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Though Phillips had endorsed [[Adlai Stevenson]] for president in 1956 against the Republican incumbent [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] and Kennedy over Nixon in 1960, he left the Democrats in 1963 to run for governor as the Republican nominee in a bid to succeed the term-limited Ross H. Barnett, who had fought the [[Segregation|desegregation]] in 1962 of the University of Mississippi. Phillips faced the Democratic nominee Paul Johnson, who was nearly as outspoken in defense of segregation as his predecessor, Ross Barnett.<ref>Billy Hathorn, "Challenging the Status Quo: Rubel Lex Phillips and the Mississippi Republican Party (1963-1967)," ''The Journal of Mississippi History'' XLVII, November 1985, No. 4, pp. 240-242.</ref>

Though Phillips had endorsed [[Adlai Stevenson]] for president in 1956 against the Republican incumbent [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] and Kennedy over Nixon in 1960, he left the Democrats in 1963 to run for governor as the Republican nominee in a bid to succeed the term-limited Ross H. Barnett, who had fought the [[Segregation|desegregation]] in 1962 of the University of Mississippi. Phillips faced the Democratic nominee Paul Johnson, who was nearly as outspoken in defense of segregation as his predecessor, Ross Barnett.<ref>Billy Hathorn, "Challenging the Status Quo: Rubel Lex Phillips and the Mississippi Republican Party (1963-1967)," ''The Journal of Mississippi History'' XLVII, November 1985, No. 4, pp. 240-242.</ref>

Bidwell Adam, a former lieutenant governor under segregationist Governor Theodore Gilmore Bilbo (1877-1947) and the Democratic state chairman at the time, said that Phillips had contacted him in 1962 to seek backing for a potential Democratic campaign for governor.<ref>''Hattiesburg American,'' October 16, 1963; ''Jackson Clarion-Ledger'', October 24, 1963.</ref> Paul Johnson then claimed that Phillips had become "an overnight Republican" after failure to acquire financial support in a primary with a large open field. Johnson said that Phillips had been "anointed by Squirt Yerger in a Jackson hotel room," a reference to Republican chairman Wirt Adams Yerger, Jr., who served from 1956 to 1966.<ref>''The Jackson Clarion-Ledger,'' October 16, 24, 1963; ''The Meridian Star'', October 9, 1963.</ref> the first Republican candidate since 1947, when a former governor of [[Nebraska]], George L. Sheldon, polled 2.5 percent of the Mississippi gubernatorial general election vote.<ref>State of Mississippi, Election Statistics, 1947.</ref>

[[Bidwell Adam]], a former lieutenant governor under segregationist Governor Theodore Gilmore Bilbo (1877-1947) and the Democratic state chairman at the time, said that Phillips had contacted him in 1962 to seek backing for a potential Democratic campaign for governor.<ref>''Hattiesburg American,'' October 16, 1963; ''Jackson Clarion-Ledger'', October 24, 1963.</ref> Paul Johnson then claimed that Phillips had become "an overnight Republican" after failure to acquire financial support in a primary with a large open field. Johnson said that Phillips had been "anointed by Squirt Yerger in a Jackson hotel room," a reference to Republican chairman [[Wirt Yerger|Wirt Adams Yerger, Jr.]], who served from 1956 to 1966.<ref>''The Jackson Clarion-Ledger,'' October 16, 24, 1963; ''The Meridian Star',' October 9, 1963.</ref> the first Republican candidate since 1947, when a former governor of [[Nebraska]], George L. Sheldon, polled 2.5 percent of the Mississippi gubernatorial general election vote.<ref>State of Mississippi, Election Statistics, 1947.</ref>

Paul Johnson and Bidwell Adam questioned the new Republican's dedication to segregation by noting that as the clerk of Alcorn County from 1952 to 1956 Phillips had supervised the registration of more [[African-American]] voters than had been permitted in most other Mississippi counties at that time.<ref>''Hattiesburg American,'' November 4, 1963.</ref> The pair stressed Phillips' support for Adlai Stevenson in 1956 and John F. Kennedy in 1960. They too had also backed Stevenson over Eisenhower but supported the unpledged electors which carried Mississippi (and half of [[Alabama]]) in 1960 over the Kennedy and Nixon electoral slates.<ref>''The Hattiesburg American,'' October 16 and November 4, 1963.</ref>​

Paul Johnson and Bidwell Adam questioned the new Republican's dedication to segregation by noting that as the clerk of Alcorn County from 1952 to 1956 Phillips had supervised the registration of more [[African-American]] voters than had been permitted in most other Mississippi counties at that time.<ref>''Hattiesburg American,'' November 4, 1963.</ref> The pair stressed Phillips' support for Adlai Stevenson in 1956 and John F. Kennedy in 1960. They too had also backed Stevenson over Eisenhower but supported the unpledged electors which carried Mississippi (and half of [[Alabama]]) in 1960 over the Kennedy and Nixon electoral slates.<ref>''The Hattiesburg American,'' October 16 and November 4, 1963.</ref>​

It is essential that intelligent and cool-thinking people remain in office even though it occasionally means that they have to give tacit support to measures they do not believe to be sound. There will be times that I, as chairman of the Public Service Commission, will have to take positions that I do not believe to be either sound or right, but if I sacrifice whatever opportunities I may have to do something important in the future for a point of minor significance, then I will have been of benefit to no one. That is a painful admission for anyone in public office. ... nevertheless, if we are ambitious, we have to make it.<ref>Memorandum from Rubel Phillips on Public Service Commission stationery, March 1, 1956, reprinted in ''The Jackson Clarion-Ledger,'' October 15, 1963</ref></blockquote>

It is essential that intelligent and cool-thinking people remain in office even though it occasionally means that they have to give tacit support to measures they do not believe to be sound. There will be times that I, as chairman of the Public Service Commission, will have to take positions that I do not believe to be either sound or right, but if I sacrifice whatever opportunities I may have to do something important in the future for a point of minor significance, then I will have been of benefit to no one. That is a painful admission for anyone in public office. ... nevertheless, if we are ambitious, we have to make it.<ref>Memorandum from Rubel Phillips on Public Service Commission stationery, March 1, 1956, reprinted in ''The Jackson Clarion-Ledger,'' October 15, 1963</ref></blockquote>

Chairman Adam warned Democratic officeholders prophetically that a strong GOP showing in 1963 would encourage Republicans to contest future races on a regular basis and could in time threaten the state's solidly Democratic congressional delegation. Adam also accused Phillips and his running-mate for lieutenant governor, state Senator Stanford E. Morse, Jr., of Gulfport, another Democrat-turned-Republican, of having confused voters by omitting the word "Republican" from their campaign materials.<ref>''the Memphis Commercial Appeal,'' October 11, 16, 1963; ''[[The New York Times]],'' October 26, 1963.</ref>

Chairman Adam warned Democratic officeholders prophetically that a strong GOP showing in 1963 would encourage Republicans to contest future races on a regular basis and could in time threaten the state's solidly Democratic congressional delegation. Adam also accused Phillips and his running-mate for lieutenant governor, state Senator [[Stanford Morse|Stanford E. Morse, Jr.]], of Gulfport, another Democrat-turned-Republican, of having confused voters by omitting the word "Republican" from their campaign materials.<ref>''the Memphis Commercial Appeal,'' October 11, 16, 1963; ''[[The New York Times]],'' October 26, 1963.</ref>

==Racial politics==

==Racial politics==