Kamesha Mumford will be the new senator for Mississippi Senate District 26 after a special election runoff on Tuesday. Though the special election was nonpartisan, she is expected to serve as a Democrat in the Senate.

Mumford, a municipal court judge, won the special runoff election with about 58% of the vote as of 9 p.m. Tuesday, with WJTV reporting about 84% of the vote counted.

Attorney and former Jackson Public Schools District Board of Trustees member Letitia Johnson trailed behind with about 42% of the vote at last count. Mumford will replace John Horhn, who held the position for three decades before stepping down after he won the Jackson mayoral election in June.

Throughout her campaign, Mumford said she supports pursuing public safety solutions, beyond punitive measures like incarceration.

“It takes a collaborative approach to have a safe community,” she said in an interview with the Mississippi Free Press weeks before the election. “While it is very important to me that our police departments are properly staffed and that our law enforcement officers receive fair pay, it’s also important to me that we truly focus on crime prevention and making sure that our neighborhoods are truly safe.”

She said she would prioritize increasing capacity at rural fire departments and expanding broadband access across the district, which includes parts of Hinds and Madison counties.

“If you’re in the Jackson area, you’re dealing with potholes and drainage issues. If you’re out in the county, you’re dealing with bridges being out or a lack of access to broadband,” Mumford said. 

“Although we have different areas of District 26 with different needs, infrastructure is a need I see all over the district,” she continued. “Whether we’re in the county or in the city, those are all basic quality of life issues. Those are the issues that are important to the people, and those issues will always be at the forefront for me as a state senator.”

You can learn more about Mumford’s background and views in our special election questionnaire. She will be sworn in when the 2026 legislative session begins in January.

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Award-winning News Editor Ashton Pittman, a native of the South Mississippi Pine Belt, studied journalism and political science at the University of Southern Mississippi. Previously the state reporter at the Jackson Free Press, he drove national headlines and conversations with award-winning reporting about segregation academies. He has won numerous awards, including Outstanding New Journalist in the South, for his work covering immigration raids, abortion battles and even former Gov. Phil Bryant’s unusual work with “The Bad Boys of Brexit" at the Jackson Free Press. In 2021, as a Mississippi Free Press reporter, he was named the Diamond Journalist of the Year for seven southern U.S. states in the Society of Professional Journalists Diamond Awards. A trained photojournalist, Ashton lives in South Mississippi with his husband, William, and their two pit bulls, Dorothy and Dru.

Capital City reporter Shaunicy Muhammad covers a variety of issues affecting Jackson residents, with a particular focus on causes, effects and solutions for systemic inequities in South Jackson neighborhoods, supported by a grant from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. She grew up in Mobile, Alabama where she attended John L. LeFlore High School and studied journalism at Spring Hill College. She has an enduring interest in Africana studies and enjoys photography, music and tennis.