NATCHEZ &8212; Authors of a new book on Mississippi politics put a new twist on getting at the story.

Jere Nash, a liberal Democrat, and Andy Taggart, a conservative Republican, became allies in a project that would result in &8220;Mississippi Politics: The Struggle for Power, 1976-2006,&8221; published by University Press of Mississippi.

Nash, best remembered by some as chief of staff for Gov. Ray Mabus, said the two men of opposite political views, &8220;decided to do this because we needed to have both voices and to have access to both Democrats and Republicans and all in between to tell the story.&8221;

The story traces the dramatic political shift in Mississippi, from a time when &8220;the state&8217;s Democratic lineup included the governor, both United States senators and three representatives, and all but five seats in the state legislature,&8221; promotional material for the book says.

The shift came after 1976, the last time Mississippians would choose Democrats as presidential electors.

Nash and Taggart, who was chief of staff for Gov. Kirk Fordice, will be in Natchez Saturday, 2 to 4 p.m., to sign copies of their book at Turning Pages Books & More, 208 Washington St.

Nash said the collaboration with Taggart worked well. &8220;People were very kind, open and transparent,&8221; Nash said. &8220;They knew it would be fair.&8221;

Natchez native Bill Allain, both a state attorney general and a governor, figures prominently in several places in the book.

&8220;His lawsuit as attorney general kicking legislators off state commissions had a huge impact on state government,&8221; Taggart said.

Chapter 10, &8220;The Erosion of Legislative Power,&8221; begins with a quote by Allain:

&8220;As attorney general you get up in the morning and you drink coffee and have breakfast and you go and get your staff together and you say, &8216;Who we going to give hell to today?&8217; As governor, you get up and do the same thing but you say, &8216;Who&8217;s giving us hell today?&8217;&8221;

Allain believed that legislators serving on state executive-branch boards and commissions violated separation of powers. &8220;In December 1981, Allain notified the thirty-six legislators serving on executive branch boards that they were in violation of the constitution.&8221;

The legislature failed to act on his concerns. In April 1982, Allain filed a lawsuit. Hinds County Judge Charles Barber agreed with Allain and ruled in his favor.

The legislators appealed to the state Supreme Court but lost, when on Nov. 28, 1983, only a few weeks after Allain was elected governor, the nine justices presented a unanimous opinion that upheld Barber&8217;s ruling.

So, ironically, Allain, as governor, signed into law &8220;the bill that not only removed legislators from all executive branch boards but that also dramatically increased the power of the governor,&8221; the authors write.

The book begins with a history of Democrats and Republicans in Mississippi from mid 20th-century to 1975 and continues with a chapter titled, &8220;The Beginning of the End, 1976.&8221;

Tobacco, tort reform and reapportionment figure prominently in the stories. Familiar names evoke memories of political high points during the past several decades &8212; governors, legislators, U.S. presidents and others.

Nash said researching and writing the book taught him one good lesson. &8220;I came to realize that a political policy is more important than a political party. I&8217;m a liberal before I&8217;m a Democrat,&8221; he said.

&8220;And I think Andy would agree that he&8217;s a conservative before he&8217;s a Republican.&8221;

The 403-page book includes a foreword by author John Grisham, who says, &8220;My career in Mississippi politics was practically over before it began, and you&8217;d need to dust the state capitol for fingerprints to find anything I left behind.&8221;

In the early 1980s, when he served in the state legislature, the statehouse &8220;was much more civilized and much less partisan,&8221; Grisham says, going on to describe the new book as &8220;a lively account for the fight for political power&8221; in Mississippi.