GOP Rep. Alan Nunnelee's death last week following a battle with brain cancer means there will be a special election in northern Mississippi's 1st CD for the second time in seven years. In 2008, when then-Rep. Roger Wicker was appointed to the Senate, Democrats capitalized on a regional GOP split and captured the seat in a huge upset. In 2015, however, the circumstances are quite different and the winner will likely emerge from a crowded field of Republicans. Nunnelee's funeral took place on Monday, so discussion of potential successors is still in a very sensitive phase and there are many unknowns. But Mississippi law states that GOP Gov. Phil Bryant has 60 days from the time of the vacancy to schedule an election, which must be held within 60 days after that. That means a special election could take place in the late spring, with a runoff taking place three weeks later if no candidate receives 50 percent of the initial vote. The roller-coaster 2008 special election actually required four separate elections: a primary, a primary runoff, a general election,

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