- Wayne Dowdy
Charles Wayne Dowdy (born
July 27 ,1943 ) is a former United States Congressman fromMississippi ,United States Senate candidate and currently chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party.Early life
Dowdy was born in Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Georgia.
Dowdy practiced law and owned two local radio stations before being elected
Mayor of McComb from 1978-1981.Politicial career
On
July 7 ,1981 , Dowdy was elected to the House of Representatives as a Democrat in a special election for the 4th District, a mildly significant event because the Democrats recaptured a Southern district from the Republicans. Dowdy carefully managed to avoid drawing strong Republican challengers in thegeneral election orAfrican American opponents in the Democratic primary. He won re-election narrowly in 1982 and 1984, with 53 percent and 55 percent of the vote, before being re-elected with 72 percent of the vote in the 1986 elections. He was notable for being a ratherprogressive Democrat in a district with a 37 percent African American population; he voted for renewal of theVoting Rights Act in 1982.In 1988, when John Stennis retired from the Senate Dowdy won the Democratic nomination. His opponent was Republican Congressman
Trent Lott . Dowdy was unable to implement his rural strategy.George H. W. Bush carried Mississippi 59 percent-39 percent, which allowed Lott to defeat Dowdy by a 54 percent-45 percent margin.Dowdy attempted to stage a comeback against Governor
Ray Mabus in the 1991 Democratic primaries, but lost with 41 percent of the vote.Dowdy's trademark slogan as the chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party has been "It's a great time to be a Democrat."
Personal life
Dowdy and his wife, Susan, have three children. His wife is from
Grenada, Mississippi .He currently practices law in
Magnolia, Mississippi . His family owns several radio stations in Mississippi andLouisiana . He is a former staff announcer for television station WJTV-TV inJackson, Mississippi .He is a graduate of Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. He is
United Methodist in faith.External links
*http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=D000466
*http://www.msdemocrats.net/
*http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=3650_0_9_0_C
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