Andy Taggart & Jere Nash: 50 Years of Mississippi Politics

For most of the 20th century, Mississippi was essentially a one-party state. Today, Republicans control nearly every lever of state government. How did we get from there to here?

In this episode of The Empower Podcast, Grant sits down with Andy Taggart and Jere Nash, longtime political strategists and friends from opposite sides of the aisle, to discuss the new edition of their book, Mississippi Politics: The Struggle for Power, 1976–2026.

They revisit some of the moments that shaped modern Mississippi politics: a Speaker’s race decided by a single vote, the rise of the Tea Party, the Republican takeover of the House, and a U.S. Senate primary so wild that people are still arguing about it more than a decade later.

They also explore Mississippi’s role in the Dobbs decision, the creation of the Two Mississippi Museums, the 2020 state flag change, and what 50 years of political fights, shifting alliances, and colorful characters can teach us about Mississippi today.