Ty Pinkins, the candidate challenging incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith for her seat, has announced that he is leaving the Democratic Party and continuing his campaign as an independent candidate.
He cited corruption, money in politics, and “party insiders who prioritized fundraising over values and vision” while explaining his decision.
“When I first entered this race, party officials didn’t ask me about health care, veterans, or education,” Pinkins said in a July 1 press release. “They asked how much money I had. And when I refused to step aside for their handpicked, millionaire-backed candidate, they tried to buy me off—and then they threatened me. But I didn’t serve 21 years in uniform to be bullied by party bosses.”
The Mississippi Free Press reached out to the Mississippi Democratic Party for comment on Pinkins’ departure from the party and his allegations against party leaders, but did not receive a response by press time.
Asked for more clarity on his remarks, Pinkins told the Mississippi Free Press on Tuesday morning that with his remarks about “pressure from the party,” he was “not pointing to any one person or candidate.”
“I’m pointing to a political culture—on both sides—that prioritizes access to money and insider relationships over merit, values, or grassroots energy. I was told—more than once—that I should step aside to make room for someone with deeper pockets and better connections. When I refused, I was offered resources to walk away. And when I still didn’t budge, the tone shifted to threats. I didn’t name a specific candidate because this isn’t personal. It’s structural,” he said.
“It’s about the kind of politics that keeps good people out and silences new voices. I didn’t come this far—from the cotton fields of the Mississippi Delta to the White House—to let the system pick my path. I’m running as an Independent because the people of Mississippi—not political insiders—deserve to choose who represents them.”
The 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission found that corporations and outside groups can spend as much money on elections as they wish. If elected, the independent candidate for senator said he would advocate for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and sponsor legislation that bans insider stock trading in Congress.
Pinkins said he dropped out of partisan politics because he wants to honor his commitment to representing all Mississippians. He said that a conversation with a grandmother, who was raising three children, inspired his decision. She didn’t ask about political parties or poll numbers, he said. He recalled her asking, “Can I trust you to fight for us—even when it’s not easy?”
The candidate reaffirmed the five pillars of his platform: Economic investment in rural towns; affordable health care in every municipality; care for veterans; voting rights; and a “clean government, with bans on stock trading for lawmakers and the repeal of Citizens United.”
“I don’t take money from billionaires. I don’t take money from Super PACs. I don’t own a single stock—and I pledge not to buy or sell any as your next U.S. Senator,” he said in the press release.
Pinkins, a U.S. Army veteran and the son of Mississippi Delta farmers, unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Senate against Mississippi’s other incumbent U.S. senator, Roger Wicker, in 2024. He also ran unsuccessfully for Mississippi secretary of state in 2024 as a Democrat.
Hyde-Smith entered the U.S. Senate in 2018 after then-Gov. Phil Bryant appointed her to fill the seat vacated by the late former Republican U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran. Voters chose her in a special election against Democrat Mike Espy in 2018 by a 54%-46% margin, though she faced controversy over her remarks about a “public hanging” and her history with segregation academies. She defeated Espy again in a 2020 rematch.
If elected, Pinkins would be the first independent senator to represent Mississippi in Washington, D.C. Other candidates who say they are running in 2026 include Albert Littell, who is running as a Democrat, and Sarah Adlakah, who is challenging Hyde-Smith in the Republican Party primary.