The attorney general’s race is getting more and more peculiar by the day &045; or at least it is for Republicans.

Late last week, John Kitchens bowed out of the race and threw his support behind lone Democrat Jim Hood of Houston.

Hood, of course, was excited to have Kitchen’s endorsement, calling him the &8220;man to beat&8221; in the Republican primary.

While getting the endorsement of any candidate from your opposing party is a good thing, Kitchen’s endorsement is anything but a coupe. And not to take away from what appears to be a huge feather in Hood’s cap, but most Republicans will tell you that Kitchens was not necessarily the &8220;man to beat.&8221;

Kitchens is a Rankin County Republican, which most of the times is golden if you are running for a statewide office. But in this case, it was not.

Most Rankin County Republicans are former Democrats, as is the case with most Republicans in Mississippi. Just look at 1999 GOP gubernatorial candidate Mike Parker &045; a former Democratic congressman &045; and the state party chairman Richard Herring &045; a former Democrat himself.

All that aside, many in Rankin County do not seem to believe Kitchens ever made it far enough to the right to be a solid choice for a GOP office.

He managed support for a run and win as district attorney, but even that was contentious. On the surface, everything looked cozy. He ran, if memory serves correctly, with no formidable opposition.

The same happened when Kitchens sought a circuit judgeship, which he also won.

But Kitchens retired from that seat, just a short time from the next election, thus giving Gov. Ronnie Musgrove authority to appoint a judge. That did not sit well with the men and women who backed Kitchens.

Still, some came out in support of Kitchens for attorney general, including longtime Republican activist Mike Marsh.

Many will remember Marsh as former Gov. Kirk Fordice’s controversial pick to lead Mississippi Worker’s Compensation. Marsh’s nomination was never allowed to a vote. Instead, it was held hostage by Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson.

Word is Marsh was having trouble finding solid backing for Kitchens. Some would point to Kitchens’ snubbing of fellow Republicans.

Others, though, are weary of Kitchens as attorney general. They see him as little more than a trial lawyer in Republican clothing.

One sign of such is that Kitchens is a member of the Mississippi Trial Lawyers Association. That’s a no-no for Republicans, especially if you are seeking the attorney general’s seat.

Despite all that, the fact now is that Hood faces only one opponent, Scott Newton, who Hood undoubtedly sees as the lesser of two Republicans.

No doubt that upon first glance Newton was the favorite to finish last, but that was some time ago.

That was before Delbert Hosemann did a disappearing act. That was before Andy Taggart never appeared in the first place.

But Taggart has made no secret that he was putting his support behind Newton, a former assistant U.S. Attorney under Dunn Lampton and a former FBI agent.

Furthermore, with Hosemann out of the picture, the availability of funds is now wide open. Many say Hosemann’s interest in and eventual entry into the race scared several potential candidates away, knowing that Hosemann was a formidable fund-raiser.

Now, Newton is left to reap the benefits, perhaps by design or perhaps by luck. Either way, Hood is facing a formidable Republican, and quite possibly one more formidable than Kitchens ever was.

Sam R. Hall

is editor and publisher of The Times-Post. He can be reached at (662) 456-3771 or by e-mail to

sam.hall@timespost.com

.