Editing Martin Sennet Conner (section)

== Political career ==
Conner served as a member of the [[Mississippi House of Representatives]] from 1916 to 1924, and served a stint as [[Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]]. In 1932, Conner was elected [[Governor of Mississippi]].

Conner was allied with [[Huey Pierce Long, Jr.]], the [[governor of Louisiana]] from 1928 to 1932 and the [[U.S. senator]] from 1932 to 1935. Long struck up an alliance with Conner to support "good roads" connecting the neighboring states. From the sidelines, Long helped Conner win the Mississippi governorship though Conner had twice lost previous bid for the office. Conner's [[runoff election]] opponent and gubernatorial successor, [[Hugh L. White]], tried to make an issue of Long's involvement in an out-of-state race.<ref>[[Huey Pierce Long, Jr.]], ''Every Man a King: The Autobiography of Huey P. Long'' ([[New Orleans]]: National Book Club, Inc., 1933), pp. 275-276.</ref>

Conner's term as a governor corresponded with the [[Great Depression]], but he maintained a state treasury surplus during his tenure. He was noted for going to the state penitentiary to preside over "mercy courts" that resulted in executive clemency for prisoners.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Madar |first1=Chase |date=21 December 2015 |title=The Case for Clemency |url=http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-case-for-clemency/ |accessdate=25 December 2015 |publisher=The American Conservative}}</ref>  One of Conner's methods by which he orchestrated a positive $16 million swing in the state's finances (in only four years) was the introduction of a state sales tax.<ref>{{cite web |title=Martin Sennet (Mike) Conner: Forty-fourth Governor of Mississippi: 1932-1936 |url=http://www.mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/articles/265/index.php?s=extra&id=144 |accessdate=29 August 2020}}</ref>

In [[1936 United States Senate election in Mississippi|1936]], Conner ran for U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat [[Pat Harrison]]. He received the support of U.S. Senator [[Theodore Bilbo]].<ref>{{cite magazine |date=August 24, 1936 |title=Broom or Bilbo |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,756514,00.html?iid=chix-sphere |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629001714/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,756514,00.html?iid=chix-sphere |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref> Harrison ultimately won the election.