View source for Haley Barbour

{{Short description|American attorney and politician (born 1947)}}
{{BLP sources|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name         = Haley Barbour
|image        = Haley Barbour by Gage Skidmore.jpg
|order        = 63rd [[List of governors of Mississippi|Governor of Mississippi]]
|lieutenant   = [[Amy Tuck]]<br>Phil Bryant
|term_start   = January 13, 2004
|term_end     = January 10, 2012
|predecessor  = [[Ronnie Musgrove]]
|successor    = [[Phil Bryant]]
|office1      = Chair of the [[Republican National Committee]]
|term_start1  = January 29, 1993
|term_end1    = January 17, 1997
|predecessor1 = [[Richard Bond (political executive)|Richard Bond]]
|successor1   = [[Jim Nicholson (Secretary of Veterans Affairs)|Jim Nicholson]]
|office2      = [[White House Political Director|White House Director of Political Affairs]]
|president2   = [[Ronald Reagan]]
|alongside2   = [[Mitch Daniels]], [[Frank Donatelli]]
|term_start2  = June 17, 1986
|term_end2    = March 16, 1987
|predecessor2 = [[Bill Lacy (political operative)|Bill Lacy]]
|successor2   = [[Frank Lavin]]
|birth_name   = Haley Reeves Barbour
|birth_date   = {{birth date and age |1947|10|22}}
|birth_place  = [[Yazoo City, Mississippi|Yazoo City]], [[Mississippi]], U.S.
|party        = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|spouse       = {{marriage|[[Marsha Barbour|Marsha Dickson]]|1971}}
|education    = [[University of Mississippi|University of Mississippi, Oxford]] ([[Juris Doctor|JD]])
|signature    = Haley Barbour signature.svg
}}
'''Haley Reeves Barbour'''<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ybp2xI8NXPUC&q=%22Haley+Reeves+Barbour%22 |title=Current Biography Yearbook 1996 |editor1-last=Graham |editor-first=Judith |editor2-last=Schick |editor2-first=Elizabeth A. |editor3-last=Young |editor3-first=Gray |editor4-last=Claggett |editor4-first=Hilary D. |editor5-last=Helbok |editor5-first=Miriam |page=16 |isbn=978-0824209087 |date=December 1996 |publisher=H.W. Wilson }}</ref> (born October 22, 1947) is an American attorney, politician, and lobbyist who served as the 63rd [[governor of Mississippi]] from 2004 to 2012. A member of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]], he previously served as chairman of the [[Republican National Committee]] from 1993 to 1997.

Born in [[Yazoo City, Mississippi]], Barbour graduated from the [[University of Mississippi]] with undergraduate and law degrees, where he was a member of [[Sigma Alpha Epsilon]] fraternity.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}  Barbour was an active Republican operative during the 1970s and 1980s, and he is often credited with building significant Republican infrastructure in Mississippi during an era when it was still [[Solid South|dominated]] by [[Southern Democrats]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/09/09/misunderstanding_the_southern_realignment_107084.html|title=Misunderstanding the Southern Realignment |website=[[RealClearPolitics.com]] |access-date=2019-01-18}}</ref>  He was the Republican nominee for [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] in [[1982 United States Senate election in Mississippi|1982]], but lost to incumbent Democrat [[John C. Stennis]].

In 2003, Barbour became the second Republican governor of Mississippi since [[Reconstruction era|Reconstruction]] when he defeated Democratic incumbent [[Ronnie Musgrove]].  As governor he oversaw his state's responses to [[Hurricane Katrina]] and the [[Deepwater Horizon oil spill|2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill]], the state's two most damaging environmental disasters since the [[Great Mississippi Flood of 1927|1927 Mississippi River floods]].  Barbour was expected to be a candidate for [[2012 United States presidential election|president in 2012]], but announced he would not run in April 2011.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zeleny |first=Jeff |date=2011-04-25 |title=Governor of Mississippi Won't Run for President |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/us/politics/26barbour.html |access-date=2019-01-18 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Since retiring as governor, Barbour has resumed lobbying as a senior partner at [[BGR Group]], which he co-founded in 1991.  He has been described as "one of Washington's all-time mega-lobbyists".<ref name="Lobbyist" />  His clients have often included foreign governments, oil, and [[Tobacco politics|tobacco companies]].<ref name="Carney" />  Barbour currently co-chairs the Immigration Task Force at the [[Bipartisan Policy Center]].

==Early years==
Barbour was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi, where he was raised as the youngest of three sons of Grace LeFlore (née Johnson) and Jeptha Fowlkes Barbour, Jr.<ref>{{cite web|author=Lawrence Kestenbaum |url=http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/barbour.html |title=Index to Politicians: Barbour |publisher=The Political Graveyard |access-date=2011-02-05}}</ref> Haley's father, a lawyer, died when Barbour was two years old.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2011/02/14/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-haley-barbour |title=10 Things You Didn't Know About Haley Barbour |first=Caitlin |last=Huey-Burns |newspaper=U.S. News & World Report |date=February 14, 2011 |access-date=August 23, 2013}}</ref> Barbour's father  was a Circuit Judge who had an inmate, Leon Turner, assist him after Judge Barbour became ill. As governor, Haley later gave Turner, who had helped raise him, a posthumous pardon in the closing days of his administration.<ref>{{cite web |last=Freeland |first=Tom |title=Gov. Barbour press conference on pardons issues |url=http://nmisscommentor.com/law/gov-barbour-press-conference-on-pardons-issues/ |access-date=January 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310134834/http://nmisscommentor.com/law/gov-barbour-press-conference-on-pardons-issues/ |archive-date=2012-03-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

His brother [[Jeptha Fowlkes Barbour III]] was elected mayor of Yazoo City in 1968 as an independent and served until 1972.<ref name='Herald-Sworn'>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated-->|date=April 11, 1968 |title=His Honor sworn to duty by mother |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/261320754/ |work=The Yazoo City Herald  |access-date=January 16, 2023 |via=newspapers.com |url-access=subscription |quote=Mayor J. F. Barbour III was sworn into office Monday night by his mother, Mrs. J. F. Barbour, Jr. and became one of the youngest chief executive officers in the history of the city.}}</ref>

He enrolled at the [[University of Mississippi School of Law]], receiving a [[Juris Doctor]] (J.D.) degree in 1972.

Subsequently, Barbour joined his father's old law firm in Yazoo City.<ref>[https://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/Index.aspx?sp=MS&oi=G USA Today Campaign 2004 Mississippi Governor] Retrieved May 10, 2007</ref> He was also a law partner of his cousin, [[William H. Barbour Jr.]], who later became a federal district judge.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2002/0722/038.html |title=Asleep at the Switch |magazine=Forbes |author=Neil Weinberg |date=July 22, 2002 |access-date=2015-12-28}}</ref>

==Early political career==
[[File:Ford B1541 NLGRF photo contact sheet (1976-09-18)(Gerald Ford Library) (cropped6).jpg|thumb|right|Barbour with [[President of the United States|President]] [[Gerald Ford]] in 1976]]
[[File:Reagan Contact Sheet C29622 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Barbour with President [[Ronald Reagan]] in 1985]]
[[File:Bush Contact Sheet P17281 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Barbour with President [[George H. W. Bush]] in 1990]]
Barbour soon became prominent within the Republican party running  [[Gerald Ford]]'s 1976 presidential campaign in the Southeast. He also worked on the campaign of former Texas governor [[John Connally]], who had become a Republican, for president in 1980.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/Haley_Barbour |title=Haley Barbour (R) - WhoRunsGov.com/The Washington Post |publisher=Whorunsgov.com |access-date=2011-02-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221004153/http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/Haley_Barbour |archive-date=2011-02-21 }}</ref> In 1982 Barbour was the Republican nominee for the [[United States Senate election in Mississippi, 1982|U.S. Senate election in Mississippi]], but was defeated 64% to 36% by longtime incumbent [[John C. Stennis]], a conservative Democrat, despite an endorsement by President [[Ronald Reagan]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/11/02/when-ronald-reagan-endorsed-ron-paul/70913/ |title=When Ronald Reagan Endorsed Ron Paul |first=Joshua |last=Green |date=February 7, 2011 |access-date=August 23, 2013 |work=The Atlantic }}</ref> During the campaign, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that a Barbour aide complained about "[[Racial slur|coons]]" at a campaign event. Barbour, embarrassed that the comment was overheard by a reporter, told the aide that he would be "reincarnated as a watermelon and placed at the mercy of blacks" if he continued making racist comments.<ref>{{cite news | work = [[New York Times]] | title= Age is focus of Mississippi race | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/20/us/age-issue-is-focus-of-mississippi-race.html | first = Howell | last = Raines | author-link = Howell Raines | date = October 20, 1982 | access-date = March 22, 2011}}</ref> As of 2023, Barbour is the last Republican to have lost a Senate election in Mississippi.

Barbour later served as a political aide in the [[Presidency of Ronald Reagan|Reagan Administration]] and worked on the 1988 presidential campaign of [[George H. W. Bush]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/272650/EX-REAGAN-POLITICAL-AIDE-IS-ELECTED-GOP-CHAIRMAN.html?pg=all | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413184941/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/272650/EX-REAGAN-POLITICAL-AIDE-IS-ELECTED-GOP-CHAIRMAN.html?pg=all | url-status=dead | archive-date=April 13, 2014 |title=Ex-Reagan Political Aide Is Elected GOP Chairman |work=Deseret News |agency=United Press International |date=January 30, 1993 |access-date=August 23, 2013 }}</ref>

Before being elected governor of Mississippi, Barbour "had a long career on the national stage" and was "well-known as a Republican operative since the Reagan years".<ref>Greenbaum, Mark (2011-04-03) [http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/04/03/greenbaum_mitch_daniels_2012/index.html Why Mitch Daniels is the Republican to watch for '12] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904075644/http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/04/03/greenbaum_mitch_daniels_2012/index.html |date=2011-09-04 }}, ''[[Salon.com]]''</ref>

==Lobbying career==
Barbour has been described as "one of [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]]'s all-time mega-[[Lobbying in the United States|lobbyists]]".<ref name=Lobbyist>Barr, Andy (2011-02-13) [http://www.politico.com/blogs/politicolive/0211/Barbour_Im_a_lobbyist.html?showall Barbour: 'I'm a lobbyist'], ''[[Politico]]''</ref> He "was a wealthy [[Lobbying industry in the United States|K Street]] lobbyist for giant corporations such as [[RJ Reynolds]], [[Philip Morris USA|Philip Morris]], [[Amgen]], [[Microsoft]], [[United Health]], [[Southern Company]], and many others."<ref name=Carney>Carney, Timothy (2011-02-22) [https://archive.today/20120614052435/http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/02/haley-barbour-and-corporate-welfare Haley Barbour and corporate welfare], ''[[Washington Examiner]]''</ref> In 1991, Barbour helped found the lobbying group now known as [[BGR Group]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bgrdc.com/ |title=Barbour, Griffith & Rodgers website |publisher=Bgrdc.com |access-date=2011-02-05}}</ref> a [[Washington, D.C.]]-based lobbying firm, with Ed Rogers, a lawyer who formerly worked in the [[George H. W. Bush administration]]. In 1994, Lanny Griffith (also a former Bush administration appointee) joined the firm.

In 1998, ''[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]'' magazine named Barbour Griffith & Rogers as the second-most-powerful lobbying firm in America.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timewarner.com/corp/newsroom/pr/0,20812,667214,00.html |title=Time-Warner article on Barbour, Griffith & Rogers |publisher=Time Warner |date=1998-11-16 |access-date=2011-02-05}}</ref> In 2001, after the inauguration of [[George W. Bush]], ''Fortune'' called it the most powerful.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://pos.org/platform/file_retrieve.cfm?ID=33 |magazine=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]] |title=Fat and Happy in D.C. |last=Birnbaum |first=Jeffrey H. |date=2001-05-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209044230/http://pos.org/platform/file_retrieve.cfm?ID=33 |archive-date=2009-02-09 |access-date=2016-02-07 }}</ref> The firm "is employed by several foreign countries, as well as oil and cigarette companies".<ref name=Lobbyist/> Its role in advocating on behalf of the tobacco industry has been particularly prominent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.citizen.org/congress/civjus/prod_liability/tobacco/articles.cfm?ID=908 |title=Big Tobacco's 1997 Congressional Lobbying |publisher=Citizen.org |date=1997-10-24 |access-date=2011-02-05}}</ref> BGR also "lobbied on behalf of the [[Mexican Embassy, Washington, D.C.|Embassy of Mexico]] in 2001 to promote a bill related to Section 245(i) of the [[Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952|Immigration and Nationality Act]]. This provision would have provided a path to citizenship for [[Illegal immigration to the United States|illegal immigrants]] in the United States, through family connections or job skills, without a requirement that they return to their home country for the requisite 3-10 years. This is what's often referred to as '[[amnesty]].'"<ref>Rayfield, Jillian (2011-02-14) [http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/haley-barbour-lobbied-on-behalf-of-mexico-for-amnesty-for-illegal-immigrants.php?ref=fpi "Report: Haley Barbour Lobbied On Behalf Of Mexico For 'Amnesty{{'"}}], ''[[Talking Points Memo]]''</ref> "As part of that work, Barbour's firm arranged meetings and briefings with 'Senators, members of Congress and their staffs, as well as Executive Branch Officials in the White House, National Security Council, State Department, and Immigration & Naturalization Service'. Barbour's firm charged Mexico $35,000 a month, plus expenses."<ref>Scherer, Michael (2011-02-14) [https://swampland.time.com/2011/02/13/what-haley-barbour-didn%E2%80%99t-tell-fox-news-he-lobbied-for-mexico-on-%E2%80%9Camnesty%E2%80%9D/ "What Haley Barbour Didn't Tell Fox News: He Lobbied For Mexico On 'Amnesty{{'"}}], ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''</ref>

As of 2010, the firm remained one of DC's top 25, but had seen revenues drop both in 2009 and in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rollcall.com/issues/56_9/lobbying/48529-1.html |title="Top 25 Lobbying Shops Bring In $227.5 Million" RollCall, July 21, 2010 |publisher=Rollcall.com |date=2010-07-21 |access-date=2011-02-05}}</ref> As of 2011, Barbour continued to "collect payments from BGR through a blind trust, which was recently valued at $3.3 million".<ref name=Lobbyist/>

In early 2014, Barbour and his nephew, Henry Barbour, formed a [[Super PAC]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Martin |first=Jonathan |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/us/politics/mississippi-super-pac-aims-to-protect-6-term-senator-in-primary.html |title='Super PAC' Is Formed in Mississippi to Protect 6-Term Senator in G.O.P. Primary |work =The New York Times |date=2014-01-30 |access-date=2014-08-27}}</ref> named Mississippi Conservatives,<ref name=Applewhite>{{cite news|last=Applewhite |first=Scott |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/haley-barbour-group-funded-black-turnout-in-thad-cochran-reelection/ |title=Haley Barbour group funded black turnout in Thad Cochran reelection |work=CBS News |date=2014-07-16 |access-date=2014-08-27}}</ref> which supported the successful [[2014 United States Senate election in Mississippi|reelection campaign]] of Senator [[Thad Cochran]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Jaffe |first=Alexandra |url=https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/197071-haley-barbour-backed-group-boosts-cochran/ |title=Haley Barbour-backed group boosts Cochran |work=The Hill |date=2014-01-31 |access-date=2016-02-07}}</ref>

==RNC chairman==
In 1993, Barbour became chairman of the [[Republican National Committee]] (RNC). In 1994, during his tenure as RNC chair, Republicans captured both houses of the [[United States Congress]], taking the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] for the first time in 40 years.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wayne |first=Leslie |title=No Dice, Haley |newspaper=The New York Times |date=1997-07-25 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A06E0DE163AF936A15754C0A961958260&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/B/Barbour,%20Haley |access-date=2007-11-01 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Wayne |first=Leslie |title=Democrats Get to Scrutinize G.O.P. Asian Connection |newspaper=The New York Times |date=1997-07-27 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE2D7123BF931A15754C0A961958260&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/B/Barbour,%20Haley |access-date=2007-11-01 }}</ref> In 1997, Barbour retired from his position as chairman of the RNC.

==Governor of Mississippi==

===2003 campaign===
{{Main|2003 Mississippi gubernatorial election}}
After two decades in Washington, D.C., Barbour announced his intention to run for governor of Mississippi in 2003. On August 5, 2003, Barbour won the Republican gubernatorial primary over Canton trial attorney Mitch Tyner. Barbour's campaign manager was his nephew Henry Barbour.

During the campaign, a controversy arose when Barbour chose to speak at the Blackhawk Rally, a fundraiser for the Blackhawk "council school" in [[Blackhawk, Mississippi]]. Such "council schools", also referred to in Mississippi lexicon as "[[Segregation academies|academies]]", were established by the [[White Citizens' Council]] movement in reaction to the demands for racial integration by the [[Civil Rights Movement]]. The Blackhawk rally was hosted by the [[Council of Conservative Citizens]] (CCC). A photograph of Barbour with CCC members appeared on the CCC webpage, and some commentators and pundits demanded that Barbour ask for his picture to be removed from the site, but Barbour refused. Barbour stated that "Once you start down the slippery slope of saying, 'That person can't be for me,' then where do you stop? ... I don't care who has my picture. My picture's in the public domain." Barbour's [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] opponent, then-governor Ronnie Musgrove, declined to be critical, stating that he had also attended Blackhawk rallies in the past, and would have done so that year except for a scheduling conflict.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130119165258/http://www.clarionledger.com/news/0310/17/m16.html "Barbour won't ask CCC to take photo off Web site"]</ref> Historically, both Democrats and Republicans have participated in Blackhawk rallies.

Barbour defeated incumbent Musgrove in the general election on November 4, 2003, with 53 percent of the vote to Musgrove's 46 percent. Barbour became just the second Republican governor elected in Mississippi since [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]], the first being [[Kirk Fordice]].<ref>[http://www.encyclopedian.com/go/Governor-of-Mississippi.html List of Mississippi Governors: Definition and Links by Encyclopedian.com] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928033803/http://www.encyclopedian.com/go/Governor-of-Mississippi.html |date=September 28, 2007 }}</ref>

Barbour took office in January 2004.

===Fiscal matters===
[[File:President Visits Mississippi, Discusses Gulf Coast Reconstruction.jpg|thumb|right|Barbour with President [[George W. Bush]] in 2006]]
[[File:Condoleezza Rice with Governors.jpg|thumb|From left, Barbour with [[Kathleen Sebelius]], [[Condoleezza Rice]], [[Jennifer Granholm]] and [[Sonny Perdue]]]]
Barbour has been praised{{weasel inline|date=February 2022}} for translating his lobbying skills into success at winning over a legislature dominated by Democrats. Barbour has called several special legislative sessions to force an issue.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Highlights of 2004 Legislative Session |publisher=Mississippi House of Representatives Information Office |url=http://www.peer.state.ms.us/HiLites04.html |access-date=2007-07-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007034340/http://www.peer.state.ms.us/HiLites04.html |archive-date=2011-10-07 }}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |title=Highlights of 2005 Legislative Session |publisher=Mississippi House of Representatives Information Office |url=http://www.peer.state.ms.us/HiLites05.html |access-date=2007-07-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007034627/http://www.peer.state.ms.us/HiLites05.html |archive-date=2011-10-07 }}</ref>

Writing for ''[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]]'' magazine in February 2011, Damon Root expressed the opinion that Barbour supports [[Agricultural subsidy|farm subsidies]], [[corporate welfare]], and [[eminent domain]].<ref>Root, Damon (2011-02-22) [http://reason.com/blog/2011/02/22/haley-barbours-crimes-against "Haley Barbour's Crimes Against Capitalism"], ''[[Reason magazine|Reason]]''</ref> When he took office, the state of Mississippi had run a $709&nbsp;million budget deficit for the 2004 fiscal year. With bipartisan support, and without raising taxes, Barbour implemented a plan called Operation: Streamline to cut the budget deficit in half.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kanengiser |first=Andy |title=Gov. calls for cost-cutting |work=[[The Clarion-Ledger]] |date=2004-01-29 |url=http://www.clarionledger.com/news/0401/29/ma01.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119223522/http://www.clarionledger.com/news/0401/29/ma01.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-01-19 |access-date=2007-07-16 }}</ref> He accomplished this largely by reducing spending on social services, most notably [[Medicaid]]; the 2005 budget drastically reduced coverage for 65,000 individuals classified as Poverty-Level Aged and Disabled (PLAD), most of whom qualified for the federal [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]] program, and also significantly limited prescription drug coverage. However, the same budget increased the percentage of Medicaid prescriptions that are for generic drugs. In 2005, the state was budgeted to spend a total of $130&nbsp;million less on Medicaid than in the previous year.<ref>{{cite news |last=Berry |first=Pamela |title=Medicaid bill goes to Senate |work=The Clarion-Ledger |date=2004-03-04 |url=http://www.clarionledger.com/news/0403/04/m01.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120723072935/http://www.clarionledger.com/news/0403/04/m01.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-07-23 |access-date=2007-07-16 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Dewan |first=Shaila |title=In Mississippi, Soaring Costs Force Deep Medicaid Cuts |work=The New York Times |date=2005-07-02 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/02/national/02medicaid.html |access-date=2007-07-16 }}</ref> This trend continued in the state budget for the 2006 fiscal year. After a long special session, the legislature approved a budget that featured more social service cuts but also increased educational spending.<ref>{{cite news |last=Pender |first=Geoff |title=Mississippi lawmakers pass $4.6 million (sic) state budget |work=[[Sun Herald]]|location=Biloxi, MS|date=2005-05-31 |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-8087765_ITM |access-date=2007-07-16 }}</ref> With tax revenues higher than expected during the 2006 fiscal year, due in large part to increased sales tax revenues in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the state achieved its first balanced budget in years.<ref>{{cite press release |title=Highlights of 2006 Legislative Session |publisher=Mississippi House of Representatives Information Office |url=http://www.peer.state.ms.us/HiLites06.html |access-date=2007-07-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007034635/http://www.peer.state.ms.us/HiLites06.html |archive-date=2011-10-07 }}</ref> In the 2008 fiscal year budget, for the first time since its enactment in 1997, the state fully funded the Mississippi Adequate Education Program.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Win for Mississippi |publisher=[[Rural School and Community Trust]] |date=2005-05-01 |url=http://www.ruraledu.org/site/c.beJMIZOCIrH/b.2768169/apps/nl/content.asp?content_id=%7BE45956A0-EA9B-4C0A-BEB7-D249F3037DA3%7D&notoc=1 |access-date=2007-07-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927022220/http://www.ruraledu.org/site/c.beJMIZOCIrH/b.2768169/apps/nl/content.asp?content_id=%7BE45956A0-EA9B-4C0A-BEB7-D249F3037DA3%7D&notoc=1 |archive-date=2007-09-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |title=End of the 2007 Regular Legislative Session Reports |publisher=Mississippi Department of Education |url=http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/extrel/leg/2007/EOSReports.html |access-date=2007-07-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090208234648/http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/extrel/leg/2007/EOSReports.html |archive-date=2009-02-08 }}</ref>

Building on a 2002 [[tort reform]] bill passed by his predecessor,<ref>{{cite news |last=Sawyer |first=Patrice |title=Gov. signs business tort reform bill |work=The Clarion-Ledger |date=2002-12-04 |url=http://orig.clarionledger.com/news/0212/04/m02.html |access-date=2007-07-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715210745/http://orig.clarionledger.com/news/0212/04/m02.html |archive-date=2012-07-15 }}</ref> Barbour also introduced a new tort reform measure that has been described as one of the strictest in the nation.<ref name=governing /> Barbour rarely made a speech during his gubernatorial campaign without mentioning this subject and was able to convert political support into law, overcoming the resistance of House Democratic leaders, who argued that further legislation would disenfranchise people with legitimate complaints against corporations.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ladd |first1=Donna |last2=Stauffer |first2=Todd |title=Face-Off: The Battle for 'Tort Reform{{'-}} |work=[[Jackson Free Press]] |date=2004-07-25 |url=http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=3059_0_9_0_C |access-date=2007-07-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928014914/http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=3059_0_9_0_C |archive-date=2007-09-28 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Ladd |first=Donna |title=Tort Reform: Myths and Realities |work=Jackson Free Press |date=2004-07-25 |url=http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=3061_0_9_0_C |access-date=2007-07-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928014808/http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/comments.php?id=3061_0_9_0_C |archive-date=2007-09-28 }}</ref> Barbour then embarked on a "tort tour" to encourage other states to follow Mississippi's lead. "We've gone from being labeled as a judicial hellhole and the center of jackpot justice to a state that now has model legislation," commented [[Charlie Ross (state senator)|Charlie Ross]], the chair of the [[Mississippi Senate]]'s Judiciary Committee.<ref>{{cite web|first=Alan|last=Greenblatt|url=http://www.governing.com/poy/2006/barbour.htm|title=Steady in a Storm: Reassuring and rebuilding Mississippi after Katrina|publisher=Governing.com|access-date=2011-02-05|archive-date=2009-06-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090616002634/http://www.governing.com/poy/2006/barbour.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The effectiveness of Barbour's tort reform efforts has been questioned. According to conservative journalist Timothy Carney, he "touts job growth down in Mississippi under his governing, and some of that is due to tort reform, but some of it is due to rank favoritism and special-interest deals more akin to Obama than Reagan — for instance, subsidies for a biofuels plant."<ref name=Carney/>

Through his entire terms, Barbour's Commissioner of Corrections was [[Chris Epps]], who had been appointed on August 30, 2002 by Democratic Governor Ronnie Musgrove. Republican governors Barbour and [[Phil Bryant]] reappointed Epps on January 13, 2004 and January 11, 2012, respectively.<ref name=MDOCprofile>"[http://www.mdoc.state.ms.us/Annual%20Report%20PDF/AnnualReport2013/4_Biography%20of%20Commissioner%20Christopher%20B.%20Epps.pdf Christopher B. Epps Commissioner]" (). [[Mississippi Department of Corrections]]. Retrieved on February 20, 2020.</ref> On November 6, 2014, it was revealed by federal prosecutors in the FBI's [[Operation Mississippi Hustle]] sting that Epps and a confederate, former Republican state House member [[Cecil McCrory]],<ref name=Blinder>{{cite news|author=Blinder, Alan|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/26/us/christopher-epps-former-mississipi-prisons-chief-pleads-guilty-in-corruption-case.html|title=Former Mississippi Officials Plead Guilty in a Graft Case Involving Private Prisons|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=2015-02-25|access-date=2020-02-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://msbusiness.com/2015/02/ex-mississippi-corrections-head-chris-epps-pleads-guilty-federal-corruption-case/|title=Ex-prison boss and businessman admit to bribery scheme|publisher=[[Mississippi Business Journal]]|date=2015-02-25|access-date=2020-02-16}}</ref> had taken bribes from many for-profit prison operators, consultants, vendors and subcontractors for other prisoner services. The amounts Epps personally received were estimated to be at least $1.47 million in bribes for steering what Assistant US Attorney LaMarca estimated was $800 million in contracts between 2006 and 2014.<ref>[http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2016/08/24/former-insurance-broker-mdoc-indicted-epps-case/89261634/ Former insurance broker for MDOC indicted in Epps case], ''[[The Clarion-Ledger]]'', Jimmie E. Gates, August 24, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2020.</ref> Epps cooperated with the prosecution and wore a wire for a substantial amount of time before their indictments were made public. Before federal Judge [[Henry Travillion Wingate]] pronounced his sentence in July 2017, Epps asked forgiveness of the many he had harmed. He said, "It comes back to greed. I made some stupid mistakes I will regret for the rest of my life." Judge Wingate characterized Epps' conduct as, "staggering." He continued, "Mississippi is still in shock. It was an act of betrayal. He has bruised the image of Mississippi and given joy to many of the inmates he’s overseen who can now say the head of the state prison system was just as corrupt as any of them." He sentenced Epps to over 19 years in federal prison.<ref>[https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2017/07/18/chris-epps-serving-time-at-ex-ww-2-detention-camp/490217001/ Epps serving time at ex-WW2 detention camp], ''[[Clarion-Ledger ]]'', Jerry Mitchell, July 19, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2020.</ref> On February 8, 2017, Mississippi Attorney General [[Jim Hood]], a Democrat, announced he had filed civil cases against 15 corporations and individuals who had engaged in contracts with the MDOC and Epps, seeking damages and punitive damages. He stated, 
<blockquote>"The state of Mississippi has been defrauded through a pattern of bribery, kickbacks, misrepresentations, fraud, concealment, money laundering and other wrongful conduct." He continued, "These individuals and corporations that benefited by stealing from taxpayers must not only pay the state's losses, but state law requires that they must also forfeit and return the entire amount of the contracts paid by the state. We are also seeking punitive damages to punish these conspirators and to deter those who might consider giving or receiving kickbacks in the future."<ref name=Hood/></blockquote> Defendants in the bribery cases included [[Management & Training Corporation]]; The [[GEO Group]], Inc.; [[Cornell Companies]], Inc.; [[Wexford Health Sources]], Inc.; [[Global Tel*Link]] Corporation; Health Assurance, LLC; Keefe Commissary Network, LLC of St. Louis; [[Sentinel Offender Services]], L.L.C.; AJA Management & Technical Services, Inc., and the Branan Medical Corporation;<ref name=Hood>[http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2017/02/08/epps-bribery-civil-lawsuit/97645586/ Mississippi AG files lawsuits in Epps bribery case], ''[[The Clarion-Ledger]]'', Jimmie E. Gates, February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2020.</ref> On May 18, 2017, Hood announced that the state had quickly settled the first suit for two million dollars. The defendant was Alere Incorporated, which had purchased the Branan Medical Corporation. Ten lawsuits in bribery schemes remained pending. Those have accused at least 10 individuals and 11 out-of-state corporations of using so-called "consultants" to gain more than $800 million in Mississippi prison contracts.<ref>[http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2017/05/18/2-m-settlement-announced-thursday-10-lawsuits-remain/330041001/ $2M settlement announced in Epps-related lawsuit], ''[[Clarion-Ledger]]'', May 18, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2020.</ref> On January 24, 2019, Hood announced his actions had recovered $27 million from those vendors against which he had filed suits. Management and Training Corporation paid $5.2 million. GEO Group paid $4.6 million, with the named defendant being Cornell Companies, which had been merged with GEO in 2010. Wexford Health Sources paid $4 million. Keefe Commissary Network paid $3.1 million. $3.1 million was paid by C.N.W. Construction Company. $750,000 was paid by CGL Facility Management, which provides maintenance services. $32,188 was received from AdminPros LLC, a Medicaid billing service. Insurance agent Guy E. "Butch" Evans paid $100,000.<ref>[https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2019/01/24/chris-epps-prison-bribery-case-recovery-money-contractors-mississippi-ag/2670896002/ $27 million recovered from contractors in Epps prison bribery case, AG says], ''[[Clarion Ledger]]'', Emily Wagster Pettus, January 24, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2020.</ref>

===Hurricane Katrina response===
[[File:FEMA - 16348 - Photograph by Dave Saville taken on 09-28-2005 in Louisiana.jpg|thumb|Barbour (left) meeting with FEMA officials to discuss Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts, September 2005]]
{{See also|Criticism of the government response to Hurricane Katrina}}
The evacuation order for [[Hurricane Katrina]] was issued by local officials more than 24 hours before it hit, and Mississippi activated 750 [[United States National Guard|National Guard]] troops as of August 29, the day of the hurricane.<ref>[http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Sep2005/20050908_2648.html Defenselink.mil report on National Guard activation] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050911042903/http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Sep2005/20050908_2648.html |date=September 11, 2005 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://rancakmedia.com/en/national/47596/hurricane-katrina-in-mississippi-report |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402103459/https://www.rancakmedia.com/en/national/47596/hurricane-katrina-in-mississippi-report/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 2, 2023 |title=report |publisher=rancakmedia.com |access-date=2011-02-05 }}</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/03/AR2005090300646_2.html Washington Post article on National Guard reaction]{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck Mississippi's coast, killing 231&nbsp;people,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hurricane-katrina.org/2006/01/four_bodies_fou.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071204080938/http://www.hurricane-katrina.org/2006/01/four_bodies_fou.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2007-12-04 |title=Four Bodies Found Since Dec. 21; Katrina Death Toll Now 1,326 |access-date=2008-03-28 }}</ref> devastating the state's $2.7&nbsp;billion-a-year [[casino]] industry and leaving tens of thousands homeless.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/08/30/katrina.mississippi/ |title=Governor: Worse than Camille |work=CNN|access-date=2011-02-05}}</ref> (see [[Effect of Hurricane Katrina on Mississippi]]). Barbour's response was characterized by a concerted effort at evacuation, tough-minded talk on looters and an unwillingness to blame the federal government.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/?feed=TopNews&article=UPI-1-20050904-21573200-bc-us-katrina-barbour.xml |title=Science Daily article on Barbour's reaction to Hurricane Katrina |publisher=Sciencedaily.com |access-date=2011-02-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930200819/https://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/?feed=TopNews&article=UPI-1-20050904-21573200-bc-us-katrina-barbour.xml |archive-date=2007-09-30 }}</ref> His response was likened, favorably, to that of [[Rudy Giuliani]] in the wake of the [[September 11 attacks]].<ref>[http://www.wjla.com/headlines/0905/257055.html WJLA.com article on Katrina reaction]{{dead link|date=February 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Noonan |first=Peggy |url=http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110007187 |title=article on Katrina reaction |publisher=Opinionjournal.com |date=2005-09-01 |access-date=2011-02-05}}</ref>

Barbour credited the government workers who helped southern Mississippi to cope with the hurricane. Barbour was praised by the coast's citizens as a strong leader who can communicate calmly to the public, and provide "a central decision-making point for when things get balled up or go sideways, which they do", as Barbour says.<ref name=governing>{{cite web |url=http://www.governing.com/poy/2006/barbour.htm |title=Steady in a Storm: Reassuring and rebuilding Mississippi after Katrina |access-date=2008-03-28 |date=November 2006 |work=Public Officials of the Year 2006 |publisher=Congressional Quarterly |archive-date=2007-09-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927000918/http://www.governing.com/poy/2006/barbour.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

While the reconstruction process does not dictate how localities should rebuild, Barbour has touted [[New Urbanism|New Urbanist]] principles in constructing more compact communities. "They have the chance to build some things very differently," he says. "The goal is to build the coast back like it can be, rather than simply like it was."<ref name=governing />

Barbour has been accused by [[Bloomberg Television|Bloomberg News]] of personally profiting from Hurricane Katrina recovery.<ref name=bloomberg>{{cite news |title=Mississippi Governor Barbour Held Stock in Parent of Lobby Firm |work=[[Bloomberg L.P.]] |date=2008-08-29 |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=a3O8w8_QJ6KU |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213002316/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=a3O8w8_QJ6KU |archive-date=2015-02-13 }}</ref> Barbour is an owner of the parent company of [[Lobbying in the United States|lobbying]] firm Barbour Griffith & Rogers Inc., and he receives a pension and profit-sharing plan benefits from it.<ref name=bloomberg/> The lobbying firm has lobbied the state to give recovery contracts to its clients.<ref name=bloomberg/> Some of the proceeds of the firm's lobbying activities are deposited into Barbour's investment account.<ref name=bloomberg/> According to Barbour's attorney, a [[blind trust]] executed in 2004 prevents Barbour knowing the composition of his investments in order to eliminate any [[conflict of interest|conflicts of interest]].<ref name=bloomberg/>

===Tobacco matters===

Barbour has also received criticism from some Mississippi Democrats for his refusal to approve a bill to increase the [[Cigarette taxes in the United States|cigarette tax]] and decrease the grocery tax passed by the [[Mississippi House of Representatives]] during his first term as governor. Mississippi currently has the third-lowest cigarette tax and the highest grocery tax—while being the poorest state in the country. He stated that the lack of revenue generated after the [[Tax shift|tax swap]] would quite possibly result in bankrupting the state government, which was already fragile due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. The House of Representatives could produce no figures to dispute this assertion. Also, in his successful 2004 campaign, Barbour ran on the platform that he would veto any tax increase.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Nossiter|first=Adam|title=Powerful Governor Stands His Ground, Again, on Food Tax| newspaper = [[The New York Times]]|date=2007-03-07|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/07/us/07groceries.html}}</ref>

In May 2009, Barbour followed the State Tax Commission's recommendation and signed into law the state's first increase since 1985, from 18 cents to 68 cents per pack. The tax is estimated to generate more than $113 million for the year that begins July 1, 2009.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/14/us/14brfs-BARBOURSIGNS_BRF.html "Mississippi: Barbour Signs Cigarette Tax"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[Associated Press]], May 13, 2009.</ref>

===2007 re-election===
{{See also|2007 Mississippi gubernatorial election}}
Barbour announced on February 8, 2007, that he would seek a second term as [[Governor of Mississippi]]. Barbour announced the beginning of his re-election campaign at a series of meetings across the state on February 12, 2007. During his campaign, Barbour signed the [[Americans for Tax Reform]] "[[Taxpayer Protection Pledge]]" and vowed not to institute any new taxes or raise any existing ones.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=13792 |title={{-'}}No Tax' Pledge Signers Win in Mississippi and Kentucky |first=John |last=Skorburg |publisher=The Heartland Institute |date=December 1, 2003 |access-date=2011-02-05 |archive-date=2007-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929102550/http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=13792 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Barbour defeated Frederick Jones in the Republican primary on August 7 and Democrat [[John Arthur Eaves Jr.]] in the November general election.

===Race and integration===
Barbour has faced considerable "in-state criticism for his approach to racial issues".<ref name=Race>Hunt, Kasie (2011-01-30) [http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/48449.html "Barbour's critics say it's black and white"], ''Politico''</ref> Mississippi state Representative [[Willie Perkins]] has "compared Barbour to the southern Democrats who preceded him", saying: "As far as I'm concerned, he has never done anything as a governor or a citizen to distinguish himself from the old Democrats who fought tooth and nail to preserve segregation."<ref name=Race/>

In 2006, he declined to posthumously pardon [[Clyde Kennard]], an African-American civil rights pioneer, after evidence was presented that Kennard had been falsely convicted of burglary in [[Hattiesburg, Mississippi]] in 1960. Instead, Barbour designated a Clyde Kennard Day, calling for remembrance of Kennard's "determination, the injustices he suffered, and his significant role in the history of the civil rights movement in Mississippi".<ref>{{Cite news|title=Pardon Unlikely for Civil Rights Advocate|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/04/us/04pardon.html?_r=1&oref=slogin|date=May 4, 2006|first=Adam|last=Liptak|author-link=Adam Liptak|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=January 5, 2012}}</ref> Barbour subsequently joined in a petition for a court rehearing of the case that resulted in the original conviction being thrown out.<ref name=Fox20060517>{{Cite news|publisher=[[Fox News]]|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/mississippi-judge-throws-out-civil-rights-era-conviction|title=Mississippi Judge Throws Out Civil Rights-Era Conviction|access-date=January 5, 2011|date=May 17, 2006|agency=Associated Press|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110509145901/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,195929,00.html|archive-date=2011-05-09|url-status=live}}</ref>

Barbour proved instrumental in winning state legislative support for the [[Mississippi Civil Rights Museum]]. Legislation to fund a state museum had been introduced every year since 2000,<ref name="StringBigIdeas">Stringfellow, Eric. "Big Ideas, Dreams for Museum, Hall of Fame." ''The Clarion-Ledger.'' March 2, 2006.</ref> but died for various reasons. In November 2006, Barbour proposed creating a state commission to develop plans for the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.<ref>"Highlights of Gov. Haley Barbour's Proposed Budget." ''Associated Press.'' November 14, 2006.</ref> In his "State of the State" address on January 16, 2007, Barbour said the museum was "overdue, and it needs doing",<ref>"Barbour Must Now Put Words Into Action." ''[[Hattiesburg American]].'' January 17, 2007.</ref> The proposal won legislative approval, and a site for the museum was selected in March 2008.<ref name="TalbottChosen">Talbott, Chris. "Tougaloo College Site Chosen for Civil Rights Museum." ''Associated Press.'' March 11, 2008.</ref> The project then stalled for three years,<ref name="ByrdLacks">Byrd, Sheila. "Years Later, Miss. Still Lacks Civil Rights Museum." ''Associated Press.'' November 25, 2010.</ref> however, with museum backers listing lack of direction from the governor's office and Barbour's refusal to spend $500,000 in museum planning funds as part of the reason why.<ref name="ChandlerStall">Chandler, Natalie. "Development of Civil Rights Museum Stalls." ''Hattiesburg American.'' December 29, 2008.</ref> Barbour also declined to name a museum commission to oversee the final push for funding and construction.<ref name="Stalled">"Miss. Civil Rights Museum Plans Stalled." ''Associated Press.'' August 30, 2009.</ref> Following controversy over Barbour's statements on [[Citizens' Councils|White Citizens' Councils]], the governor again declared his complete support for construction of the museum, in what many political observers felt was an attempt to dampen criticism over his remarks as well as to disassociate himself from Mississippi's racially intolerant past.<ref name="PettusBuild">Pettus, Emily Wagster. "Barbour: Build Civil Rights Museum in Mississippi." ''Associated Press State.'' January 12, 2011.</ref><ref name="MitchellDelivers">Mitchell, Jerry. "Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour Delivers Final State of the State Address." ''The Clarion-Ledger.'' January 12, 2011.</ref> The museum secured $20 million in funding from the [[Mississippi Legislature]] in April 2011 after Barbour personally testified in favor of its funding.<ref name="Severson">[https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/20/us/african-american-museums-rising-to-recognize-civil-rights.html Severson, Kim. "New Museums to Shine a Spotlight on Civil Rights Era."] ''[[The New York Times]]''. February 19, 2012. Accessed 2012-03-03.</ref>

During an April 11, 2010, appearance on [[CNN]], host [[Candy Crowley]] asked if it had been insensitive for [[Virginia]] Governor [[Bob McDonnell]] to omit mentioning slavery in a proposed recognition of [[Confederate History Month]]. Barbour replied, "To me, it's a sort of feeling that it's a nit, that it is not significant, that it's not a—it's trying to make a big deal out of something doesn't amount to diddly."<ref>{{cite web |last=Nill |first=Andrea |url=http://thinkprogress.org/2010/04/11/barbour-slavery-confederate/ |title=Mississippi Gov. Barbour Thinks Slavery Omission 'Doesn't Matter For Diddly{{'-}} |access-date=2010-06-06|date=2010-04-11 |work=Think Progress}}</ref> Barbour continued, "I don't know what you would say about slavery ... but anybody that thinks that you have to explain to people that slavery is a bad thing, I think that goes without saying."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_confederacy_isnt_something_to_be_proud_of_20100412/ |title=The Confederacy Isn't Something to Be Proud Of |access-date=2008-09-14 |last=Robinson|first=Eugene|date=2008-09-12 |publisher=Truth Dig}}</ref>

In December 2010, Barbour was interviewed by ''[[The Weekly Standard]] ''magazine. Asked about coming of age in Yazoo City during the civil rights era, he told the interviewer regarding growing up there, "I just don't remember it as being that bad."<ref name=weeklystd>{{cite news |title=The Boy From Yazoo City |work=[[The Weekly Standard]] |date=2010-12-27 |url=http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/boy-yazoo-city_523551.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130209144301/http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/boy-yazoo-city_523551.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 9, 2013 }}</ref> Barbour then credited the White Citizens' Council for keeping the [[Ku Klux Klan]] (KKK) out of Yazoo City and ensuring the peaceful integration of its schools. Barbour dismissed comparisons between White Citizens' Councils and the KKK, and referred to the Councils as "an organization of town leaders". Barbour continued in his defense of the Councils, saying, "In Yazoo City they passed a resolution that said anybody who started a chapter of the Klan would get their ass run out of town. If you had a job, you'd lose it. If you had a store, they'd see nobody shopped there. We didn't have a problem with the Klan in Yazoo City." Barbour's statement did not address the role of the [[White supremacy|white supremacist]] Council in publicly naming and blacklisting individuals who petitioned for educational integration<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.democracynow.org/2010/12/22/barbour_is_an_unreconstructed_southerner_prof |title="Barbour is an Unreconstructed Southerner": Prof. John Dittmer on Mississippi Governor's Praise of White Citizens' Councils |publisher=Democracynow.org |date=December 22, 2010 |access-date=2011-02-05}}</ref> and how it used political pressure and violence to force [[African-American]] residents to move.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/21/haley-barbour-citizens-council_n_799743.html |title=Haley Barbour Walks Back Remarks On Segregationist Citizens Council |access-date=2010-01-24 |last=Terkel|first=Amanda |date=2010-12-21 |work=Huffington Post}}</ref> This led to a considerable outcry in which critics such as [[Rachel Maddow]] accused Barbour of [[whitewash (censorship)|whitewashing]] history.<ref name=Maddow>{{cite news |title=Segregationist ties undermine Barbour's ambitions |work=[[The Rachel Maddow Show (TV series)|The Rachel Maddow Show]] |date=2010-12-23 |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#40799766 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090806113404/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#40799766 |archive-date=2009-08-06 }}</ref> In response to criticism, Barbour issued a statement declaring Citizens' Councils to be "indefensible."<ref name=PoliticoCouncil>{{cite news |title=Haley Barbour: Citizens Councils 'indefensible |work=[[Politico]] |date=2010-12-21 |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1210/46674.html }}</ref>

In what was speculated to be an attempt at [[spin (public relations)|damage control]] just days after the interview, Barbour suspended the prison sentences of [[Scott sisters|Jamie and Gladys Scott]], two [[African American]] women who each received two life sentences resulting from a 1993 mugging in which the two women allegedly conspired to steal what amounted to $11.<ref name=NBCNewsKidney>{{cite news |title=In Miss., an unusual case of executive clemency |work=[[NBC Nightly News]] |date=2010-12-30 |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#40857642 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031207132319/http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#40857642 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2003-12-07 }}</ref><ref name=NYTKidney>{{cite news |title=Sisters' Release Requires Kidney Donation |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2010-12-30 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/31/us/31sisters.html?_r=1&scp=8&sq=barbour&st=cse |first=Timothy |last=Williams}}</ref> Barbour has denied that there was any connection between the suspension of the Scott sisters' prison sentence and the controversy surrounding his ''Weekly Standard'' interview. Jamie Scott suffered from [[renal failure|kidney failure]] while in prison, and requires a [[organ donation|donated organ]], which her sister Gladys had volunteered to provide. Barbour's decision to release the Scott sisters, however, was contingent upon her consent for the promised organ donation by Gladys Scott, which critics argued amounted to [[coercion]] and raises questions of [[medical ethics]].<ref name=WaPoKidney>{{cite news |title={{-'}}Conditioned on' kidney donation, sisters' prison release prompts ethics debate |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=2010-12-30 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/30/AR2010123002930.html |first=Krissah |last=Thompson}}</ref> The sisters were released in 2011, but by 2018 the transplant had not occurred because of other medical conditions suffered by the intended recipient.<ref name=Florida>[https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2018/07/23/sisters-jamie-gladys-scott-mississippi-find-new-life-pensacola-kidney-transplant/780542002/ Still fighting: Scott sisters find new life in Pensacola after prison, heartbreak], ''[[Pensacola News Journal]]'', Melissa Nelson Gabriel, July 23, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2020.</ref>

===Other second term activities===
In September 2008, some [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] accused Barbour of trying to influence the outcome of the 2008 [[United States Senate|Senate]] race by placing the candidates at the bottom of the ballot. Since Mississippi electoral law mandates the placing of federal elections at the top of the ballot, Barbour was ordered by a [[circuit court]] to comply with the ballot laws.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sunherald.com/local/story/813409.html |title=Senate race one of the closest in U.S |access-date=2008-09-14|last=Decio |first=Maria |date=2008-09-14|work=[[Sun Herald]]|location=Biloxi, MS|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080929053257/http://www.sunherald.com/local/story/813409.html|archive-date=2008-09-29}}</ref>

In April 2009, Barbour joined a conservative policy group to discuss Republican policies in town hall meetings. The group also included former [[Massachusetts]] Governor [[Mitt Romney]], former [[Florida]] Governor [[Jeb Bush]], [[Louisiana]] Governor [[Bobby Jindal]], and Senator [[John McCain]].<ref>{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|title=GOP launches policy group outside RNC|date=2009-04-30|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009147385_apusloyalopposition.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120722084558/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2009147385_apusloyalopposition.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-07-22|work=The Seattle Times|first=Philip|last=Elliott|access-date=2011-01-11}}</ref>

On June 24, 2009, Barbour assumed the chairmanship of the [[Republican Governors Association]], succeeding South Carolina Governor [[Mark Sanford]]. On October 29, 2009, Barbour endorsed Texas Governor [[Rick Perry]] for the Texas Republican gubernatorial nomination.<ref>{{cite news|title=Perry gets Barbour's endorsement|agency=Associated Press|publisher=[[KVII-TV|KVII]]|location=Amarillo, TX|date=2009-10-29|url=http://www.connectamarillo.com/news/story.aspx?id=369529#.Tw5BNIG5h8E|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512081024/http://www.connectamarillo.com/news/story.aspx?id=369529#.Tw5BNIG5h8E|archive-date=2013-05-12}}</ref>

On March 3, 2010, Barbour and his wife participated in events with First Lady [[Michelle Obama]], promoting the [[Let's Move!]] anti-obesity campaign.

In March 2011, Barbour drew criticism for his role in allowing the release of a convicted killer eight years into a 20-year sentence.<ref name="sh-rel">{{cite news|url=http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/03/25/1934900/mississippi-gov-barbour-had-hand.html|first1=Geoff|last1=Pender|first2=Margaret|last2=Baker|title=Mississippi Gov. Barbour had hand in early release of convicted killer|newspaper=[[The Bellingham Herald]]|location=Bellingham, WA|date=2011-03-25}}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>  In prior years, Barbour had used his powers as governor to release five other killers.<ref name="sh-rel"/>

===2012 pardons===
On his last day as governor in 2012, Barbour granted pardons, clemency, or early release to 203 people convicted of crimes, including murder, rape and armed robbery. Barbour's actions included 19 people convicted of murder.<ref>Ward, Robbie (2012-01-10). [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pardons-mississippi-barbour-idUSTRE80A0A220120111 "Mississippi's Barbour surprises with raft of pardons"]. Reuters.</ref> Pardons by governors are not uncommon; the issue in this case is the number of pardons compared to former governors. Previous governor Ronnie Musgrove issued only one pardon, for a man convicted of marijuana possession; Governor [[Kirk Fordice]], who preceded Musgrove, issued only two full pardons for convicted murderers.<ref name=Slate20120112>{{Cite news|title=Judge Blocks Release of 21 of Barbour's Pardoned Inmates|url=http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2012/01/11/mississippi_gov_haley_barbour_pardons_murders_brett_favre_s_brother_earnest_scott.html|date=2012-01-12|first=Josh|last=Voorhees|work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|access-date=2012-01-12|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112073951/http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2012/01/11/mississippi_gov_haley_barbour_pardons_murders_brett_favre_s_brother_earnest_scott.html|archive-date=2012-01-12}}</ref>

Harry Bostick, whom Barbour pardoned, had been convicted of DUI three times, and at the time of his pardon was being held for (and subsequently pleaded guilty to) the DUI killing of Charity Smith.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.djournal.com/news/update-barbour-pardoned-bostick-sentenced-to-serve-years-in-prison/article_d0dd2a10-c9b5-5fde-8c5a-abeb3776c271.html |title=Barbour-pardoned Bostick sentenced to serve 8 years in prison for Okolona woman's death |date=2013-03-22 |newspaper=Daily Journal |location=Tupelo, Mississippi |first=Patsy R. |last=Brumfield |access-date=2019-12-24 }}</ref>

On January 11, a Mississippi judge temporarily blocked the release of 21 inmates who had been given pardons or medical release. Attorney General [[Jim Hood]] argued the Mississippi Constitution says any inmate seeking a pardon must publish their intentions at least 30 days prior to the hearing in a newspaper in or near the county where the person was convicted.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mississippi judge blocks release of 21 inmates given pardons by Governor Barbour|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mississippi-judge-blocks-release-of-21-inmates-given-pardons-by-gov-barbour|access-date=2012-01-12|work=Fox News|date=2012-01-11|agency=Associated Press}}</ref> Hood also criticized Barbour for failing to notify or speak with the families of victims before granting the pardons.<ref name=ClarLed20120112>{{Cite news|title=Pardons blocked: AG argues state's constitution violated|url=http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120112/NEWS/201120350/Pardons-blocked-AG-argues-state-s-constitution-violated|date=2012-01-11|first=Jerry|last=Mitchell|work=[[The Clarion-Ledger]]|location=Jackson, MS|access-date=2012-01-12}}</ref> He responded to criticism of his actions, saying that 90% of those involved had already been released from prison, many years earlier; he acted in order to allow them to find employment, get professional licenses, vote and hunt.<ref name=ClarLed20120112 /> He also stated that in 90% of the cases his decision was based on recommendations of the parole board.<ref name=Slate20120112 />

An article in ''The New York Times'' said that a disproportionate number of pardons were granted to applicants from wealthy families and those with personal or political connections, a situation also observed in the pardon systems of other states.<ref name=NYTPardon>{{cite news |title=List of Pardons Included Many Tied to Power |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2012-01-27 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/28/us/many-pardon-applicants-stressed-connection-to-mississippi-governor.html?hp |first1=Campbell |last1=Robertson |first2=Stephanie |last2=Saul}}</ref>

On March 8, 2012, the Mississippi Supreme Court upheld the pardons, which had been challenged based on the argument that many of them did not follow a requirement in the state constitution to publish notices in newspapers for 30 days. The Court wrote "we are compelled to hold that&nbsp;– in each of the cases before us&nbsp;– it fell to the governor alone to decide whether the Constitution's publication requirement was met." The court also said it could not overturn the pardons because of the constitution's separation of powers of the different branches of government.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/8/miss-supreme-court-rules-barbour-pardons-valid/ |title=Miss. Supreme Court rules Barbour pardons valid |newspaper=The Washington Times |date=2012-03-08 |access-date=2017-02-03 |first=Holbrook |last=Mohr |agency=Associated Press }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-osler/presidential-pardons_b_1349342.html | work=Huffington Post | first=Mark | last=Osler | title=Who's to Blame for Pardon Abuse? | date=2012-05-19}}</ref>

==Speculated 2012 presidential campaign==
After he visited Iowa in 2009, there was speculation that Barbour might run for [[2012 Republican Party presidential primaries|the Republican nomination for U.S. president in 2012]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/eye-on-2012/barbour-to-iowa-1.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010235354/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/eye-on-2012/barbour-to-iowa-1.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=October 10, 2012 | newspaper=The Washington Post | title=Barbour To Iowa | access-date=2010-05-04}}</ref> An advisor of Barbour stated, "When he surveys what most Republicans consider to be a weak field, he sees no reason he couldn't easily beat them. He's a better strategist and fundraiser than any other candidate currently considering running—and just as good on television and in debates."<ref>[http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0810/41236_Page2.html "The most powerful Republican in politics"], Politico.com</ref> While considering a potential run, Barbour stated forthrightly in February 2011, "I'm a lobbyist", and said that his [[K Street (Washington, D.C.)#Lobbying|K Street]] past prepared him for the job.<ref name=Lobbyist/>

Many commentators were skeptical of Barbour's chances in 2012. [[David S. Broder|David Broder]] of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' wrote that "several others would have to stumble before he could get a serious consideration."<ref>[[David Broder|Broder, David]] (2011-02-03), [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/02/AR2011020204221.html "Will Republicans play the favorite-son game?"], ''[[The Washington Post]]''</ref> Statistician [[Nate Silver]] argued that "Barbour may have difficulty appealing to voters outside the South, especially after his recent comments<ref>Shear, Michael (2010-12-20) [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/21/us/politics/21barbour.html?_r=1 Discussing Civil Rights Era, a Governor Is Criticized], ''[[New York Times]]''</ref> about the civil rights era."<ref>[[Nate Silver|Silver, Nate]] (2011-02-04) [http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/04/a-graphical-overview-of-the-2012-republican-field/?hp "A Graphical Overview of the 2012 Republican Field"], ''[[The New York Times]]''</ref> ''[[Salon.com]]'' noted that "Barbour has some serious baggage ... he's lobbied on behalf of the Mexican government for amnesty. There's also the issue of his freighted racial history, and whatever pragmatic concerns it raises for November-minded Republicans."<ref>Elliott, Justin (2011-02-14) [http://www.salon.com/news/politics/republican_party/index.html?story=/politics/war_room/2011/02/14/republican_presidential_2012 "The GOP's enormous, gaping 2012 vacuum"]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217211655/http://www.salon.com/news/politics/republican_party/index.html?story=%2Fpolitics%2Fwar_room%2F2011%2F02%2F14%2Frepublican_presidential_2012 |date=February 17, 2011 }}, ''[[Salon.com]]''</ref> Timothy Carney, reflecting on Barbour's history as a lobbyist, concluded: "If the Tea Party still has some wind, it's hard to see how Barbour gets anywhere near the GOP nomination."<ref name=Carney/> On April 25, 2011, Barbour announced that he would not run for president in 2012.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Haley Barbour will not run for president|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-haley-barbour-gop-nod-20110425,0,758905.story?track=rss|date=April 25, 2011|first=Michael|last=Muskal|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=April 25, 2011}}</ref>

==Post-gubernatorial career==
After leaving office as governor, Barbour joined Butler Snow, a [[Jackson, Mississippi]] law firm (together with his former Chief of Staff Paul Hurst);<ref>[http://www.butlersnow.com/Press_Room/News/Barbour,_Hurst_Join_Butler_Snow/ "Former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour and his former Chief of Staff Paul Hurst Join Butler Snow"]. Butler Snow. January 11, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2012.</ref> re-joined lobbying firm BGR Group;<ref>Leven, Rachel (December 22, 2011). [https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/101155-haley-barbour-to-return-to-lobby-firm/ "Haley Barbour to return to lobby firm"]. ''The Hill''. Retrieved January 15, 2012.</ref> and became a client of speakers' bureau Leading Authorities.<ref>[http://www.leadingauthorities.com/lai-events/article-detail/article/governor-haley-barbour-signs-with-lai-for-exclusive-representation.aspx "Governor Haley Barbour Signs with LAI for Exclusive Representation"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016023602/http://www.leadingauthorities.com/lai-events/article-detail/article/governor-haley-barbour-signs-with-lai-for-exclusive-representation.aspx |date=2011-10-16 }}. Leading Authorities. 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2012.</ref> At a ''[[Christian Science Monitor]]'' breakfast in June 2012, Barbour suggested that the Republican Party should take a more [[moderate]] approach to certain elements of its platform. He suggested barring [[corporation]]s and [[Trade unions|unions]] from making direct [[Campaign finance|campaign contributions]], expressed satisfaction with [[Mitt Romney]]'s moderate brand of Republicanism, and suggested that the party should soften its stance on [[Illegal immigration to the United States|illegal immigration]] and reach out to [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Latino]] voters: "We need a secure border for lots of reasons, and then we need to recognize that we're not going to deport 12 million people and we shouldn't."<ref>Worland, Justin (June 15, 2012). "[http://atr.rollcall.com/haley-barbour-criticizes-campaign-finance-law/ Haley Barbour Criticizes Campaign Finance Law] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120620065136/http://atr.rollcall.com/haley-barbour-criticizes-campaign-finance-law/ |date=2012-06-20 }}". ''[[Roll Call]]''. Retrieved June 18, 2012.</ref>

During a private Crossroads fundraiser in Tampa in 2012, Barbour said, of the planned keynote address by [[New Jersey]] Governor [[Chris Christie]] at the [[2012 Republican National Convention]], "I would love for Christie to put a hot poker to [[Barack Obama|Obama]]'s butt..."<ref>{{cite news |last=Kolhathar |first=Sheelah |date=September 4, 2012 |title=Exclusive: How Karl Rove's SuperPAC Plays the Senate |website=Businessweek.com |access-date=September 8, 2012 |url=http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-09-04/exclusive-how-karl-roves-super-pac-plays-the-senate#p1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904214409/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-09-04/exclusive-how-karl-roves-super-pac-plays-the-senate#p1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 4, 2012 }}</ref> He was criticized by some online commentators for the alleged racism of these remarks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gawker.com/5940335/miss-governor-hits-perfect-intersection-of-racism-homoeroticism |title=Miss. Governor Hits Perfect Intersection of Racism, Homoeroticism |access-date=2012-09-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120907023523/http://gawker.com/5940335/miss-governor-hits-perfect-intersection-of-racism-homoeroticism |archive-date=2012-09-07 }}</ref> He later apologized for his statement.<ref>{{cite news |last=Robillard |first=Kevin |date=September 4, 2012 |title=Haley Barbour apologizes for Obama remark |newspaper=Politico |access-date=September 8, 2012 |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0912/80642.html }}</ref>

Barbour was stopped with a loaded handgun in a briefcase by TSA security at the [[Jackson–Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport|Medgar Evers airport]] in [[Jackson, Mississippi|Jackson]] on January 2, 2018 as he was boarding a flight for Washington, D.C.; he was briefly detained by airport police and said he would pay the associated fine. The governor said he forgot he had the gun there after an employee had removed it from his car days before.<ref>{{cite news |last=Pettus |first=Emily Wagster |date=January 30, 2018 |title=Ex-Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour arrested with gun at airport |url=https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2018/01/30/haley-barbour-arrested-gun-airport/1080756001/ |newspaper=Clarion Ledger |access-date= February 21, 2018 }}</ref>

==Public image==
Barbour maintained a positive approval rating in his state during periods when he was governor. A July 2010 [[Rasmussen Reports]] poll found that Barbour had a 70% approval rating in Mississippi.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_state_surveys/mississippi/70_in_mississippi_approve_of_job_barbour_is_doing_as_governor |title=70% in Mississippi Approve of Job Barbour Is Doing As Governor – Rasmussen Reports |publisher=Rasmussenreports.com |access-date=2011-02-05}}</ref>

==Awards and honors==
In 2009, Barbour was awarded the Honorary Patronage of the [[University Philosophical Society]], [[Trinity College, Dublin]]. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency headquarters building in Pearl, MS was named in his honor on January 5, 2012.

On October 18, 2012, The Center for Manufacturing Excellence at the University of Mississippi in [[Oxford, Mississippi]] was named in his honor.

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{C-SPAN|4525}}

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{{s-ttl|title=[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee for [[United States Senator|U.S. Senator]] from [[Mississippi]]<br>([[Classes of United States Senators|Class 1]])|years=[[1982 United States Senate election in Mississippi|1982]]}}
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{{s-prec|usa}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Ronnie Musgrove]]|as=Former Governor}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[United States order of precedence|Order of precedence of the United States]]|years=}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Phil Bryant]]|as=Former Governor}}
{{s-end}}

{{Governors of Mississippi}}
{{RNCchairmen}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barbour, Haley}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:American lobbyists]]
[[Category:American Presbyterians]]
[[Category:Christians from Mississippi]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Mississippi lawyers]]
[[Category:People from Yazoo City, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Republican National Committee chairs]]
[[Category:Republican Party governors of Mississippi]]
[[Category:University of Mississippi School of Law alumni]]
[[Category:Sigma Alpha Epsilon members]]