JACKSON, Miss.—Mississippi Sen. John Horhn joined a growing list of candidates who have already announced plans to run against incumbent Democratic Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba as he announced his campaign on Oct. 3.
“Jackson is headed in the wrong direction,” Horhn, a Jackson Democrat who has served in the state’s upper chamber since 1993, said during a speech at the Jackson Medical Mall. A crowd of supporters, including his wife Lydia Gail-Horhn and daughter Charla Horhn, joined him onstage.
This is Horhn’s fourth attempt at running for mayor of Jackson. He first ran for the seat in 2014, losing to Tony Yarber. Horhn ran again in 2017, losing the Democratic primary to Lumumba, who went on to unseat then-incumbent Mayor Tony Yarber and win the general election in a landslide that year.
Lumumba’s current term ends in July 2025; he has declared he will run for re-election.
Last Thursday, Horhn said that his experience as a state lawmaker, navigating relationships with other legislators to secure funding and support for his district, makes him a perfect candidate to lead Jackson.
“Often, when money goes to the City (of Jackson), it disappears into a black hole,” he said while speaking to members of the media after his speech. The senator accused the current administration of lacking the sense of urgency needed to build relationships with state leaders and to prove that the City can be a good steward of funds for projects like Thalia Mara Hall.
“If we want to continue to get resources, you have to do something with the resources that you’ve been given,” Horhn said, adding that his job as a legislator is harder because “the legislative leadership and our Republican colleagues have no faith in the City of Jackson.”
Lumumba has repeatedly spoken out in the past year against what he has characterized as the state’s “barrage of attacks on the City of Jackson,” including efforts to re-claim ownership of Smith-Wills stadium and regionalize Jackson’s water system after third-party administrator Ted Henifin leaves.
During a press conference at City Hall on Oct. 7, Lumumba appeared to respond to claims that he has an adversarial relationship with the state.
“We always desire a solid and great relationship with the state,” Lumumba said. “As mayor, when you’re trying to take a stadium from the city, what am I supposed to do? When you’re trying to take our airport, am I oppositional because I say, ‘Listen, let’s not do that. This is a resource to our city’? … There is what appears to be an organized effort to take resources from the city of Jackson.”
‘Folks Are Ready For Change’
Sen. John Horhn said during his campaign launch on Oct. 3, that, if elected, his first priority would be to develop a comprehensive plan to move the city forward—something he says has been non-existent in the past 25 years. Then, he would focus on getting rid of the dilapidated properties that have plagued many of the capital city’s communities, he said.
Horhn previously served on the Senate tourism committee for nearly four years and has played a role in developing music and cultural programs in the state.
“Economic development is my thing. But if we don’t clean this city up, there won’t be any economic development,” Horhn told the media on Oct. 3. The senator added that, for the capital city to grow, the surrounding cities must stop incentivizing businesses to move to the suburbs rather than Jackson.
Horhn highlighted Jackson icons like activist Medgar Evers, authors like Angie Thomas and Margaret Walker Alexander, and musician Bobby Rush as bright spots in Jackson’s lineage.
But, he continued, Jackson residents feel they’ve been “let down” and “abandoned” by the city’s leadership. “Let us not forget the everyday, average folks … those who fear being run over by reckless drivers, who just want a clean drink of water and to be able to flush a toilet and to have streets that don’t tear up your car,” Horhn said.
“(Those who) want traffic lights to work, pay their taxes, pay their bills, try to maintain their communities and are embarrassed by the monumental blight and dilapidation we face in the city that we love. These folks are ready for change,” he continued.
Rep. Summers Endorses Horhn
Mississippi House Rep. Zakiya Summers, a Democrat from Jackson who represents House District 68, and long-time Bishop Ronnie Crudup Sr., both endorsed John Horhn for the position, lauding his experience.
“Our city is at a critical moment,” Summers said before Horhn’s speech on Oct. 3. “For too long we’ve faced challenges that have threatened our growth,” she continued, naming several of the city’s challenges including crumbling water infrastructure and population decline.
The city of Jackson holds “tremendous potential” and needs “a leader who sees not only the problems but the possibilities and John Horhn is that leader,” Summers added.
As Horhn neared the end of his speech, he asked the crowd to consider a few things before the next election.
“Who can best serve the interests and needs of the people? Who can bring in the resources and fix these problems?” were two of those questions.
“No more excuses,” Horhn declared, as the crowd surrounding him began to chant. “We will save Jackson and we can only do it if we work together,” he said.
Other candidates who have signaled their intention to run for Jackson mayor in 2025 include Delano Funches, Tim Henderson, James Hopkins, Kim Wade, Marcus Wallace and Albert Wilson.
The qualifying period for municipal positions, including mayoral positions, begins on Jan. 2, 2025. Municipal primaries across Mississippi will be on April 1, 2025, with the general election following on June 3, 2025.
Correction: The original story incorrectly stated that this is Horhn’s third time running for mayor of Jackson. This is Horhn’s fourth attempt running for the seat. We apologize for the error.
