Long time MS Democratic Congressman planning to run again…as a Republican

Gene Taylor is considering a run for the 4th District congressional seat he held for two decades, but if he runs it probably will be as a Republican.

“I wrestle with it,” said Taylor, who as a Democrat was defeated in 2010 by Republican U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo.

He said the urge gets stronger when he remembers the good things he did. It’s stronger, for instance, when he meets a wounded veteran who remembers he got a visit from Taylor in the hospital. He also helped win approval for Tricare, the civilian health care system for military members, retirees and their dependents. He helped get armor for vehicles during the Iraq war, which saved troops who could have been killed by improvised explosive devices. More lives were saved when he helped get Self-Protection Adaptive Roller Kits installed on the vehicles, which set off the bombs before the vehicles rolled over them.

“You realize you made a difference,” he said.

He said he would have to run as a Republican to have any chance. Democrats, he said, were always in the minority, with about two-thirds of the people describing themselves as Republican or independent.

“By 2010, about two-thirds of the people in the district identified themselves as Republican,” he said. “I don’t know how much that has changed, if at all. I did notice that a lot of the people I served with at the state level have switched parties.

“Let’s face it. You can’t accomplish anything if you don’t get elected.”

The downside to being a Republican, he said, is the party is much tougher on those who don’t toe the party line. But he said he wouldn’t let that influence his voting.

“I was never a very good Democrat,” he said. “So I could be just as bad a Republican.”

Palazzo was elected after courting Tea Party groups, only to promptly ignore all the promises he made them when he got to Washington. It’s worth noting that he was one of the GOP House members who voted NO on yesterday’s debt deal.