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Percy accepted an invitation to speak before the Mississippi Council on Human Relations, a biracial group sponsored by the Southern Regional Council. Yerger branded the group a "Democratic front" and worked with Illinois Republicans to have Percy's speech scuttled.<ref name=jacksonfp/>​

Percy accepted an invitation to speak before the Mississippi Council on Human Relations, a biracial group sponsored by the Southern Regional Council. Yerger branded the group a "Democratic front" and worked with Illinois Republicans to have Percy's speech scuttled.<ref name=jacksonfp/>​

Yerger built his state party from scratch. He gained recognition for his chairmanship from the Eisenhower administration and thereafter supported the presidential candidacies of [[Richard M. Nixon]] and [[Barry Goldwater]]. In April 1961, the first Republican in Mississippi during the Yerger chairmanship elected to a local office, '''Joe O. Sams, Jr.''', of Columbus became the county attorney of Lowndes County.<ref>"Challenging the Status Quo," p. 242.</ref>​

Yerger built his state party from scratch. He gained recognition for his chairmanship from the Eisenhower administration and thereafter supported the presidential candidacies of [[Richard M. Nixon]] and [[Barry Goldwater]]. In April 1961, the first Republican in Mississippi during the Yerger chairmanship, Joe O. Sams, Jr., of Columbus was elected the county attorney of Lowndes County.<ref>"Challenging the Status Quo," p. 242.</ref>​

===The 1963 campaign===​

===The 1963 campaign===

In 1963, the Mississippi Republican Party offered candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, [[Rubel Phillips]], a former Democratic member of the Mississippi Public Service Commission, and state Senator [[Stanford Morse]] of Harrison County, who challenged Carroll Gartin (1913-1966). Neither Phillips nor Morse reached 40 percent of the vote in the [[general election]], but they paved the way for later Republican candidates who in time won the majority of statewide offices in Mississippi.<ref>"Challenging the Status Quo," pp. 242-243.</ref>​

In 1963, the Mississippi Republican Party offered candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, [[Rubel Phillips]], a former Democratic member of the Mississippi Public Service Commission, and state Senator [[Stanford Morse]] of Harrison County, who challenged Carroll Gartin (1913-1966). Neither Phillips nor Morse reached 40 percent of the vote in the [[general election]], but they paved the way for later Republican candidates who in time won the majority of statewide offices in Mississippi.<ref>"Challenging the Status Quo," pp. 242-243.</ref>​

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