U.S. House Rep. Bennie Thompson has defeated 34-year-old Democratic challenger Evan Turnage in Mississippi’s Democratic primary election on Tuesday, the Associated Press projects.

With 30% of the vote in as of 8:50 p.m., the incumbent congressman had won 86% of the vote to Turnage’s 13%. Pertis Herman Williams III had 1% of the vote. 

Thompson, 78, has represented Mississippi’s 2nd congressional district since 1993. He previously chaired the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee and currently serves as ranking member. He chaired the U.S. House Select Committee on the Jan. 6 Attack during its 18-month investigation, which concluded in January 2023 and recommended charges after Donald Trump.

As of 8:50 p.m. with 27% of votes counted in the GOP primary, Republican Kevin Wilson had won 56% of the vote and will face Thompson in the November general election, the Associated Press projected. Republican challenger Ron Eller collected 44% of votes.

A supporter holds up a sign that reads 'Re-Elect Bennie Thompson - U.S. Congress - 2nd District' by the roadside
Mark Hopson holds up a campaign sign for U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson outside a polling location in Jackson, Miss. on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. AP Photo/Sophie Bates

Thompson defeated Eller in the 2024 election by winning 62% of the vote. Eller is a military veteran and a physician’s assistant. Wilson is an oilman and county supervisor.

1st Congressional District Election Results

The Associated Press projected that civil rights attorney Cliff Johnson won the Democratic primary for Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District by securing 67% of the vote over challenger Kelvin Buck’s 33% with 44% of the vote counted as of 8:50 p.m.

Johnson is the director of the MacArthur Justice Center at the University of Mississippi School of Law. He’s set to run against incumbent Republican U.S. House Rep. Trent Kelly, who has served in the U.S. House since 2015, in the 2026 midterm elections. Kelly secured the Republican nomination on Tuesday as no opponent ran against him.

The incumbent congressman is a U.S. Army veteran who serves on the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Agriculture Committee. 

3rd Congressional District Election Results

With no Republican challenger, incumbent U.S. House Rep. Michael Guest is the de facto winner of his party’s nomination. He’s set to run against Democrat Michael Chiaradio, who also ran unopposed in Tuesday’s Democratic primaries, in the November election.

Guest is the chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Ethics.

New Jersey native Chiaradio now lives and owns a farm in Shubuta, Mississippi. 

4th Congressional District Results

Incumbent U.S. House Rep. Mike Ezell coasted into victory in the Republican primary, garnering 84% of the vote compared to challenger Sawyer Walters’ 16% as of 9 p.m. with 45% of the vote in, the Associated Press projected.

Ezell will face Mississippi House Rep. Jeffrey Hulum III in the November election. Hulum secured the Democratic nomination for Mississippi’s 4th congressional district in the U.S. House, winning 59% of the vote as of 9 p.m. with 71% of the vote in. Paul James Blackman received 27% of the primary votes, while D. Ryan Grover collected 15%.

Hulum currently represents Mississippi House District 119 and serves as the chairman of the Mississippi House Marine Resources Committee and a member of the Mississippi House committees for Gaming; Military Affairs; Ports, Harbors and Airports; and Tourism.

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.