Justin Pope will be the new state senator for Mississippi Senate District 24 after winning a majority of the vote in Tuesday’s runoff election. Though the special election was nonpartisan, Pope is expected to serve as a Democrat in the Senate.

For the first time in over three decades, residents of the district that spans Leflore County, Tallahatchie County and Panola County will be represented by a new lawmaker after longtime Sen. David Jordan, who first won the seat in 1992, retired in the middle of his term.

In the runoff, Pope defeated Dr. Curressia M. Brown, a native of Meridian and long-time Leflore County resident, who previously challenged Jordan for the seat unsuccessfully in 2023. With the fast majority of the vote in as of 8:50 p.m. Tuesday evening, The Greenwood Commonwealth reported that Pope led Brown by about a 54% to 46% margin.

Pope, a native of Pope, Mississippi, currently serves as the corporate deputy for Progressive Health Group in Batesville, Mississippi. The political newcomer managed to reach voters across the three counties to secure a spot in the Dec. 2 runoff election.

An alum of Mars Hill University, Pope has worked in health care and community engagement since 2009. According to his LinkedIn page, Pope has been responsible for “strategic planning, budgeting, staff training, policy implementation, day-to-day operations and serving as the public face of the organization.”

The Panolian reported on Nov. 17 that he said he sought “to make sure that all voices are heard—from citizen groups to  businesses, healthcare providers, and educators—as we work to make District 24 a stronger and more unified voice in the Mississippi state Senate.”

A man and a woman stand together in front of a US Flag
Dr. Curressia M. Brown and Justin Pope pose for a photo after the candidate forum event in Charleston, Miss., on Nov. 13, 2025. Photo by Jaylin R. Smith, Mississippi Free Press

Pope shared his views at a Nov. 13 candidate forum in the City of Charleston, Mississippi. Pope discussed the need for more support for rural hospitals, early career programs in high schools and mental-health interventions in the community. 

“College isn’t for everyone. Those trade schools? Those CT (career and technical) programs? South Panola has one of the number-one welders in his class right now. He’s about to leave high school right now, making $27 an hour,” Pope said at the candidate forum on Nov. 13. 

In addition to his comments about career programs for high school students, Pope also discussed the need to properly address mental illness.

“One of the biggest problems we have here in Mississippi is mental health. Mental health plays a big part in everything we do. This is not the time where we can tell our kids just to go sit in the corner,” Pope said. 

He will be sworn in when the 2026 legislative session begins in January.

Jaylin R. Smith, a Corps member for Report for America, is a multimedia journalist and motivational speaker from Greenwood, Mississippi. After receiving two bachelor’s degrees in communications from her beloved HBCU, Mississippi Valley State University, she continued her education at the University of Mississippi where she received a masters in Journalism and New Media. Over her college career, Jaylin has written articles for the Truist Leadership Institute, Overby Center for Southern Politics and Journalism, and the Hotty Toddy website. She was also chosen as a 2024 TEDx Speaker at the University of Mississippi. Her love for diversity and community have fueled her academic and professional interests, making the Delta Region reporter ideal for her. In her leisure time, Jaylin enjoys singing (very badly), writing poetry, hanging with friends, and being adventurous.