Incumbents win big in Mississippi Midterm Primary Elections

By Frank Corder, Magnolia Tribune

 

 

Mississippi voters went to the polls on Tuesday to choose their nominees in the Republican and Democratic Midterm Primary Elections for U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.

Here is a rundown on how Mississippi voted as of 6:00 a.m. Wednesday morning along with a look ahead to the November General Election.

 

U.S. Senate

 

Incumbent U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith cruised through the Republican Primary, easily defeating Coast newcomer Sarah Adlakha. Multiple outlets called the race with merely 3% of the vote in soon after polls closed.

“Today the people of Mississippi made their voices heard, and I’m incredibly grateful for their support. Mississippians saw my opponent for who she is and said, ‘Bless her heart,’ at the ballot box,” Hyde-Smith said in a statement. “While we are proud of today’s results, our work is far from over as we turn our focus to the general election in November and the important work ahead for Mississippi. Scott Colom, the ‘Transgender Defender,’ bankrolled by George Soros, desperately wants to turn Mississippi Blue. We will work through Election Day to ensure that does not happen, and we will remind voters that the failed Biden/Harris policies Scott champions are wrong for Mississippi and wrong for our nation.”

Hyde-Smith, who is seeking her second full term in the U.S. Senate, now moves on to the November General Election sitting on $2.25 million cash on hand and an endorsement from President Donald Trump (R).

Democrats sent District Attorney Scott Colom forward to the General Election. He defeated Priscilla Till and Albert Littell in the party’s primary. Colom has been widely viewed as the Democratic Party’s candidate of choice, with U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer expressing support for the Magnolia State candidate last year as party leaders recruited him to the race.

“I’ve traveled all over this state, listening to farmers who can’t sell their crops, mothers deciding between paying their utility bill or buying groceries, and workers who are terrified of losing their health care. These folks matter, they’re why I’m running, and they’re why we’re going to win,” Colom said in a statement. “Cindy Hyde-Smith has had the seat, the platform, and the power to act for Mississippi families — but she’s been too busy serving herself and her big-money donors. That ends in November.”

Colom’s entry in the race has been years in the making after Hyde-Smith did not return a “blue slip” for Colom in 2023 when President Joe Biden (D) nominated him for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. The “blue slip” process is a sign-off Senators have on district court nominees in their home states. Return the slip and the process moves forward. Choose not to return it and it is essentially a veto of the nominee by the Senator.

Hyde-Smith said her opposition to Colom’s federal judicial appointment was rooted in her want to protect women’s sports and oppose the furtherance of left-leaning causes supported by Democrat financier George Soros, who has financially backed the Mississippi DA.

Colom reported $560,000 cash on hand in his pre-primary campaign finance filing with the Federal Election Commission.

Democrat-turned-Independent Ty Pinkins will also be on the November ballot with Hyde-Smith and Colom. Pinkins reports $2,800 cash on hand.

Pinkins challenged the two party nominees to a series of debates around the state, saying, “Mississippi has 82 counties and nearly three million people, and every one of them deserves the opportunity to question the people asking for their vote. If you want six years representing Mississippians in Washington, you should be willing to spend one evening answering questions from voters in every county in our state.”

 

1st Congressional District

 

Incumbent Congressman Trent Kelly was unopposed in Tuesday’s Republican Primary. He is seeking his sixth term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Kelly will face Ole Miss law professor Cliff Johnson. Johnson easily defeated former State Representative and former Holly Springs mayor Kelvin Buck in the Democratic Primary. Johnson worked for five years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney during the Clinton administration. He is now the Director of the MacArthur Justice Center and a member of the faculty at the University of Mississippi School of Law.

Johnson reported $65,000 cash on hand ahead of the primary while Kelly showed $738,000 cash on hand.

Libertarian candidate Johnny Baucom will also be on the November ballot.

 

2nd Congressional District

 

Thirty-plus year incumbent Congressman Bennie Thompson continued his winning ways in the Mississippi Delta, handily defeating newcomers Evan Turnage, a former chief counsel to U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Pertis Williams.

“Unfortunately, when the sun rises tomorrow, this will still be the poorest district in the poorest state in the nation,” Turnage said. “That will not change without leadership committed to reversing the brain drain that has plagued our state for decades and leveling the playing field so people here can not only get by, but get ahead.”

Despite a strong push from the young Turnage that saw him raise over $200,000, Thompson easily turned him away, leaving $1.5 million in his campaign war chest heading into the November General Election.

 

 

On the Republican side, Adams County Supervisor Kevin Wilson is trailing Ron Eller, a medical professional who was the GOP nominee two years ago and lost to Thompson. Eller leads by 434 votes with 94% of precincts reporting.

The Republican race will be updated when results are finalized.

Democrat-turned-Independent Bennie Foster is also on the ballot in the November General Election. Foster does not have a campaign finance report on file with the FEC.

 

3rd Congressional District

 

Incumbent Congressman Michael Guest ran unopposed in Tuesday’s Republican Primary, moving forward to the November General Election. He reported $816,000 cash on hand in his pre-primary FEC filing.

Guest will face Democrat nominee Michael Chiaradio and Libertarian Erik Kiehle in November. Chiaradio is a former independent professional baseball league player turned regenerative farmer who has lived in Mississippi since early 2023.

Chiaradio also ran unopposed on Tuesday, claiming the Democratic nomination with just over $10,000 cash on hand to start the General Election race.

Kiehle does not have a campaign finance report on file with the FEC.

 

4th Congressional District

 

Incumbent Congressman Mike Ezell sailed through the Republican Primary Tuesday, easily defeating challenger Sawyer Walters. Ezell enters the General Election sprint with $108,000 cash on hand according to his pre-primary FEC filing.

On the Democrat side, State Rep. Jeffery Hulum ran away with his party’s nomination, defeating D. Ryan Grover, a former Democratic nominee for Lt. Governor, and newcomer Paul James Blackman. Hulum does not have a campaign finance report showing as filed with the FEC.

Ezell and Hulum move on to the November General Election where they will face perennial candidate former Republican-turned-Independent Carl Boyanton, who supported Ezell in his initial race in 2022 over then Congressman Steven Palazzo before splitting with the former Jackson County Sheriff in recent years.

Boyanton does not have a campaign finance report on file with the FEC.