Johnny DuPree, a Democrat who served as the mayor of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, for 16 years, has won a Republican-held Mississippi Senate seat, helping break the Republican Party’s supermajority for the first time in six years.
With 92% of the vote in as of 9 p.m. Tuesday, DuPree led Republican Anna Rush in the special election for Mississippi Senate District 45 by a 71%-29% margin, WDAM reported. The district includes parts of Forrest and Lamar counties.
On his campaign website, DuPree said he was running because of “rising costs, underfunded schools, and broken promises to our communities.” He argued for a Mississippi Earned Income Tax Credit, “smart investments in our neighborhoods, and ensuring that every family has a chance to thrive.” He supports expanding Medicaid and eliminating the grocery tax.
“Leadership isn’t about titles. It’s about service, sacrifice, and standing up for the people who need it most,” DuPree says on his website.
Senate District 45 is one of six that were up for a special election Tuesday because a federal court ordered the State to create more Black-majority legislative districts earlier this year. Two other Senate districts are up following an incumbent’s retirement. Two Mississippi House seats were also up for special elections.
Senate District 45 is currently held by Sen. Chris Johnson, R-Hattiesburg. After redistricting, he opted to run in the special election for Senate District 44, held by retiring Republican Sen. John Polk. District 44 includes parts of Forrest, Lamar and Perry counties. Johnson won Polk’s seat Tuesday night, defeating Democratic opponent Shakita Taylor 70%-30% with 100% of the vote in for District 44, as WDAM reported.
This is DuPree’s first campaign victory since losing his job as Hattiesburg mayor to independent Toby Barker in 2017.
In 2011, DuPree became the first Black major-party nominee for governor in Mississippi since Reconstruction. He lost that race to Republican Phil Bryant. In 2019, DuPree was the Democratic nominee for Mississippi Secretary of State, but lost to Republican Michael Watson. In 2021, he ran as the Democratic nominee for Mississippi’s 4th congressional district, but lost to Republican Mike Ezell.
In the northern part of the state, another Democrat flipped a Republican-held seat as Theresa Gillespie Isom won Senate District 2, previously held by Republican Sen. David Parker.
Before tonight’s election, Republicans held a supermajority in the Senate, with 36 seats to Democrats’ 14 Senate seats; another two vacant seats, previously held by Democrats, were also on the ballot for Tuesday’s special elections. Republicans needed to maintain 35 seats to keep their majority, but now will only hold 34 seats.
When a party has supermajority status in the Mississippi Senate, it can more easily override a governor’s veto, propose constitutional amendments and execute certain procedural actions.
Democrats will likely enter the January legislative session with 18 seats.
This story has been updated to note Theresa Gillespie Isom’s victory in Senate District 2, and again to note that Democrats broke the Republican supermajority.