23. Who was elected the first Republican Governor of Mississippi since the Reconstruction era Governor Adelbert Ames, whose term ended in 1876?
From Quiz Mississippi History 101
Answer:
Daniel Kirkwood "Kirk" Fordice, Jr.
Kirk Fordice, born in Memphis, Tennessee, served two terms as governor of Mississippi from 1992 to 2000. When he was elected governor, Mississippi had been "deprived" of Republican leadership for 116 years. Interestingly, at the end of his second term, Mississippi voters filled the vacancy with a Democrat, Ronnie Musgrove. Of course, Musgrove, after serving one four-year term, was ousted by Republican Haley Barbour. Fordice was a diehard conservative and a very controversial one at that. He wore a tie with a Confederate flag on it while voicing his opposition to funding for minority owned firms. He also threatened a local news reporter on live television with "I'm gonna kick your @$$!"