By Staff
STRUCTURAL COMMITMENT Republican Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck, left, and Tommy Dulaney, president of Structural Steel Services Inc., talk about their hopes for more jobs during a news conference Monday at Structural Steel, Plant 2. Dulaney is a board member of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, which endorsed Tuck's bid for re-election. Photo by Paula Merritt/The Meridian Star
By Georgia E. Frye / staff writer
Sept. 23, 2003
The Mississippi Manufacturers Association endorsed incumbent Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck on Monday the 52-year-old association's first endorsement in a lieutenant governor's race.
Tuck, a Republican seeking a second straight term in office, said she was honored to receive the endorsement. She also talked about what is needed to ensure the success of small businesses.
Tuck spoke at a news conference in Meridian at Structural Steel Services. She was joined by MMA President Jay Moon and Structural Steel President Tommy Dulaney.
Tuck meets Democratic nominee Barbara Blackmon of Canton and Reform Party candidate Anna J. Reives in the Nov. 4 general election. At stake is one of the most powerful jobs in state government.
The lieutenant governor is the only statewide official with executive- and legislative-branch responsibilities serving as second-in-command to the governor and presiding over the state Senate.
Blackmon, a state senator from Canton, and Reives, a Hattiesburg resident, could not be reached today for comment on Tuck's endorsement.
The MMA represents the state's manufacturing community in the state. The organization has more than 2,200 members, including manufacturers, fabricators and distributors and those who work closely with manufacturing.
Moon said he was pleased to break new ground by having the MMA endorse a political candidate.
Dulaney who is on the board of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, said he thinks it is vital that Tuck win the lieutenant governor's race.
If re-elected, Tuck said she will work to make sure Mississippi businesses are ready to be successful in today's economy.
What's at Stake
Here is a look at the race for lieutenant governor.
The candidates: Incumbent Republican Amy Tuck meets
Democrat Barbara Blackmon and Reform Party candidate Anna J. Reives in the Nov. 4 general election.
The job: The lieutenant governor serves as second-in-command to the governor and also presides over the 52-member Mississippi Senate.
The pay: The lieutenant governor earns a base salary of $60,000 a year; the lieutenant governor draws the governor's pay when he is out of state.