All but one incumbent held strong after primary races were held Tuesday for Mississippi House and Senate seats forced to reshuffle after a federal order saying the state was diluting Black voting power with its legislative maps.
Of the 14 seats up for grabs, only seven had contested primary races.
The upset of the night came in Senate District 42, where incumbent Republican Sen. Robin Robinson was unseated by Don Hartness. Hartness, who had serious backing from former state Sen. Chris McDaniel and his political team, finished with over 70% of the vote. Robinson’s brother, RJ, also ran but received less than 2% of ballots cast.
Hartness is set to be sworn in come January with no Democratic or independent candidates seeking the office that encompasses parts of Forrest, Greene, Jones, and Wayne counties.
In Senate District 1, which includes parts of DeSoto and Tate counties, incumbent Sen. Michael McLendon held off former Alabama football player and DeSoto Economic Development Council board member Jon Stevenson by over 30 points. McLendon will face Democrat Chris Hannah in the general election.
In Senate District 2, which includes parts of DeSoto and Tunica counties, Theresa Isom easily came out victorious over Robert Walker in the Democratic primary. She will face Southaven alderman Charlie Hoots in the general election.
In Senate District 11, which has a wider range with parts of Coahoma, DeSoto, Quitman, Tate, and Tunica counties, incumbent Sen. Reginald Jackson beat former state Rep. Abe Hudson, Jr. in the Democratic primary. Jackson finished around 17 points ahead of his old peer and will face Republican Kendall Prewett in the general election.
In Senate District 44, which includes parts of Forrest, Lamar, and Perry counties, incumbent Sen. Chris Johnson staved off challenger Patrick Lott in the GOP primary. Lott had an early lead before Johnson came back to win by over five points. Johnson will face Democrat Shakita Taylor in the general election.
In House District 16, which includes parts of Chickasaw, Lee, Monroe, and Pontotoc counties, incumbent Rep. Rickey Thompson had a landslide victory over Brady Davis in the Democratic primary. Thompson is on his way back to the capitol with no Republican or independent candidates filing to run.
In House District 41, which blankets Lowndes County, incumbent Rep. Kabir Karriem earned over 84% of ballots to beat Pierre Beard. Beard, a former Columbus city councilman with multiple arrests over the past few years, was no match for the leader of the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus. Karriem, who also has an endorsement from Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson, will run unopposed in the general election.
With the primary election now in the books and no runoffs necessary, the slate of races for the Nov. 4 general election are set in stone.
(*) – denotes incumbent
House District 16 (Chickasaw, Lee, Monroe, and Pontotoc counties)
- Rickey Thompson (D)*
House District 22 (Chickasaw, Clay, and Monroe counties)
- Jon Lancaster (R)
- Justin Crosby (D)
House District 36 (Clay, Lowndes, Monroe, and Oktibbeha counties)
- Karl Gibbs (D)*
House District 39 (Lowndes and Monroe counties)
- Dana McLean (R)*
House District 41 (Lowndes County)
- Kabir Karriem (D)*
Senate District 1 (DeSoto and Tate counties)
- Michael McLendon (R)*
- Chris Hannah (D)
Senate District 2 (DeSoto and Tunica counties)
- Charlie Hoots (R)
- Theresa Isom (D)
Senate District 11 (Coahoma, DeSoto, Quitman, Tate, and Tunica counties)
- Reginald Jackson (D)*
- Kendall Prewett (R)
Senate District 19 (DeSoto County)
- Kevin Blackwell (R)*
- Dianne Black (D)
Senate District 34 (Covington, Jasper, and Jones counties)
- Juan Barnett (D)*
Senate District 41 (Covington, Lamar, Marion, and Walthall counties)
- Joey Fillingane (R)*
Senate District 42 (Forrest, Greene, Jones, and Wayne counties)
- Don Hartness (R)
Senate District 44 (Forrest, Lamar, and Perry counties)
- Chris Johnson (R)*
- Shakita Taylor (D)
Senate District 45 (Forrest and Lamar counties)
- Johnny Dupree (D)
- Anna Rush (R)
More on each candidate can be found here.
