Wicker gets nod to replace Lott

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has chosen Rep. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) to succeed retiring Sen. Trent Lott.

{mosads}The move leaves vacant a solidly Republican House district, and Barbour said he expects a special election “this spring.”

Wicker, 56, a former Lott aide with a socially conservative voting record, is an appropriator who has supported hometown projects and proven his support for the congressional earmarking process.

Wicker’s first congressional district, centered around Oxford, Miss., performs solidly Republican, though it was represented for decades by Democratic Appropriations Committee Chairman Jamie Whitten, who left office after the 1994 election. Bush won the district with 62 percent of the vote in 2004.

“I am a mainstream conservative in the mold of Trent Lott and Thad Cochran,” Wicker said after Barbour announced his choice. “I believe most Mississippians share these values.”

Wicker said he will be a candidate in the special election to replace Lott, which Barbour has scheduled for Nov. 4.

Attorney General Jim Hood has contested Barbour’s decision to hold off on the special election until the November general election. He says state law requires an election to be held within 90 days of Lott’s resignation, and has threatened a lawsuit.

After announcing his selection Monday, Barbour acknowledged that the law is “not absolutely clear,” but defended his choice and said he is prepared for a court fight he expects would wind up in the Mississippi Supreme Court.

Lott resigned earlier this month after serving one year of a six-year term. Lott's term runs through 2012.