I have decided to end my appeal of the election commission’s decision to remove me from the ballot. Mississippi military personnel’s right to vote is a major reason for my decision. A prolonged court battle with the Secretary of State’s office could delay ballots being provided to military personnel overseas in time for those votes to be counted.

Our fighting men and women are putting everything on the line in far away parts of the world so that we have the freedom to vote. A lengthy court battle could jeopardize their voices being heard in the upcoming elections. Secretary Hosemann may be willing to jeopardize the ballots getting to them in time by carrying on this fight, but I will not. He says he has ‘special powers’ to do this. But, this is one point where I have the power to put a stop to it, and I will.

This was an excited campaign and I am blessed with the opportunities that have been provided to me over the past months. It has been my privilege to meet the people of Lafayette, Yalobusha, and Tallahatchie counties. Your friendship and dedication mean a great deal to me and will not be forgotten. I would also like to thank my supporters, campaign staff, and volunteers for your commitment to this campaign. Without all of you we would have never had the momentum we had in this race.

I look forward to getting back to business and helping to improve the community. But, I will also continue to be active in the Republican Party and in Mississippi politics. Mississippi must adhere to the Constitutional principles of the free-market if it is going to attract private sector jobs to this great state in the future. Creating tax revenues by creating jobs and not by raising taxes must be priority number 1 in Mississippi. I also hope to work with our state legislators to clarify and strengthen the rules that exist as it relates to the Election Commission’s role, so that what happened in this case does not happen again. As I continue to work with our officials I will continue to encourage “Principles above Politics” so that we can help move Mississippi forward.

Sincerely,

Todd Wade