Mississippi voters in the 2nd Congressional District will choose one of three candidates to represent them in Congress in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Use this guide to learn about candidates’ backgrounds and policy views.
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, Democrat
Background: Incumbent U.S. House Rep. Bennie Thompson is a Bolton, Mississippi, native and a graduate of Tougaloo College and Jackson State University. Before he represented Mississippi’s 2nd congressional district, he was a Bolton alderman and mayor and a Hinds County supervisor.
First elected in 1993, he is the longest-serving Black elected official in Mississippi and is the only Democrat in Mississippi’s congressional delegation.
The representative was the chair of the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee and chair of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol. He is a ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee.
Thompson says he wants to add more federal guidelines to K-12 education, like accountability of public schools to improve educational achievement outcomes for all students, but especially the disadvantaged kids, by using standards-based assessments for reading math and science and yearly progress determinations for each public school and district. The congressman also wants to improve funding for public schools so they can achieve better outcomes.
He voted against the Big Beautiful Bill in 2025, which cut federal Medicaid and food stamp benefits, greatly impacting Mississippi due to its reliance on the federal government to fulfill its annual budget.
The federal Medicaid program and CHIP could lose $1.02 trillion from the federal spending budget approved under House Resolution 1, removing between 9.9 million and 14.9 million Americans from the programs by 2034, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimated. The nonpartisan office calculated that H.R. 1, which President Donald Trump signed into law on July 4, 2025, cuts the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s federal funding by $186 billion through 2034, which will affect Mississippi’s food assistance programs
“As the richest country in the world, we should not penalize people who have not had the same benefits as others by passing legislation targeted at them,” Thompson said in a July 3, 2025, press release. “Donald Trump makes no bones about his dislike for people who don’t travel in his circle. The Republican bill cuts Medicaid, slashes SNAP, and forces working families to pay more so the wealthy can get another tax break. This bill takes food out of children’s mouths, strips health care from our seniors, and puts college further out of reach for young people just trying to get ahead. For my district, this means closed hospitals, nursing homes, families struggling to afford groceries, and educational opportunities deferred. Republicans priorities are very simple: tax cuts for (the) wealthy and nothing for the people who make this country work.”
Thompson was the only Democrat who voted against the For the People Act in 2021, which would have reformed campaign finance and election laws as well as expanded voting rights. At first, he co-sponsored the bill, but he ultimately voted against it, saying his constituents opposed it, telling the Epoch Times that his constituents opposed it.
After leading the investigation into the insurrection, Thompson filed a bill to strip Secret Service protection from imprisoned felons ahead of Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts in New York in May 2024.
The Mississippi Legislature may redraw congressional and legislative district maps as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais. The Republican majority on the court curtailed Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act—a key provision which has long prevented states from enacting racially gerrymandered maps for the purpose of diluting the voting power of racial minorities. In recent years, federal courts have cited Section 2 when ordering Mississippi to create more majority-Black legislative and state Supreme Court districts to comply with the Voting Rights Act. But the Louisiana v. Callais decision scrutinizes the usage of race when drawing maps, a requirement that could roll back the gains Black voters made in Mississippi.
It is unknown how far redistricting will go if a special session of the Mississippi Legislature does come together, though Republican leaders have generally praised the Callais decision. Gov. Tate Reeves and other white Republicans, like Mississippi State Auditor Shad White, have made clear their hopes to redraw Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District to get rid of Thompson.
Policy Views:
- Supports codifying protections offered under Roe v. Wade
- Wants to strengthen disaster preparedness and recovery programs
- Says Congress’ main job is to create jobs for Americans
- Wants to strip Secret Service protection for imprisoned felons
Website: benniethompson.com
Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Ron Eller, Republican
Background: Military veteran and St. Dominic’s Hospital surgeon Ron Eller is from West Virginia and moved to Mississippi after he retired from the military after 20 years of service and garnering many awards, including Soldier of the Year.
This is Eller’s second time challenging Thompson, as he was the Republican candidate in a 62%-38% loss in 2024. He also ran for the Republican nomination in 2022, losing to Brian Flowers.
Eller says that federal and state funds should not go to Planned Parenthood and other clinics that provide abortion and says that abortion is only acceptable if the pregnancy is causing harm to the mother. He says he does not support banning birth control or other forms of contraception.
He told the Mississippi Free Press in 2022 that “LGBTQ is not a protected class but a personal lifestyle choice” and that “LGBTQ individuals should have all the same rights as any U.S. citizen.” But he has since expressed opposition to transgender rights, including trans participation in sports.
Eller says he supports U.S. Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again agenda, including removing petroleum-based artificial food dyes and other chemical additives from the U.S. food supply and restricting candy, ultra-processed foods and soda from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and public school meal plans.
The candidate says that church and state are independent from each other, but that the church is crucial to the foundation of the U.S. and that he believes the founding fathers built the country on Judeo-Christian principles.
“Economics is and will remain a challenge going forward,” Eller says on his campaign website. “We need fair taxation with good representation. Too often our leadership has put self-interest first and not what’s good for the country as priority number one. An America first policy is critical in order for our families and children to have a better life.
Eller does not support same-day voter registration and says that all voters should cast their ballots on paper so that there is a permanent physical record of their votes. He says he believes that the government should not mandate vaccines because getting vaccinated is a personal choice.
The veteran says education is critical to the future of the U.S. and that youth should not be the only ones to benefit from education because prisoners deserve to learn life skills, too.
He supports President Donald Trump’s efforts to build a taller wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Eller is the Mississippi State chairman of the U.S. Term Limits and supports limiting U.S. House members to three terms and U.S. Senate members to two.
Policy Views:
- Anti-abortion access but supports access to birth control
- Opposes gun-control laws
- Supports term limits of three terms for U.S. House and two terms for U.S. Senate
- Supports access to education for prisoners
- Says he wants to increase the number of healthcare providers in Mississippi
- Supports building a wall on the U.S. border
Website: voteroneller.com
Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Bennie Foster, Independent
Background: Jackson, Mississippi, native Bennie Foster earned a bachelor’s degree from Jackson State University and a master’s in Education from Strayer University and has worked public-service jobs in the education profession.
Foster wants to create more workforce training opportunities and help Mississippians gain jobs to earn “liveable wages.” He also aims to help Mississippians find stable housing and attack the “digital divide” in Mississippi by expanding broadband access.
The candidate promises to secure federal investments to stabilize Jackson’s water system, improve roads. Foster also hopes to find more federal grants to prevent hospital closures in the Delta and restore rural health clinics. If elected, he promises transparency and accountability will frame his time in office.
“Every U.S. citizen deserves quality healthcare, especially in our rural areas where travel distances are a major barrier,” Foster said in his Mississippi Free Press questionnaire.
While Foster says he supports U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement officers enforcing immigration law, he believes agents should wear body cameras—but not face masks—and make all decisions based on the Constitution.
Fosters says he will protect access to birth control and in-vitro fertilizations but does not support abortions except for in “emergency situations” like a minor getting pregnant via rape, an ectopic pregnancy or when the pregnancy could result in serious injury or death of the mother.
Instead of supporting gender affirming care for minors, Foster says those children and their families deserve access to mental health resources and therapy. He does not support gender affirming care for adults either, but says he supports an adults’ right to choose what to do with their bodies as long as it does not harm other people.
“I believe every Mississippian deserves to be treated with dignity and love while providing safety for vulnerable groups,” Foster said in his Mississippi Free Press questionnaire.
The candidate says he believes in only two genders, male and female, and does not support transgender people using a bathroom or playing on a sports team that aligns with their gender identity.
The U.S. government should ban chemtrails and geo-engineering programs, Foster says, and invest in “climate-proof infrastructure” while providing incentives for farmers to use sustainable practices.
Policy Views:
- Aims to bring federal grants to rural hospitals and clinics
- Supports sustainable farming
- Says he will protect access to IVF and birth control
- Hopes to boost workforce training opportunities and high-paying jobs
- Says ICE agents should wear body cameras, not face masks
Website: https://www.reimaginems.info/
Social Media: Facebook | Instagram
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