Mississippi voters will choose a U.S. senator to represent the state in Congress in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. Use this guide to learn about candidates’ backgrounds and policy views.
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, incumbent Republican candidate for U.S. Senate
Background: Incumbent U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker is a Tupelo, Miss., native, Air Force veteran and University of Mississippi graduate. Before becoming a U.S. senator, Wicker served for seven years in the Mississippi State Senate and 10 years in the U.S. House of Representatives.
He served as Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee from 2015 to 2017 and Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee from 2019 to 2021. He was a Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee from 2021 to 2023. He currently serves as a Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Wicker voted against creating an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, though he did vote to certify President Biden’s 2020 victory despite former president Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the election. He also voted against mandating background checks for gun owners in 2015. That same year, he was the sole U.S. senator to vote against a resolution that said, “Climate change is real and not a hoax.” He also supported legislation in 2015 to ban federal funding of Planned Parenthood.
In 2022, Wicker voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, which formally repealed the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act and codified federal protections for same-sex couples. He also opposes abortion rights and has supported personhood-style legislation that would prohibit abortions from the moment of conception.
He joined 18 Republican senators in 2023 to vote in approval of constructing new immigration barriers without increasing border enforcement spending past current inflation levels, a bill former president Donald Trump criticized.
The senator vigorously supports the U.S. providing aid to Ukraine and has approved all votes to send aid to the country since the Russian invasion. Wicker has sent President Joe Biden letters urging him to offer more aggressive support and aid to Ukraine.
“I am frustrated—and mystified—that your administration has accomplished so little in the last three months regarding the war in Ukraine. You seem poised to leave the next president a weak hand. Nonetheless, I maintain that a focused effort—directed by you—could make a substantial difference over your final 90 days as president,” the senator wrote in an Oct. 17 letter to Biden.
He also supports Israel in its war on Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of civilians, including children, and has repeatedly voted to send military weapons to Israel.
When he represented Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, Wicker supported the Iraq War to remove Saddam Hussein from power. He was also in favor of the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and criticized the U.S.’s withdrawal in 2021.
Policy Views:
- Supports Israel’s war in Gaza
- Opposes abortion rights
- Supports U.S. military aid in Ukraine
- Opposed an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol
- Opposes mandatory universal background checks for gun purchases
- Opposes same-sex marriage
Website: wicker.senate.gov
Social Media: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
Ty Pinkins, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate
Background: Rolling Fork, Miss., native Ty Pinkins is a decorated Army veteran and Georgetown University Law graduate. He worked as a public-interest lawyer for the Mississippi Center for Justice representing Mississippians in the Delta’s underserved communities until 2023 when he first started running for U.S. Senate.
The candidate says he supports the right of women to make their own reproductive health-care decisions, including the right to choose whether or not to have an abortion. He wants to codify protections previously offered under Roe v. Wade and protections for in-vitro fertilization.
“If a woman gets pregnant in our state, depending on the country, there’s a higher likelihood that she’ll die in this state quicker than in other countries. That’s not something that Sen. Wicker or anybody should be celebrating. They should be working day and night to make sure that women can make their own health-care decisions, and that includes codifying Roe v. Wade,” Pinkins told the Mississippi Free Press on Sept. 26.
Pinkins says he believes that Medicaid expansion is key to helping solve Mississippi’s health-care issues, including hospital closures, unaffordable costs and a lack of access to care. He also wants to strengthen the public-education system by raising teacher salaries, boosting literacy programs and expanding preschool and kindergarten programs.
The Democrat supports legal immigration and wants to offer a pathway to citizenship for some undocumented immigrants. He says he wants to pass “common sense gun reform” that enforces a minimum age requirement of 25, bans high-capacity magazines, penalizes gun trafficking, bans assault rifles, mandates background checks and enacts red-flag laws.
Policy Views:
- Helping small family farmers
- Supports Medicaid expansion
- Proposes strengthening the public education system and raising teachers’ salaries
- Supports policies that protect LGBTQ+ rights
- Wants to invest in “sustainable” infrastructure
- Supports legal immigration and a fair pathway to citizenship
- Wants to pass “common-sense gun reform”
Website: typinkins.com
Social Media: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
Mississippians will vote for presidential, congressional, judicial and regional offices on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2023. Any eligible registered voter who registered in person by Oct. 7 or had their voter registration application postmarked by Oct. 7 can cast a ballot in the general election.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Contact your local circuit clerk or election commissioners for polling place information. Voters must bring an accepted form of voter ID to the polls. For more information, visit sos.ms.gov/yall-vote.
Read more coverage of this year’s election cycle at our Elections Zone 2024 page.
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