Mississippi voters will elect candidates to serve in the Legislature in eight Mississippi Senate special elections and two Mississippi House special elections on Nov. 4. This guide is for the eight Senate elections, but you can read our candidate guide for the Mississippi House special elections at this link.
Six of the Senate districts are up for special elections because a federal court ordered the State to create more Black-majority legislative districts earlier this year. These elections are partisan, with a Democratic candidate running against a Republican in these districts.
Two other Senate districts are holding nonpartisan special elections. Voters in District 26 are replacing former Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, after Jackson voters elected him as their new mayor in June. Voters in Senate District 24 are replacing Sen. David Jordan, D-Greenwood, after his retirement at age 92.
You can use the list below to jump to a specific district and the map to see where each district is located and information about each district.
You can use the list below to jump to a specific district:
- Senate District 1 (DeSoto and Tate counties)
- Senate District 2 (DeSoto and Tunica counties)
- Senate District 11 (Coahoma, DeSoto, Quitman, Tate and Tunica counties)
- Senate District 19 (DeSoto County)
- Senate District 24 (Leflore, Panola and Tallahatchie counties)
- Senate District 26 (Hinds and Madison counties)
- Senate District 44 (Forrest, Lamar and Perry counties)
- Senate District 45 (Forrest and Lamar counties)
Mississippi Senate Special Elections Map
Mississippi Senate District 1
DeSoto and Tate counties
Senate District 1 is one of the districts that lawmakers redrew in response to a court order. Candidates in this special election are affiliated with a party.
Michael McLendon, Republican incumbent
Background: A native of Dallas, Texas, Michael McLendon moved to Tennessee and graduated from Oakhaven Baptist Academy and Memphis State University in Memphis. He also attended Northwest Mississippi Community College.
Now residing in Hernando, Mississippi, McLendon has worked as an insurance agent, and he also served Hernando’s Ward 4 in the City Council from 2013 to 2019. He started his first term in the Mississippi Senate in 2020.
Insurers have to create lists of medicines and procedures that require prior authorizations and publish them online with “prior authorization statistics” under a 2024 law McLendon cosponsored, Senate Bill 2140.
He cosponsored legislation to classify the Mississippi Legislature as a “public body” under the Open Meetings Act after the Mississippi Free Press challenged the secretive House Republican Caucus meetings. Senate Bill 2667 would have altered Mississippi Code § 25-41-3 to clarify that the list of “meetings” covered by the Open Meetings Act includes “a quorum of members of a public body that may deliberate or act upon any matter” under their purview. The legislation died in the Senate Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committee on Jan. 31, 2023.
McLendon sponsored so-called anti-“critical race theory” legislation with a bill that became law in 2022. He told lawmakers on the Senate floor that he had found no proof that any Mississippi public schools were teaching “critical race theory.”
“Senate Bill 2113 is a very simple bill,” the bill’s author, a white Hernando Republican, said on Jan. 21, 2022, as he presented the bill on the Senate floor. “It prohibits school districts, universities and community colleges from requiring students to adhere to any tenet providing that one race, sex or ethnicity is inherently superior or inferior to another.”
McLendon gave his vote of approval for House Bill 1193 in 2025, which is very similar to S.B. 2113. H.B. 1193 says that public schools cannot teach “divisive concepts” that say a “race, color, ethnicity, sex, gender, identity, sexual orientation, religion or national origin” is superior to another, that any one demographic is inherently oppressive, that a person should discriminate against another person based on demographics, or that members of a demographic group should treat members of another group with disrespect.
McLendon is the chairman of the Mississippi Senate State Library Committee and is the vice chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee. He also serves as a member of the Senate committees for appropriations; education; environment protection, conservation and water restoration; gaming; highways and transportation; labor; veterans and military affairs; and wildlife, fisheries and parks.
Policy Views:
- Voted yes to banning Mississippi public schools from teaching “critical race theory” in 2022 and diversity, equity and inclusion principles in 2024
- Cosponsored legislation to require insurers to list medications and procedures that require prior authorization in 2024
- Supported classifying the Mississippi Legislature as a “public body” in 2023
- Voted no in 2025 to raising the state gas tax while lowering the state income and grocery taxes
- Voted no to Medicaid expansion in 2024
Website: None publicly available.
Social Media: Twitter | Facebook
Chris Hanna, Democrat
Background: U.S. Marine Corps veteran Chris Hanna is a farmer in Hernando, Mississippi, and a University of Mississippi graduate.
He ran for Justice Court District 5 judge in 2023 and lost to Karen Sanders.
If elected as the senator for Mississippi Senate District 1, Hanna says he would propose raising salaries for teachers and police officers. He says he wants to reduce crime and advocates for tax reform for middle-class families. The Democrat also wants to ensure proper funding for the state’s Medicaid and Medicare programs.
“I believe in the U.S. Constitution and preserving the American way of life and defending it (at) all costs,” he wrote in a sponsored article for the DeSoto Times on Oct. 20, 2023. “ I will fight to protect your constitutional rights. I will serve and uphold the laws of the State of Mississippi. I believe in fairness, justice, compassion, integrity, and humility. Nothing means more to me than family and home.”
Policy Views:
- Wants to improve education
- Aims to reduce crime
- Wants to ensure funding for Medicaid and Medicare
- Proposes teacher and police officer pay raises
- Advocates for tax reform for middle class families
Website: None publicly available.
Social Media: Facebook
Mississippi Senate District 2
DeSoto and Tunica counties
Senate District 2 is one of the districts that lawmakers redrew in response to a court order. Candidates in this special election are affiliated with a party. The incumbent, Republican David Parker, is not running for reelection.
Theresa Gillespie Isom, Democrat
Background: Theresa Gillespie Isom is a Memphis, Tennessee, native who moved to Mississippi in 2005. She was the former director of nursing at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology and chaired the Tennessee Board of Regents Practical Nursing Coordinators.
The Democratic candidate wants to improve public schools and make career and technical education more accessible. Isom advocates for creating more jobs in underserved areas and hosting community events like career fairs and job training events.
She supports Medicaid expansion and wants to protect rural hospitals. Helping families have affordable and accessible health care is another of Isom’s priorities.
“We need leadership that listens with compassion, serves with unwavering integrity, and puts people at the forefront,” she said in an Aug. 10 Facebook post. I’m not running for office to engage in politics as usual — I’m running to drive meaningful change and genuine representation for the people of DeSoto County. Together, we can forge a brighter, safer, and healthier future that inspires hope and opportunity for all.
Policy Views:
- Advocates for Medicaid expansion
- Wants to protect rural hospitals
- Aims to boost public school funding
- Hopes to make career and technical education more accessible
- Proposes adding more jobs in underserved areas
Website: www.theresagillespieisom.com
Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Charlie Hoots, Republican
Background: Charlie Hoots retired from DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department Aviation Unit as a major and also worked as a news photographer for WREG. He is currently serving his third term as Ward 2 alderman in Southaven, Mississippi, and working as the executive director for the Mississippi State Parks Foundation nonprofit to raise money to restore state parks.
The Republican ran for Mississippi House District 20 in 2023 and lost to Rodney Hall, a Republican from Southaven.
Hoots opposes abortion and pledges to never vote to raise taxes. He aims to give support to Mississippi farmers and create agriculture jobs. Police and fire departments should have safe, accessible and efficient equipment and services, he says on his campaign website.
If elected, Hoots says he wants to lower prescription drug prices and protect the elderly from paying high costs for medicine. As an alderman, he advocated for lowering property taxes in Southaven.
“As a lifelong supporter of our Second Amendment rights, I’m proud to stand with the NRA in protecting the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners and defending the values that make our communities strong,” he said in a Sept. 22 Facebook post.
Policy Views:
- Opposes abortion
- Wants to help Mississippi farmers
- Hopes to create agriculture jobs
- Advocates for police and fire department safety, accessibility and efficiency
- Aims to lower prescription drug prices
- Pledges to never vote to raise taxes
- Worked to improve infrastructure in Southhaven
Website: www.hootsforms.com
Social Media: Instagram | Facebook
Mississippi Senate District 11
Coahoma, DeSoto, Quitman, Tate and Tunica counties
Senate District 11 is one of the districts that lawmakers redrew in response to a court order. Candidates in this special election are affiliated with a party.
Reginald Jackson, Democratic incumbent
Background: Incumbent Mississippi Senate District 11 Sen. Reginald Jackson is an engineering technician who won the 2023 Mississippi Senate District 11 election after his father, former Mississippi Sen. Robert L. Jackson, retired from the Senate.
Jackson voted this year against House Bill 1, which slashes Mississippi’s income tax, lowers the grocery tax and raises the gas tax. He also voted this year against prohibiting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and practices in public schools under House Bill 1193.
This year, he also cosponsored legislation to update and expand literacy curriculum for fourth through eighth grade students, but House Bill 857 died on the House calendar on Feb. 13 without getting a vote.
Under a bill Jackson cosponsored in 2025, Mississippi could have allowed the sale of goods, services and merchandise that incarcerated people produce under the supervision of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. House Bill 1001 died in the House on the conference deadline March 31.
The representative cosponsored legislation to restore voting rights for formerly incarcerated people. House Bill 1289 died in the House Constitution and Judiciary B committees on March 5, 2024.
He serves as the vice chairman of the Mississippi Senate State Library Committees and he is a member of the agriculture; appropriations; corrections; county affairs; drug policy; environment protection, conservation and water restoration; ethics; and gaming committees.
Policy Views:
- Voted no on slashing the income tax
- Voted no on banning public schools from teaching DEI
- Cosponsored a bill to expand literacy curriculum for fourth through eighth graders
- Cosponsored legislation to restore voting rights to formerly incarcerated people
Website: None publicly available.
Social Media: Instagram | Facebook
Kendall Prewett, Republican
Background: Kendall Prewett is a DeSoto County native and Horn Lake High School graduate. He is the owner of a railroad contracting company, American Services.
The Republican candidate supports the Trump administration’s efforts to stop undocumented immigration in Mississippi. Prewett opposes abortion rights and supports gun ownership rights under the 2nd Amendment.
He says on his website that he wants to decrease the “size and scope of bureaucratic government agencies.” The Senate District 11 candidate advocates for government transparency and accountability.
“I love Mississippi, this is my home. Mississippi is where I was raised, where I work in our family small business, and where I raise my daughters. I want to serve the citizens of Senate District 11 so they can have a conservative voice in our state government,” Prewett says on his website.
Policy Views:
- Supports gun ownership rights under the 2nd Amendment
- Opposes abortion
- Wants to stop illegal immigration in Mississippi
- Advocates for government transparency and accountability
- Aims to obtain more funding for roads and bridges
Website: www.prewettformississippi.com
Social Media: Twitter | Facebook
Mississippi Senate District 19
DeSoto County
Senate District 19 is one of the districts that lawmakers redrew in response to a court order. Candidates in this special election are affiliated with a party.
Kevin Blackwell, Republican incumbent
Background: Incumbent Mississippi Senate District 19 Sen. Kevin Blackwell is a Southaven, Mississippi resident, and chairman of the DeSoto County Republican Party. He’s served Mississippi Senate District 19 since 2016.
As the Senate Medicaid Committee chairman, he proposed expanding Medicaid to people making 138% of the federal poverty level and requiring Medicaid participants to work a set number of hours a month through a 2024 Senate bill that ultimately died on a deadline day.
The senator did not sponsor any legislation in 2025, not even a Medicaid expansion bill. The U.S. Senate had not confirmed the director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services by the time the 2025 legislative session wrapped up, so both the House and Senate decided it was not the time to pass Medicaid expansion legislation without understanding the Trump administration’s approach to Medicaid. Both bodies had bills with provisions that could have allowed lawmakers to amend the legislation to add Medicaid expansion, but Blackwell said it would not have worked out.
Blackwell sponsored legislation to remove the two-year statute of limitations for sexual battery crimes. Senate Bill 2011 died in the Senate Judiciary B Committee on March 5, 2024. That year, he also wanted to ban news reporters from accessing the Mississippi Senate floor. Senate Resolution 3 died in the Senate Rules Committee on May 14, 2024.
The Republican is the vice chairman of the Senate Elections Committee and serves on the committees for accountability, efficiency, transparency; appropriations; business and financial institutions; Constitution; highways and transportation; and public health and welfare.
Policy Views:
- Supports expanding Medicaid with a work requirement for participants
- Voted yes to anti-DEI House Bill 1193
- Sponsored legislation to remove two-year statute of limitations for sexual battery
- Sponsored legislation to ban news reporters from accessing the Mississippi Senate floor
Website: None publicly available
Social Media: Twitter | Facebook
Dianne Dodson Black, Democrat
Background: Democrat Dianne Dodson Black is a Bolton, Miss., native and small business owner of 40 years in Olive Branch, Miss. In 2022, she became the first Black woman to be on the ballot while running as the Democratic nominee for Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
She lost that election to incumbent Republican Trent Kelly and again in 2024.
The candidate is involved in the DeSoto-Marshall County Federation of Democratic Women, the Desoto County NAACP and the Olive Branch Chamber of Commerce.
Black’s key policies are women’s rights to health-care privacy and to choose their own doctors. She also says that Mississippi is missing out on $2 billion each year by not expanding Medicaid and that she wants health care to be more accessible for Mississippians.
The Democrat also says she wants to raise teachers’ salaries, restore the citizen-led ballot initiative system and enact early voting in the state.
“Ballot initiatives let you make change happen,” Black said in an Oct. 20 Facebook post. “When leaders won’t act, voters can collect signatures, put issues on the ballot, and pass laws that move our communities forward. Your voice, Your vote, Your power!”
Policy Views:
- Supports Medicaid expansion
- Aims to fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
- Wants to raise teachers’ salaries
- Believes women have the right to privacy with their reproductive health care
- Supports early voting
- Supports restoring the ballot initiative
Website: None publicly available
Social Media: Twitter | Instagram
Mississippi Senate District 24
Leflore, Panola and Tallahatchie counties
The Mississippi Senate District 24 special election follows Sen. David Jordan’s retirement from the seat. The special election is nonpartisan.
Curressia M. Brown, nonpartisan
Background: Meridian, Mississippi, native Curressia M. Brown has lived in Leflore County since 1996. She ran for Mississippi Senate District 24 as an independent candidate in 2023 and lost to former incumbent Sen. David Jordan, a Democrat. He announced his retirement in May and will not be seeking reelection.
Brown attended Rust College and the University of Mississippi School of Law. After serving for over 30 years in higher education, she retired as the chair of the Mississippi Valley State University Department of Business Administration in 2021.
Curressia M. Brown is running as a nonpartisan candidate to represent Mississippi Senate District 24 in the special election on Nov. 4, 2025. Photo courtesy Dr. Curressia M. Brown for MS State Senate District 24
The candidate serves as a minister of music, organist, a Sunday school teacher and a youth leader at her church. She has been a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, the Greenwood Leflore Chamber of Commerce, Rotary International, the Leflore County School District Dropout Prevention Task Force and the Greenwood/Leflore Committee on Racial Reconciliation.
Brown signaled her support for funding Medicaid and expanding it to cover people who fall into the health-care coverage gap by sharing a Facebook post from the Mississippi Democratic Party about how federal cuts to Medicaid can affect rural hospitals.
“Senator David L. Jordan’s legacy is a testament to the power of perseverance, the importance of education, and the enduring impact of public service,” she said in an Aug. 14 Facebook post. “I am blessed to be in the generation prepared and willing to continue the fight—addressing the challenges facing District 24 and creating opportunities to overcome them. My vision for the future, my confidence that our best days are ahead, is possible because I stand on the shoulders of all who have gone before me.
Policy Views:
- Supports expanding Medicaid
- Called for independent federal investigation of Demartravion “Trey” Reed’s death
Website: None publicly available
Social Media: Facebook
Jason Colquett, nonpartisan
Background: Jason Colquett is a seven-term mayer of Schlater, Mississippi, and a native of the small Mississippi Delta town. He also has worked at a cotton gin, Crossroads Gin Co., since 1987. The candidate previously served as a firefighter for the Schlater Volunteer Fire Department.
Colquett advocates for lowering property taxes because he said his property taxes often cost him more money per year than private-school tuition for his four children. He says that the issue with public education is not a lack of funding, but what the funding is paying for.
Another priority for Colquett is revitalizing the Mississippi Delta by bringing in enterprising agriculture jobs and attracting new residents.
“Now, if we can only do what it takes to shore up our education capabilities and do what it takes to maintain adequate healthcare in order to keep our local hospitals viable, then our Delta communities can once again thrive,” he said on his campaign website.
The candidate proposes training unemployed people to work for Mississippi Employment Insurance since the Mississippi Department of Employment Security is already collecting taxpayer dollars and has a list of unemployed people who need job training.
Policy Views:
- Supports expanding Medicaid
- Wants to reduce violent crime
- Aims to lower property taxes
- Supports private schools
- Hopes to bring enterprising agriculture jobs to the Mississippi Delta
Website: jcolquett-for-ms-senate-8c6b4.firebaseapp.com
Social Media: Facebook
Everette Hill, nonpartisan
Background: Everette Hill served as the mayor of Como, Mississippi, from 2010 to 2025. Before that, he served as an alderman from 2005 to 2010. He’s the board chairman of the Mid-State Opportunity Board of Directors.
The candidate also serves on the board of directors for the Mississippi Rural Water Association and the Mississippi Municipal League. Hill was the president of the North Mississippi Mayor’s Association.
“Real leadership doesn’t wait behind a podium, it walks the backroads, knocks on doors, and carries the message to the people, because the message means nothing if it never reaches the people,” he said in a Sept. 13 Facebook post.
Policy Views: None publicly available.
Website: None publicly available.
Social Media: Facebook
Loretta McClee, nonpartisan
Background: Loretta McClee is a Greenwood, Mississippi, native who has been an active member of her community for her entire life. The candidate is also a licensed barber, cosmetologist and insurance agent who has a certification as a certified clinical trichologist. She has been involved with the Mississippi Poor People’s Campaign since 2018 and has been a member of Black Voters Matter since 2020.
Promoting trade schools, job training programs and career development opportunities are priorities of McClee’s. She wants to help the workforce and offer Mississippians alternatives to a four-year college degree.
McClee pushes for affordable and accessible health care for everyone. Public infrastructure and broadband are two other areas she wants to invest in as a senator. She also wants to focus on violence prevention and youth engagement programs and help formerly incarcerated people reenter society.
“I was born and raised here. I have served here. I have wept here. And I have worked side by side with you, feeding the hungry, comforting our broken, empowering our youth and fighting for better health care, better schools and fair wages,” she said in an Oct. 20 Facebook post.
Policy Views:
- Advocates for feeding the hungry
- Hopes to improve health care
- Aims to boost wages
- Wants to offer viable alternatives to college
- Hopes to work on violence prevention and youth engagement programs
Website: www.mccleesenatedistrict24.org
Social Media: Instagram | Facebook
Justin Pope, nonpartisan
Background: Justin Pope is a Batesville, Mississippi, native who currently serves as corporate deputy of Progressive Health Group. He has worked in various health-care roles over the years.
The candidate previously ran for Panola County Chancery Clerk in 2023 but lost to Katie Ragon.
“District 24 has a proud history of strong leadership,” Pope said in an Aug. 1 Facebook post. “I’m stepping up to continue that legacy—fighting for better healthcare, stronger schools, and economic growth for our communities.”
He has not publicly shared any policy specifics.
Policy Views:
- Wants better health care
- Wants stronger schools
- Wants economic growth
Website: None publicly available.
Social Media: Facebook
Georgio Proctor, nonpartisan
Background: Georgio Proctor has master’s degrees from Jackson State University and Ponce University. He is a member of the Mississippi State Democratic Executive Committee and the National Committee of Young Democrats of America.
Proctor has worked in various roles throughout his career, including at Jackson State University, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
Law enforcement officers and first responders need more resources to keep communities safe, he says in his policy priorities. The candidate also hopes to strengthen schools and boost economic development to bring more jobs to Mississippi Senate District 24. Proctor says he aims to improve health care quality and accessibility.
“I’m committed to fighting for the resources we deserve—by investing in our hospital, expanding job opportunities, making our neighborhoods safer and giving every child the strong education they deserve,” he said in an Oct. 20 Facebook post.
Policy Views:
- Wants to give more resources to law enforcement and first responders
- Hopes to bring more jobs to the district
- Aims to improve health care access and quality
- Wants to strengthen schools
Website: None publicly available
Social Media: Instagram | Facebook
Mississippi Senate District 26
Hinds and Madison counties
The Mississippi Senate District 26 special election follows former Sen. John Horhn’s election as mayor of Jackson. The special election is nonpartisan.
Coleman Boyd, nonpartisan
Background: Farmer Coleman Boyd is a pastor and emergency room physician from Bolton, Mississippi.
He says in various Facebook posts that law enforcement should look to the Bible for references on how to punish people for committing specific crimes. The candidate notes that “government is authorized by God” and “We need to restrict government to the limited roles given in the Bible and the Constitution.
Boyd is a long-time anti-abortion activist who frequently protested against Mississippi’s last abortion clinic until its closure in 2022. He says he wants to protect the rights of “unborn children” and repeal laws that “permit willful prenatal homicide and assault,” he wrote in a drafted version of a bill on Sept. 30. He said he would file it if elected to represent Mississippi Senate District 26. He wants to hold women criminally liable if they get abortions or have “a spontaneous miscarriage,” he wrote.
“We want to be the first state to criminalize all abortion, and to set an example for the rest of the nation,” he wrote in a Sept. 16 Facebook post.
Same-sex couples should not be allowed to get married in Mississippi, and no one should be able to change their gender or undergo gender-transition treatments and surgeries, Boyd says on his website.
Mississippi’s schools should not have vaccine mandates, he says, and the state should encourage homeschooling and privatizing education.
Policy Views:
- Believes that the government should use the Bible as a reference for how to punish criminals
- Demands the death penalty for people convicted of murder, rape and kidnapping
- Aims to abolish abortion and wants to criminalize people who get abortions
- Hopes to outlaw same-sex marriage
- Wants to ban gender-transition treatments and surgeries
- Wants to end vaccine mandates for schools
- Hopes to end property and income taxes
Website: www.votecolemanboyd.com
Social Media: Twitter | Facebook
Jermaine Cooley, nonpartisan
Background: Ergon chemist Jermaine Cooley lives in Clinton, Mississippi. He has volunteered as a Sunday school teacher, youth mentor and coach.
The candidate says he hopes to bring economic development to the district and he wants to promote education if elected.
“All parts of Senate District 26 should be counted among the successful areas that are leading the way in educating our children, attracting private investment into our communities, ridding our streets of violent criminals and holding those who enable the criminals accountable,” Cooley said in a Sept. 11 Facebook post.
Policy Views:
- Wants to bring economic development to the district
- Hopes to promote education
Website: None publicly available
Social Media: Facebook
Letitia Johnson, nonpartisan
Background: Jackson, Mississippi, resident Letitia Johnson is an attorney and the former president of the Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees.
Regarding education, Johnson says on her website that she aims to give more money to public schools, raise teachers’ salaries and make college education more affordable. She says she wants to help Mississippians gain health-care coverage and have access to mental health services. Maternal health and infrastructure need more funding, she says, and Mississippians should have access to life-saving reproductive health care services, Johnson says.
She advocates for addressing crime by adding re-entry programs in the state to help formerly incarcerated people re-enter society and not reoffend after release. Johnson says she wants to look at “the root causes of crime” and work on crime prevention, mental health issues and addiction. Adding more community centers and parks is another way to make communities safer and more involved, the candidate says.
She wants to end the grocery tax and says the state should not eliminate the state income tax.
“Regressive state tax policies, like the grocery tax, place an unfair burden on poor and working-class families,” Johnson says on her website. “Families that are already struggling to make ends meet are met at the grocery store by a tax that has not produced a return on investment. Other regressive policies like the elimination of the state income tax will also disproportionately impact poor and working-class families through less funding for services like education and healthcare.”
Policy Views:
- Wants to increase funding for public schools
- Hopes to raise teachers’ salaries
- Aims to add more community spaces like parks and community centers
- Looks to address crime prevention, mental health issues and addiction
- Wants to eliminate the grocery tax
Website: electletitiajohnson.com
Social Media: Instagram | Facebook
Theresa G. Kennedy, nonpartisan
Background: Theresa G. Kennedy is a business owner and graduate of Alcorn State University. She previously hosted a podcast called Dear Sister.
She says on her website that she is a “staunch supporter” of education, economic development and small businesses.
“She believes strong and healthy people breed strong and healthy communities, and strong and healthy communities breed strong and healthy economies, which create more jobs, and more opportunities for more Mississippians,” Kennedy’s website says.
Policy Views:
- Supports education, small businesses and economic development
Website: www.electtheresakennedy.com
Social Media: Facebook
Kamesha B. Mumford, nonpartisan
Background: Canton, Mississippi, Municipal Court Judge Kamesha B. Mumford is a Hinds County resident and attorney at Mumford & Mumford Law Firm. She attended Mississippi State University and Mississippi College School of Law.
The candidate is the president of the Mississippi Municipal Judges Association and a member of the DUI Information Exchange Advisory Committee. Mumford is a member of the general counsel and former president of Counsel of Dress for Success Metro Jackson, and she is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the Lefleur’s Bluff Chapter of The Links, Inc., and Jack and Jill of America, Inc.
Concerning infrastructure and economic development, Mumford says on her website that she wants to improve roads, highways and bridges and increase engineering and construction job opportunities. She hopes to provide economic stability for families and protect Mississippi’s Public Employees’ Retirement System.
Every Mississippi household should have broadband access, the candidate says. Mumford also advocates for increasing teachers’ salaries and classrooms’ resources. Volunteer fire departments need more support and resources and public safety should be visible to reduce crime, she says.
Policy Views:
- Wants to create more engineering and construction jobs
- Aims to bring economic stability for families
- Hopes to boost capacity of volunteer fire departments
- Advocates for broadband access for all Mississippians
- Wants to raise teachers’ salaries
Website: kmumford4senate.com
Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok
James E. Pittman, nonpartisan
Background: James E. Pittman has worked in executive leadership for the Mississippi Department of Transportation for over 22 years. He holds degrees from Jackson State University and the University of Southern Mississippi.
The candidate says on his website that he wants to work on health-care access by expanding and upgrading Medicaid. He also hopes to bring infrastructure improvements and economic developments to the district if elected.
“In addition to that, I’m interested in protecting our retirement benefits. It should be that citizens that work hard and gain the right to have retirement, they should be able to know that their retirement benefits is not going to be touched as well as their Social Security benefits should not be touched,” Pittman told WAPT in an Oct. 9 article.
He also supports cutting taxes, expanding mental health initiatives and boosting affordable housing access.
Policy Views:
- Wants to improve health-care access by expanding Medicaid
- Hopes to update infrastructure
- Aims to bring more economic development to the district
- Supports tax cuts
- Aims to restore voting rights for formerly incarcerated people
- Hopes to bring more educators to Mississippi
Website: drjpittman4senate.squarespace.com
Social Media: None publicly available.
Jeffrey Stallworth, nonpartisan
Background: Jeffrey Stallworth is the chaplain at the G.V. Sonny Montgomery Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center and the pastor of Word and Worship in Jackson and Byram, Mississippi. He moved to Mississippi as a kid and bounced between various cities throughout his life, but has resided in Jackson since 1985.
The candidate has degrees from Jackson State University in Psychology, Gammon-Theological Seminary Interdenominational Theological Center Doctoral Studies and Emory University-Candler. Stallworth has served on the board for Stewpot Community Kitchen, Operation Shoestring, Directors United Way, American Red Cross, Union Planters Bank, Jackson’s economic development board, Hope Community Credit Union and Jackson State University’s Jackson Heart Study Community Mobilization Steering Committee.
Stallworth says on his website he wants to invest in clean water, support small businesses and rally for voting rights. He also wants “normalized credit ratings for the underprivileged” and “ensure people incarcerated for delinquent child support obligations have opportunities to work to pay off those obligations.”
“People should vote for me because I’m tried and tested,” he told WAPT in an Oct. 13 article. “I’m not afraid of anything. I can go, and I’ve been around, and I’ve been where I’ve been to the Senate, the Legislature people, and I’ll bring back home what is actually going on.”
Policy Views:
- Wants to invest in clean water
- Supports small businesses
- Rallies for voting rights
- Wants to make it easier for incarcerated people to make money to pay child support
Website: www.stallworthforstatesenate.com
Social Media: Facebook
Mississippi Senate District 44
Forrest, Lamar and Perry counties
Senate District 44 is one of the districts that lawmakers redrew in response to a court order. Candidates in this special election are affiliated with a party.
Chris Johnson, Republican incumbent
Background: Incumbent Mississippi Senate District 44 Sen. Chris Johnson has served in the state Senate since 2020. Before that, he was a state representative for Mississippi House District 87 from 2016 to 2020.
The Forrest County native graduated from Pearl River Community College and the University of Southern Mississippi. Johnson owns multiple businesses across the southeast.
Johnson voted to slash the income tax and cut the grocery tax while raising the gas tax with House Bill 1 in 2025. This year, he also voted to prohibit diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and practices in public schools under House Bill 1193.
In 2024, Johnson voted against expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act to allow people making 138% or less of the federal poverty level to be able to receive Medicaid coverage. Neither the House nor the Senate’s Medicaid expansion plans did not make it to the finish line and died on deadline days.
In a campaign video, Jonson says he is “pro-life, pro-law enforcement and pro-jobs for the Pine Belt.”
He is the chairman of the Senate Government Structure Committee and the vice chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. He serves as a member of the Constitution; Economic and Workforce Development; Insurance; Investigate State Offices; Medicaid; Public Health and Welfare; and Public Property committees.
Policy Views:
- Opposes abortion
- Wants to bring jobs to the Pine Belt
- Voted yes to lowering the income and grocery taxes while raising the gas tax
- Voted no to Medicaid expansion
- Voted yes to anti-DEI House Bill 1993
Website: chrisjohnson.ms
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter
Shakita Taylor, Democrat
Background: Hattiesburg, Mississippi, attorney Shakita Taylor is a Mississippi College graduate with 20 years of legal experience under her belt.
If elected, Taylor aims to focus on giving teachers pay raises and keeping schools fully funded by increasing state funding to schools to “reduce the burden on local taxpayers,” she says on her website. She says she wants to expand career and technical education programs and give every household access to high-speed broadband.
Reforming mental health care and expanding public health investments are major policy goals of Taylor’s. She says she wants to invest in mental health infrastructure in South Mississippi, boost funding for mobile mental health units and regional crisis response teams.
“I want to focus on our vulnerable citizens, those who deal with mental health issues,” she said in an Oct. 23 WJTV article. “Right now in Hattiesburg, there’s a huge homeless population, and there’s a huge population of people who really need access to mental health resources,” she said.
The candidate says she wants to craft “youth vaping legislation” to reduce the number of children who vape. Taylor says she wants to get vape shops away from school through zoning laws.
Policy Views:
- Aims to reform mental health care
- Hopes to expand health care access
- Wants to reduce the number of children who vape
- Supports teacher pay raises
- Hopes to bring high-speed broadband to every Mississippi household
Website: www.shakitataylorforsenate.com
Social Media: Facebook
Mississippi Senate District 45
Forrest and Lamar Counties
Senate District 45 is one of the districts that lawmakers redrew in response to a court order. Candidates in this special election are affiliated with a party.
Johnny DuPree, Democrat
Background: Hattiesburg, Mississippi, voters elected Johnny DuPree as the city’s first Black mayor in 2001 and he held the office until 2017, when he lost his bid for a fifth term to independent candidate Toby Barker. Before serving as mayor, he served on the Forrest County Board of Supervisors.
In 2011, DuPree became the first Black major-party nominee for governor in Mississippi since Reconstruction. He lost that race to Republican Phil Bryant. That year, DuPree and Bryant both backed the Personhood Amendment, which would have defined a fertilized egg as a person under state law; voters overwhelmingly rejected the Personhood Amendment at the ballot box.
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.
On his campaign website, DuPree says he’s running because of “rising costs, underfunded schools, and broken promises to our communities.” He says he supports a Mississippi Earned Income Tax Credit, “smart investments in our neighborhoods, and ensuring that every family has a chance to thrive.” He says he wants to expand Medicaid, eliminate the grocery tax and that he has “experience rebuilding and uplifting underserved communities.”
“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.
Policy Views:
- Supports a Mississippi Earned Income Tax Credit
- Wants to eliminate the grocery tax
- Wants higher teacher pay
- Supports expanding Medicaid
Website: www.johnnydupree.com
Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Bluesky
Anna Rush, Republican
Background: Anna Rush is a Hattiesburg attorney, prosecutor and small business owner who graduated from Oak Grove High School, Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi School of Law. She founded Rush Law Firm in 2018 and AK Rush Properties in 2020, both in downtown Hattiesburg.
Rush is the president of the Mississippi Bar Young Lawyer Division and has served as president of the South Central Mississippi Bar Association and Downtown Hattiesburg Association.
She previously served as a court-appointed parent defender. “My legal career brought me face-to-face with families in crisis and people navigating their hardest moments. Helping others in those situations has been a profound privilege,” she says on her website.
Her website says that “is committed to quality, affordable (health) care, supporting our doctors and nurses, and knocking down barriers to access to care for every patient.” Her website says she will “fight for strategic investments that support small business” and be a “champion for public education.”
“In keeping my head down I almost missed the opportunity right in front of me: a newly redrawn Senate district that includes my home,” she writes on her website. “Friends and community leaders urged me to run, but I was hesitant to get into the messy world of politics. I wished I could run the decision by Grandmom Kit, who passed away last year. Luckily, I can still hear her, clear as day: ‘Buck up. If the fellas can do it, so can you. I made sure you were made of stronger stuff.'”
Policy Views:
- Wants to improve health care access
- Supports strategic investments to support small businesses, attract new industries
- Says she will work to improve public education
Website: www.rushformississippi.com
Social Media: Facebook | Instagram
Correction: This guide initially failed to include Senate District 45. We apologize for our mistake.
