Mississippi Governor Balks at Joining Movement Against Confederate Flag
With a governor facing re-election in November and an extreme scarcity of polling on the issue, the Confederate emblem that appears in the Magnolia state's flag is proving harder to retire.
The state flag of Mississippi, which incorporates the flag of the Confederate States of America in the top left corner, is displayed with the flags of the other 49 states and territories in the tunnel connecting the senate office building and the U.S. Capitol June 23, 2015 in Washington, DC.
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As Southern states act to remove vestiges of the Confederate flag in the wake of a Charleston church massacre last week, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant isn't making any hasty moves.
"Mississippians have already had a discussion about the state flag," Bryant said in an emailed statement on Monday afternoon. "It was put to a vote, and an overwhelming majority chose to keep the flag," he added, referring to a 2001 referendum.