Mississippi Gulf Coast attorney Hugh Keating has won the mayoral election in Gulfport, Mississippi, keeping the state’s second-largest city under Republican control, Tuesday night’s election results show.
He narrowly defeated Democratic candidate Sonya Williams-Barnes, with Keating beating Williams-Barnes by 53%-46%. Keating won 6,902 votes and Williams-Barnes garnered 6,073. Tuesday’s voter turnout was exceptionally high for Gulfport compared to the last mayoral election in 2021, when only 4,204 registered voters cast ballots.
The newly elected mayor celebrated his victory at Centennial Plaza Resort in Gulfport Tuesday night.
“I want to be the mayor for all of Gulfport, and that means every persuasion,” Keating said in his victory speech Tuesday night.
Had she won, Williams-Barnes would have been the city’s first Black mayor, its first woman mayor and the first Democrat elected mayor in Gulfport since 1985. The fact that she nearly broke those barriers reflects the Gulf Coast city’s diversifying population. In 2000, Gulfport was a 62% white city. Today, Gulfport is just barely 50% white, 38% of residents are Black and the city has a growing Hispanic population.
Williams-Barnes’ competitiveness drew significant attacks from Republicans across the state who criticized the endorsement she received from Stacey Abrams, a Black Georgia Democrat who ran for governor there. Republicans also accused her of being tied to Souls to the Polls, a prominent national Black voter turnout initiative, and another local voter turnout organization, and alleged that her campaign was part of a vote-buying scheme—allegations she vociferously denied.
Keating Aims to Attract ‘High-Tech’ Jobs to Gulfport
After incumbent Mayor Billy Hewes said in May 2024 that he was not running for reelection, Hugh Keating announced in June that he was running as the Republican candidate for mayor. for the seat. The incumbent endorsed Keating.
The new mayor-elect, who previously served as president of the Mississippi Bar, is an attorney at Dukes, Keating, Hatten, McRaney and Blum, serving as the vice president and treasurer. He also served as president of the Mississippi Coast Crime Commission, chairman of the Board of Trustees for Leadership in the Gulf Coast and vice president of the Gulfport Redevelopment Commission.
Keating said in an interview with WLOX on June 1 that his primary focus as mayor would be improving public safety, infrastructure and economic development.
“They all three must work together to achieve our highest potential,” he told WLOX.
He told the TV station that technology development has big opportunities in Gulfport’s state ports, and he wants to attract “high-tech” jobs to the city. He said the Town Center project in downtown Gulfport would create a walkable environment with over 200 “upscale apartments,” 135 Marriott Tribute hotel rooms and several retail stores on 13th Street. He said a goal of building the apartments is attracting workers in the high-tech sector to settle in Gulfport.
Keating said that historically Black neighborhoods in Gulfport—Gaston Point, the Quarter City, North Gulfport and Four Corners—have “opportunities for redevelopment.”
“I intend to work with the leaders in those communities to help promote and find ways to revitalize, to bring in small businesses for those areas so that they can experience positive growth as well,” he told WLOX.
In addition to Hewes, Keating won the endorsement of the Mississippi Republican Party; U.S. House Rep. Mike Ezell, R-Mississippi; U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Mississippi; and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-South Carolina.
Attorney General Alleges Democratic Mayoral Candidate Bought Votes
In a May 28 letter, Republican Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch said her office was opening an investigation into Gulfport’s Democratic candidate for mayor, Sonya Williams-Barnes. Fitch alleged that Williams-Barnes and her campaign may have violated state campaign finance laws, suggesting they were tied to an organization that provided meal vouchers to voters at Gulfport City Hall.
Mississippi Republican Party Chairman Mike Hurst said in a May 28 press conference that he asked Fitch’s office and Harrison County District Attorney Crosby Parker to investigate allegations of “vote buying.”
In a May 20 Facebook post, Williams-Barnes shared a flyer for a Project 35-sponsored event called “Vote and Vibe,” where Gulfport residents could vote via absentee ballot at City Hall and then attend brunch together at a local brunch restaurant on May 24.
Another nonprofit group, All Souls to the Polls, aimed to increase voter turnout by giving meal vouchers to voters, the Rev. Eddie Hartwell, Sr., a pastor at St. James Baptist Church, told the Biloxi Sun Herald for a May 28 article. He told the newspaper the vouchers were his idea and that he was not affiliated with either mayoral campaign.
The Mississippi Republican Party shared pictures of Souls to the Polls Meal Vouchers and a lunch menu for Soul to the Polls voters. Hurst said he had video evidence of volunteers handing meal vouchers to voters.
“We’ll also provide the District Attorney and the Attorney General video evidence of individuals parked in front of Gulfport City Hall, and specifically handing out these vouchers where you can clearly see in multiple videos individuals handing out these vouchers after individuals come out of City Hall having voted absentee,” he said at a May 28 press conference.
Williams-Barnes denied allegations of buying votes. She said she shared information for the voting events to encourage voters to complete their civic duty.
“As part of my grassroots effort, I’m out canvassing neighborhoods, making phone calls, and encouraging every eligible voter to participate in the June 3 election. I’m committed to voter engagement, civic responsibility, and ensuring that everyone participates lawfully. I am not affiliated with, nor do I support, any illegal voter activity of any kind,” she said in a May 28 press release.
After Williams-Barnes met with Fitch last week, her Jackson-based attorney, John C. Hall, said he was “confident that this matter will be resolved quickly, and that Ms. Barnes’ name will be completely cleared.”
“There was absolutely no improper or illegal action on the part of her campaign or others who are committed to turning out the vote and ensuring full participation in our democratic process,” Magnolia Tribune, which first reported the allegations, quoted Hall as saying.
WLOX noted that former Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood investigated similar allegations involving meals, gifts and rides to the polls in 2005 and 2010, but found no violations since those involved did not offer anything in exchange for voting for any specific candidates.
Mississippi Democratic Party Alleges Casino Violates Election Laws
The Mississippi Democratic Party alleged that Island View Casino in Gulfport may have violated the state’s election laws by endorsing Hugh Keating in an internal letter that it alleges casino co-owner Rick Carter sent to employees.
On May 30, the Mississippi Democratic Party noted that the letter referred to Keating as “exactly the type of person we need as our next mayor.” But the letter ends, “Whoever you support, please vote!”
State law says employers cannot make a statement that is “calculated to intimidate or coerce or otherwise influence any vote of an employee.” The party said the casino’s letter said the winner of the mayoral race could negatively affect the business and, therefore, workers’ success.
Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Cheikh Taylor, who is also a member of the Mississippi House, alleged that the casino’s letter was “voter intimidation” in a Monday press release.
“Island View Casino’s letter is a calculated attempt to use corporate influence to sway an election in favor of Hugh Keating, the candidate who they know will do the bidding of the casino and against the interests of its workforce,” he said.
“No employer has the right to insert fear into the voting booth. This kind of conduct is not just unethical, it’s illegal. And it’s especially shameful given that this election could result in a groundbreaking victory for a Black woman whose leadership promises to uplift all of Gulfport.”
The Mississippi Democratic Party called on Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson, Attorney General Lynn Fitch, Harrison County District Attorney Crosby Parker and the Gulfport Election Commission to investigate the letter.
Keating’s campaign issued a statement after the Mississippi Democratic Party’s Monday press release.
“We’re asking everyone who supports Hugh Keating to encourage their friends, family, and co-workers to vote for him tomorrow. There is nothing wrong with someone encouraging people to vote, but the Democrats want to change the subject after they were caught in an illegal vote-buying scheme in Gulfport.”
The Mississippi Free Press reached out to Island View Casino for a response to the Mississippi Democratic Party’s allegations but did not receive a response by press time.