By Billy Davis

State Rep. Warner McBride was expected to qualify today for a special election for Northern District transportation commissioner, his campaign announced this week.

McBride, 54, was among the first to announce his candidacy after the Nov. 1 death of Bill Minor.

Today is the last day to qualify for the race. The special election is January 11.

The Northern District includes Panola and 32 other counties in the northern third of the state.

The three-member Mississippi Transportation Commission sets policy and hires the executive director of the Miss. Department of Transportation.

Minor, before his passing, served with Southern District Commissioner Wayne Brown and Central District Commissioner Dick Hall.  

McBride, a Panola County native, is poised to impact the race. He has served in the House since 1992 and is currently serving as Transportation Committee Chairman, both obvious political advantages in the race.  

“I am running to represent those who work hard to support their families with honest work,” McBride said in a statement.

 “I am running to represent the families and businesses that travel on our roads and bridges,” he said.

In the press release, McBride touted his role on the Transportation Committee, stating that he “created and balanced a billion-dollar transportation budget that supports 50,000 private sector jobs…”

A spokesman for the campaign, Nita Durell, said McBride qualified with more than 1,000 signatures from across the Northern District.

Others who have also qualified include Ray Minor, Bill Minor’s younger brother and business partner; Tippah County District 4 Supervisor Dennis Grisham; Grenada business owner Larry Lee; Joey Hood, an MDOT employee and Minor’s special assistant; and DeSoto County Schools transportation director John Caldwell.