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A former prosecuting attorney for Madison County, Herring was elected as a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] in 1971 as the district attorney for the 20th Circuit District of Mississippi. On August 7, 1979, Herring ran for [[governor]] of Mississippi and polled 135,812 votes (18.4 percent) in the Democratic [[primary]] election. The nomination went to William F. Winter, who defeated Evelyn Gandy, the then lieutenant governor who carried the backing of former [[U.S. Senator]] [[James Eastland, in the runoff election. Winter then handily defeated Republican [[Gil Carmichael]] of Meridian in the [[general election]] in what became Carmichael's second consecutive defeat for the state's highest office.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=163612|title=Herring, Jim|publisher=ourcampaigns.com|accessdate=June 12, 2014}}</ref>At some point after 1979, Herring defected to the Republican Party.  

A former prosecuting attorney for Madison County, Herring was elected as a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]] in 1971 as the district attorney for the 20th Circuit District of Mississippi. On August 7, 1979, Herring ran for [[governor]] of Mississippi and polled 135,812 votes (18.4 percent) in the Democratic [[primary]] election. The nomination went to William F. Winter, who defeated Evelyn Gandy, the then lieutenant governor who carried the backing of former [[U.S. Senator]] [[James Eastland, in the runoff election. Winter then handily defeated Republican [[Gil Carmichael]] of Meridian in the [[general election]] in what became Carmichael's second consecutive defeat for the state's highest office.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=163612|title=Herring, Jim|publisher=ourcampaigns.com|accessdate=June 12, 2014}}</ref>At some point after 1979, Herring defected to the Republican Party.  

In 1996, Governor [[Kirk Fordice]], the first Republican chief executive in his state since [[Reconstruction]], appointed Herring to the Mississippi State Personnel Board. In 1997, Fordice named him to the state Court of Appeals, in which capacity he participated in more than one thousand legal cases. Governor [[Haley Barbour]] named him a special judge of the Mississippi Supreme Court.<ref name=lawfirm/>

In 1996, Governor Daniel Kirkwood "Kirk" Fordice, Jr. (1934-2004), the first Republican chief executive in his state since [[Reconstruction]], appointed Herring to the Mississippi State Personnel Board. In 1997, Fordice named him to the state Court of Appeals, in which capacity he participated in more than one thousand legal cases. Governor [[Haley Barbour]] named him a special judge of the Mississippi Supreme Court.<ref name=lawfirm/>

Herring has been a member of both the Executive and Rules Committees of the [[Republican National Committee]]. Through an appointment from the national party chairman, he has been the "Chairman of the Chairmen" of all state and territorial Republican parties. [[U.S. President]] [[George W. Bush]] appointed Herring to the trustees of the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation for a six-year term. He was also vice chairman of the foundation board. He is a board member of the [[Mississippi Center for Public Policy]]. In 2012, he headed the transition team for incoming Republican Governor [[Phil Bryant]].<ref name=lawfirm>{{cite web|url=http://www.hlclawfirm.com/Attorneys/James-H-Herring.shtml|title=James H. Herring|publisher=hlclawfirm.com|accessdate=June 12, 2014}}</ref>

Herring has been a member of both the Executive and Rules Committees of the [[Republican National Committee]]. Through an appointment from the national party chairman, he has been the "Chairman of the Chairmen" of all state and territorial Republican parties. [[U.S. President]] [[George W. Bush]] appointed Herring to the trustees of the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation for a six-year term. He was also vice chairman of the foundation board. He is a board member of the [[Mississippi Center for Public Policy]]. In 2012, he headed the transition team for incoming Republican Governor [[Phil Bryant]].<ref name=lawfirm>{{cite web|url=http://www.hlclawfirm.com/Attorneys/James-H-Herring.shtml|title=James H. Herring|publisher=hlclawfirm.com|accessdate=June 12, 2014}}</ref>