On December 31, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, a Republican, appointed fellow Republican Roger Wicker to the vacant U.S. Senate seat. Wicker is the current Congressman from the 1st district (the northeast part of the state).

Mississippi election law is not clear. Jim Hood, Attorney General, says since the vacancy occurred in 2007, there must be a special election in the spring of 2008. The Governor doesn’t agree and says the special election should be in November 2008. Hood had previously said that if the Governor stuck to that position, he would bring a lawsuit to resolve the matter. In any event, there must be a special election in the spring to fill the new vacancy in the U.S. House seat.

Eight states have had vacancies in the U.S. House this year: Georgia, California, Massachusetts, Ohio, Virginia, Illinois, Indiana, and now Mississippi. Thanks to Steve Rankin for the news.