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Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today

The Mississippi state flag flies in downtown Jackson on Thursday, June 25, 2020.

Legislative leaders opted on Thursday to delay a vote to change the state flag, which contains the Confederate battle emblem, but told lawmakers they would continue working through the weekend, which is longer than initially anticipated.

Early this week, lawmakers indicated they planned to adjourn the regular session on Friday, making the issue of the state flag more urgent. But they now plan to meet longer, most likely through the weekend and into next week.

The delay again leaves no answer to the question on everyone’s mind: “When, if at all, will legislators vote to change the state flag?”

Speaker Philip Gunn in the House and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann in the Senate can bring up a bill to change the state flag at their discretion.

Various sources have confirmed to Mississippi Today that both sides are close to having the necessary votes — within “one or two votes” in both chambers, some said, and others indicated leaders had enough votes in the House — though it’s a fluid situation.

On Thursday afternoon, as Hosemann was walking into Gunn’s office to meet about changing the flag, a reporter asked about an assertion made by Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville, that there were at least 20 senators who would definitely not vote to change the flag was correct.

Twenty senators voting against changing the flag would kill the effort.

“Sen. McDaniel has been here longer than I have. He certainly would be a knowledgeable source, but not necessarily accurate,” Hosemann said.

Lawmakers technically have until July 12, according to legislative rules, to take up the issue of the state flag. If they adjourn the session before that, they cannot come back this year for a state flag vote. Additionally, when they adjourn for the year, the only reason they can come back to Jackson — unless called into special session by Gov. Tate Reeves — is to take up COVID-19 issues.

A two-thirds vote of both chambers (82 of 122 House members, 35 of 52 Senate members) is required to suspend the rules to even consider a bill that would change the flag. If the rules are suspended, a simple majority vote of each chamber (62 of 122 House members, 27 of 52 Senate members) is needed to change the flag.

Legislators could come back in the 2021 session and pass a proposal under the normal process to change the state flag with simple majority votes of both of chambers.

While the flag continues to garner much of the attention, legislators continue to work on completing a state budget and on spending about $900 million in federal funds on coronavirus-related expenses, including funds to improve internet access to rural areas.

Other major bills still being considered deal with enacting criminal justice reform, possibly making it easier to vote early in November, removing a provision from the Constitution giving the House the authority to elect statewide officeholders in certain circumstances, and providing a higher level of protection for businesses and health care providers from coronavirus-related lawsuits.

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Ole Miss basketball coach Kermit Davis, center, joins other athletic staff from the state’s public universities calling for a change in the Mississippi state flag. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

One was a middle-aged white man, born and raised in Mississippi. One was a much younger African-American woman, who has lived in Mississippi for only weeks. One, a Mississippi State graduate, represented Ole Miss, the other, a Tennessee alum, represented Mississippi State.

But both Kermit Davis, Jr, the man, and Nikki McCray-Penson, the woman, spoke eloquently and delivered the same message Thursday morning in the Capitol rotunda: Change the Mississippi flag. Now. Let’s move ahead.

Behind the chosen speakers, McCray-Penson and Davis, stood at least 25 coaches and sports administrators representing all the state-supported universities, unanimous in their belief Mississippi needs a new flag to represent all Mississippians.

Rick Cleveland

Football coaches Lane Kiffin of Ole Miss and Mike Leach of Mississippi State, both brand new to the state, stood in the front row behind the podium. At least one observer, this one, imagined Kiffin and Leach must have felt as if they just landed here from another planet, this being 2020 and all this hubbub being about changing a flag that contains the losing battle flag from a war fought more than a century and a half ago. But I digress…

“I know firsthand what it feels like to see a Confederate flag and pretend that it doesn’t have a racist, violent and oppressive overtone. It screams of hate. It hurts me to my core,” McCray-Penson said.

Said Davis, “We’re here to create change. We need a flag that represents all Mississippians. We can all agree on a few things, that we all have great pride in our state, that we all want great business and economic growth in our state, and that we want Ole Miss and our other great universities to attract the very best players from our state as well the best players from all across the country. We can do this by changing the flag now.”

Sports has been front and center in this ongoing Mississippi flag debate, and apparently the pleas of Mississippi’s college coaches and administrators in the past several days have made a difference. On Thursday afternoon, lawmakers told Mississippi Today that they felt they were “one or two votes” short of legislative change in both chambers — an incredible reality given the lack of legislative support the effort had even a week ago.

House Speaker Philip Gunn took the podium after the coaches and spoke loudly and with emotion about the need for changing the flag.

“This entire state is screaming for change,” Gunn said. “This is an issue that needs to be resolved and resolved quickly. The longer it goes, the more it festers and the harder it’s going to be later on. The image of our state is at stake here, ladies and gentleman. The nation is watching.”

Last week, the NCAA, the Southeastern Conference and Conference USA all announced that championship events will be banned from Mississippi as long as the Confederate emblem is part of the flag.

“The rulings by the SEC and NCAA affect us greatly, and we can’t be an elite program without hosting postseason events,” McCray-Penson said. “Our entire student body could potentially be adversely affected by this symbol of hatred. …This symbol of hatred is so much bigger than athletics.”.

Nevertheless, nobody seemed to know whether the legislative votes were there to make the change. Two-thirds majority is needed in both the House and Senate for the change to occur.

“We’re so close,” one legislator said.

“Almost there,” said another.

“I really believe it is going to happen Friday or Saturday,” said still another.

McCray-Penson sounded hopeful.

“As a Black woman coaching at one of the most diverse universities in the country, I look forward to seeing change that unites us and accurately represents our great community,” she said. “Changing the flag is an important step toward inclusivity and an end to racial injustice. This is a moment in our society to reassess values and do the right thing by removing this symbol of hatred.”

Davis closed by talking about a family discussion recently at the dinner table at his house.

“I have a daughter, Ally, she’s 32 years and she has Down’s Syndome,” Davis said. “Ally keeps us simplified and grounded at all times at our house. We were having this discussion, my wife and Ally and I, and we were talking about social injustice and the flag change, and Ally’s sitting there and she looks up and says, ‘Dad, do unto others as you would like them do unto you.’

“I said, boy isn’t that simple and isn’t that perfect – that’s it, a flag change that’s good for everybody in our state.”

The post Many coaches, but just one message: It’s time for Mississippi to change its state flag. appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today, Report For America

Tate Reeves prepares to debate against Bill Waller Jr. during the GOP gubernatorial debate at WJTV studios Wednesday, August 21, 2019.

Gov. Tate Reeves, in the midst of the battle over whether the Legislature will change the Mississippi state flag during the coming days against his wishes, called a meeting Wednesday afternoon attended by five fellow statewide elected officials to discuss the issue.

People familiar with the meeting said Reeves did not attempt to change anyone’s mind, but instead led a general discussion on the flag, the nation’s only state flag to feature the Confederate battle emblem.

One person familiar with the meeting said it appears to have been a meeting “to take the temperature” of the statewide officials and perhaps develop some type of unified front. But by the time of the meeting, held at the Governor’s Mansion, most of the statewide officials had issued a statement on the flag.

At the meeting, Reeves continued to maintain that a vote of the people should be held on whether to change the flag, but he opposed the referendum being this November.

Soon after that meeting, Reeves posted a statement to social media that if the Legislature garnered the two-thirds vote needed in each chamber to change the flag, he would not veto the bill because it would also take a two-thirds vote to override his veto.

“Some legislative leaders have changed their position multiple times in recent days. Right now, they are considering suspending the rules to change the flag. It would take a two-thirds vote. That’s how many it takes to override a veto,” he wrote.

“Make no mistake, a vote to change the rules is a vote to change the flag. If they get those votes, a veto would be pointless. That debate would be over, and the flag would change.”

Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, who as the Senate’s presiding officer is leading the effort in that chamber to garner the two-thirds majority to change the flag, and Attorney General Lynn Fitch were not at the meeting with Reeves.

On Thursday morning, lawmakers in both the House and the Senate told Mississippi Today they were “within one or two votes” of being able to suspend the legislative rules and change the state flag.

Fitch and Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney were the only two statewide officials at a meeting Hosemann and House Speaker Philip Gunn had earlier this week with religious leaders where the flag was discussed. After that meeting, the influential Mississippi Baptist Convention endorsed changing the flag.

Thus far, Reeves and Secretary of State Michael Watson have not taken a position on whether the flag should be changed. Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson, Auditor Shad White and Fitch have endorsed changing the banner.

Hosemann and Chaney have endorsed the Legislature changing the banner. Treasurer David McRae said he would support a change by the Legislature or by the people.

In 2001, 64 percent of Mississippians voted to maintain the current flag, though, momentum appears to be growing in recent weeks from the business community, sports figures and others to change the controversial banner.

All of Mississippi’s statewide elected officials are Republican.

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Coaches and athletic directors from every public college and university in the state travelled to the Capitol on Thursday morning to deliver a clear message to legislators: It’s time to change the state flag, which features the Confederate battle emblem.

Mississippi State University women’s head basketball coach Nikki McCray-Penson

“I know firsthand what it feels like to see the Confederate flag and pretend it doesn’t have a racist, violent or oppressive overtone. It screams hate,” Nikki McCray-Penson, head women’s basketball coach at Mississippi State University. “There is no place in our society for a symbol of discrimination, hatred and oppression.”

McCray was part of a group of roughly 30 coaches and athletic directors, including University of Mississippi head football coach Lane Kiffin and Mississippi State head football coach Mike Leach, who participated in a press conference to share their beliefs about how the flag is harming the state.

All coaches are now directly affected by state flag, as the NCAA, SEC and Conference USA have all respectively banned all postseason college athletics events from being hosted in Mississippi until the flag changes.

University of Mississippi men’s basketball coach Kermit Davis

“We all agree that we’d love to have a state that has great pride,” said Kermit Davis, men’s basketball coach at the University of Mississippi. “We’d love to have a state that is flourishing economically, business-wise and education(-wise). And for that to happen we all know that the flag needs to change.”

House Speaker Philip Gunn attended the press conference and spoke strongly on behalf of changing the flag, telling the crowd no one can argue the flag isn’t damaging the state as the post-season bans have “now brought a quantifiable hurt” upon Mississippi.

“This entire state is screaming for change. This is an issue that needs to be resolved, and resolved quickly,” Gunn said. “The longer it goes, the more it festers and the harder it’s going to be later on. The image of our state is at stake here, ladies and gentleman. The nation is watching.”

Leaders in athletics are not the only ones to speak out against the flag — this week the Mississippi Baptist Convention, Mississippi Economic Council and the chair of the Mississippi Republican Party have all come out against it, arguing its harming the state’s reputation and serves as a painful symbol of oppression to many residents.

The Legislature needs a two-thirds vote in each chamber to change the flag. It’s likely they will try in the coming days.

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The state’s chamber of commerce has released a new poll that shows a seismic shift among Mississippi voters in favor of changing the state flag to remove its Confederate battle emblem.

The poll released by the Mississippi Economic Council shows voters favorable to changing the flag 55% to 41%, a flip from a 2019 poll that showed 54% of voters favored keeping the current flag. MEC says polling data supports its call for the Legislature to act this week to “change the flag now.”

The poll was conducted last week by the Tarrance Group, a company with extensive political polling experience in Mississippi that has polled voters on the flag issue for years. It also showed that support for changing the flag jumped to 72% when people were asked about changing to a “state seal flag” that includes the motto “In God We Trust.” The survey showed the state seal version has support from a majority of Black and white Mississippians.

That the poll was backed by MEC will likely carry weight with lawmakers, who often look to the influential chamber of commerce for economic development counsel.

“In the nearly 20 years we have held the position of changing the state flag, we have never seen voters so much in favor of change,” said Scott Waller, president of MEC. “These recent polling numbers show what people believe, and that the time has come for us to have a new flag that serves as a unifying symbol for our entire state.”

Waller continued: “The Mississippi Legislature is poised to do the right thing this week, and we wholeheartedly support their efforts. As we seek to recover from crippling economic losses from COVID-19, we must show Mississippi is open for business to everyone – and no person should feel left out. Our state flag must be the flag for all of our people, and I cannot think of a better change for our state than to include the national motto ‘In God We Trust,’ which was also recently added to our state’s seal.”

MEC also launched an “It’s Time” campaign today to lend support with the efforts to change the flag, with a full-page ad placed in newspapers across the state. The campaign is supported by more than 100 business and industry leaders and includes full-page ads in newspapers across the state.

Separately, the Mississippi Association of Realtors on Wednesday issued a statement calling for lawmakers to change the state flag.

“The current Mississippi flag serves as an unnecessary hindrance to progress and growth,” the statement said, “and the Mississippi Realtors support swift legislative action to retire the current flag and replace it with a flag that reflects the enduring and remarkable qualities that make Mississippi a wonderful state to call home.”

Lawmakers in both the Senate and House have engaged in conversations about changing the state flag the past two weeks as protests about racial equality have continued across the state and nation. Tens of thousands of protesters in Mississippi have focused their demands around the state flag.

Late last week, as pressure to change the flag continued to grow, lawmakers discussed two options: adopting a second official state flag or letting Mississippi voters decide the fate of the current flag. In a 2001 referendum, 64% of voters voted to keep Mississippi’s current flag. Leaders who support changing the flag today fear a similar outcome would stall efforts to change the flag for years to come.

On Tuesday afternoon, leaders in both the House and Senate did not feel they had the votes to change the flag or put the issue on the ballot. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, however, released a statement on Wednesday expressing his support for changing the flag in the Legislature without a ballot referendum. Lawmakers plan to end the 2020 legislative session on Friday.

“I trust our leadership to pass this critical legislation at this important moment for our state,” said Mississippi Power President and CEO Anthony Wilson, who serves as Chairman of MEC. “They can take comfort in knowing that many Mississippians stand behind them. MEC not only represents the interests of Mississippi employers but also their employees. Our business members’ long-standing position to see the state flag changed not only reflects their desire to foster a more open business climate in our state but also reflects the overwhelming sentiment of thousands of their Mississippi employees as well.”

The Tarrance poll was conducted from June 16-18, with a sample size of 500 likely voters and a margin of error of 4.5%.

A poll conducted earlier this month by Mississippi-based Chism Strategies found 46% support for retaining the old flag compared to 44.9% who support changing it. In terms of polling, the outcome would essentially be considered a statistical tie. That poll indicated momentum for changing the flag was growing. In September 2017, when Chism polled on the same question, the result was 49% to 41% in favor of the old flag.

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Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today/ Report for America

Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann

Though legislative leaders have indicated they don’t yet have the votes necessary to change the state flag, a new comment from Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann suggests the Mississippi Legislature may take action after all.

“… the Legislature in 1894 selected the current flag and the Legislature should address it today.  Failing to do so only harms us and postpones the inevitable,” Hosemann said in a statement Wednesday.

Hosemann, whose previous public statements have indicated that he believes the state flag should be changed via referendum, made clear Wednesday that he now believes it should be done solely by the Legislature. The statement comes as lawmakers face increasing pressure to change the state flag, which contains the Confederate battle emblem.

Hosemann and Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton have been meeting behind closed doors this week to garner votes. When asked several questions Wednesday about where the flag change movement stands in the House, Gunn repeatedly said “We continue to gauge where we are,” and would not comment further.

House Democratic Leader Rep. Robert Johnson III on Wednesday said, “We’re within single digits of having the votes for a suspension resolution.”

“The more organizations that come out in support of changing the flag helps,” Johnson, of Natchez, said. “I’m confident we’ll take a vote on a bill before we leave … It’s churning every day. The leadership is working the votes.”

A growing list of businesses, cities, counties and other groups have either stopped flying the flag or asked leaders to change it. Religious leaders have spoken out, saying changing the flag is a “moral issue.”  The NCAA, SEC, and Conference USA this month took action to ban post-season play in the state until the flag is changed.

As for what a replacement should look like, Hosemann said “In my mind, our flag should bear the Seal of the Great State of Mississippi and state “In God We Trust.” I am open to bringing all citizens together to determine a banner for our future.”

Other statewide elected officials have also spoken out in favor of changing the state flag.

Like Hosemann, Republican Attorney General Lynn Fitch supports the idea of adding “In God We Trust” to the seal. On Wednesday she released a statement that did not address the Confederate battle emblem specifically, but said it was her personal belief that it’s time to change the state flag.

“The addition of the motto “In God We Trust,” from our State seal is the perfect way to demonstrate who we are to all,” Fitch said.

Also on Wednesday, State Auditor Shad White said:

“If there were a vote to remove the Confederate imagery from our flag, I would vote to remove it….I’m just telling you what I think — that we can have a flag that is more unifying than the one we have now.”

State Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson on Wednesday issued a statement:

“It is my position that any change in the state flag should be made by the people of Mississippi in a statewide vote.  I support a change; but it is a decision Mississippians should make, and my sense is our people are ready, willing and able to decide the issue at the ballot box.  If put to a referendum, I would support the ‘In God We Trust’ flag as the single best alternative to bring Mississippians of all races and backgrounds together, a goal I believe most Mississippians share.”

Late Wednesday Secretary of State Michael Watson released a statement not saying whether he supports changing the flag, but did advocate for an election on the issue.

“Once the Legislature handed the voters the authority to change our flag in 2001, any option other than allowing them the vote again would be usurping that authority,” Watson said. “The flag represents the place we all call home, so every one of us should have a voice in the decision to keep it or change it.”

Treasurer David McRae has not responded to requests for comments.

State Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said this week that he believes elected officials should take action to adopt a new flag that represents all Mississippians.

“Now is the time for the present Mississippi state flag to be retired and replaced,” Chaney said. “If citizens want a new flag or want to keep the old flag they should express their opinion to their elected legislators and at the ballot box.”

Gov. Tate Reeves continues to opposes the Legislature changing the flag without a vote of the people. He has refused to say whether he would vote for a new flag if the issue was on the ballot.

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