to do what we could, to work,” Parham said. “I think it’s really important to get people to vote, especially this year.”

Parham wants to help Clinton get elected and she believes by registering more voters they can turn Mississippi blue. Parham said minorities are more likely to vote for Clinton if they can get them registered to vote. The Lafayette County Democrats are recruiting volunteers to make calls to local Democrats and encouraging the Democrats to vote for Clinton in November.

Volunteers for the Republican and Democratic Parties ranged from as young as 17 years old to retired seniors. All of the volunteers are working to help their candidate win the presidency and they believe that by dedicating their time they can help make that possible.

Jennifer Froning and Connor Heitzmann

Cristen Hemmins is the current chair of the Lafayette County Democrats but she started her journey through politics around 2011 when she became an anti-Personhood activist.

Hemmins has always known that she was a Democrat even though her parents were never too politically active. According to Hemmins, she was uninterested in politics when she was younger because her parents were not very politically active. Before 2011 her father never made time to vote and her mother was a Democrat but not very involved in politics at the local level.

In 2011 Hemmins got really involved in politics because of her interest in Prop 26, which was Life Begins at the Moment of Fertilization Amendment. Prop 26, commonly known as Personhood, would have changed laws about abortion, IVF treatment and taken away options for a lot of parents.

“I sort of became the non-official spokesperson,” Hemmins said. “The reason I was able to speak out about it and became such a voice for that movement was because when I was 20 and I took a semester at Millsaps in Jackson, I was abducted by two black men and raped and shot twice before I escaped.”

Hemmins became very active in the Personhood protests because of the traumatic experience she went through. If she had gotten pregnant from the rape and personhood was in effect then she would have had no options and would have been forced by the state of Mississippi to keep that baby. There were no exceptions allowed in the law for exceptional circumstances like rape or incest.

Hemmins appeared in many national and local news stories about her experience and activism against Personhood.  Hemmins was interviewed by many news organizations such as the Daily Mississippian, Jackson Free Press and the Oxford Eagle. Hemmins also appeared on the Rachel Maddow show twice on MSNBC.

“I spent all day long, everyday obsessed with this. I lost weight and I was just sick with worry over it. So after that is when I got really invested in politics,” Hemmins said.

According to Hemmins she spent all of 2011 on protests, rallies and activism in opposition to Prop 26. Prop 26 was defeated in Mississippi by over 57 %, which shocked Hemmins because of the wide margin; She thought it would be a closer outcome.

In 2012 Hemmins got on the local executive committee in Lafayette County and then the state executive committee. She was elected to go to the Democratic National Convention in 2012. She was inspired to run for senate last year for District 9 with a focus on education but she was defeated.

She focused her attention on the executive committee. There six members for each of the five districts. During the first meeting they elect officers and Cristen was elected Chair.

“I really just do it because there are important things that need to get done and it is the only way to make sure they get done,” Hemmins said.

Hemmins does not get paid to be chair of the Lafayette County Democrats even though it takes a lot of time and effort. Hemmins runs the meetings, organizes fundraisers and volunteers and works at the Clinton Campaign Headquarters all while running a full-time job in advertising and managing her three kids.

“If I got paid for all the time and effort I put into politics I would not have the credit card debt I have,” Hemmins joked. “It would be wonderful.”

Hemmins puts in a lot of hours toward the Lafayette County Democrats but she is passionate about politics and believes it is very important. She was thrilled with the participation of the members of the group.

“I am really proud of this county already. We have so many active people. I think the most important thing is that I be able to delegate and not do it all, Hemmins said.  “As chair I think one of the most important things is that I get the word out and have a strong presence in the community.”

Hemmins is very active on social media and runs the Lafayette County Democrats Facebook page as well as their website. According to her it can be difficult to reach a lot of the democrats who are not into technology and are not active on social media.

Hemmins runs the Lafayette County Democrats during her free time when she is not gardening, reading or taking care of her family. Hemmin’s husband is from England so he cannot vote but according to her he just as invested in politics as she is and likes to help her out with activism and rallies. Hemmins met her husband when he stopped at Square Books in Oxford during his bike ride across the United States and he finished the trip before taking a train back to Oxford and they have been together ever since.

Even though her husband and parents are Democrats, the rest of her family is split between the Democrat and Republican Parties. According to her, they cannot talk about politics at family events.

“There was a thanksgiving at my house where one of my aunts stole our yard sign and my husband got it back and put it back by our mailbox,” Hemmins said. “She was pissed off that he had gotten it out of her car and we were like are you kidding me? You stole it from our yard.”

Hemmins is focused on the presidential election right now and campaigning for Hillary Clinton but after the election she will start focusing on education rights and get back to local political activism.

“Shortly after this is done we will have to start paying attention to the capital in Jackson because in January they will come back into session and there is always all sorts of bullshit that we have to protest against and try to stop because of all of the terrible decisions they make down there,” Hemmins said.

Hemmins will focus on education after the election; specifically focusing on how there is not enough funding for schools. Hemmins is very passionate about education and focused her senate run on education. She hopes to make a difference and get more funding for schools so that they can better improve the educational experience for students.

Jennifer Froning