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Although the turnout was terribly light, LeSueur did a good job of showing the Republican Party leadership that his campaign will be worth investing in. He more than doubled his vote total from the 2002 GOP primary while capturing 85 percent of the vote.
He still remains a longshot to unseat Thompson, an 11-year incumbent, in a predominantly Democratic district, but LeSueur has made the National Republican Congressional Committee's belief that Thompson is vulnerable suddenly not seem so far-fetched.
The question will be whether the Republicans put serious money into LeSueur's candidacy. Two years ago, LeSueur ran mostly on shoe leather, with the GOP treasure and muscle concentrated on helping Chip Pickering defeat Ronnie Shows in the battle of incumbents in the 3rd Congressional District.
Still, LeSueur, a Holly Springs native who now makes his home in Greenville, took a respectable 43 percent of the vote against Thompson despite being outspent almost 7-to-1.
LeSueur has not stopped campaigning in the interim, going door to door in many parts of his district canvassing for votes.
He offers an intriguing counterpoint to Thompson. Though both are black and come from humble origins, LeSueur embraces the GOP philosophy of personal responsibility and self-determination. LeSueur is more focused on individuals helping and improving themselves rather than letting the government do it for them. He is a cultural conservative, opposed to gay marriage and abortion.
Thompson's brand of Democratic politics is tried and true. He backs government programs that help those in need. He is a master at managing federal money. He walks in lock step with the liberal wing of the national Democratic Party on abortion rights and other social issues.
The most refreshing part of LeSueur's candidacy is that he is racially inclusive, a candidate - unlike Thompson - who is more likely to help unite the races than divide them. In fact, LeSueur's biggest challenge is going to be getting black voters to break their long-ingrained habit of shunning Republican candidates. To win in the majority black 2nd District, he will have to do better than the estimated 12 percent of black voters he attracted in 2002.
LeSueur, no matter how charismatic or tireless, won't be able to win on a shoestring. As of mid-February, he had just $16,000 in his treasury, compared to the $355,000 Thompson had already accumulated in his campaign kitty. If, however, LeSueur can pair the money with the rising Republican tide in Mississippi, he may just defy the oddsmakers.
