Mississippi Republican Party Chairman Mike Hurts speaks at a press conference in front of the Hinds County Courthouse in Jackson, Miss., on Nov. 5, 2026. MFP Photo by Heather Harrison
Mississippi Republican Party Chairman Mike Hurst told reporters in Jackson, Mississippi, on Thursday afternoon that the party is prepared to “fight like hell” to ensure all legal votes have been cast and are prepared to file court challenges “if and when” the team finds evidence the law has been violated.
Hurst also said that some counties have not divulged how many affidavit ballots are outstanding. Hurst did not identify those counties.
“Right now, there’s nothing for us to do under state law, but there may be available, there may be things available to us after the fact,” he said.
State Reporter Heather Harrison has won more than a dozen awards for her multi-media journalism work. At Mississippi State University, she studied public relations and broadcast journalism, earning her Communication degree in 2023. For three years, Heather worked at The Reflector student newspaper: first as a staff reporter, then as the news editor and finally, as the editor-in-chief. This is where her passion for politics and government reporting began.
Heather started working at the Mississippi Free Press three days after graduation in 2023. She also worked part time for Starkville Daily News after college covering the Board of Aldermen meetings.
In her free time, Heather likes to sit on the porch, read books and listen to Taylor Swift. A native of Hazlehurst, she now lives in Brandon with her wife and their Boston Terrier, Finley, and calico cat, Ravioli.
