State Sen. John Horhn will be moving his office from the state capitol to Jackson city hall after winning the mayoral seat in convincing fashion during Tuesday’s general election.
The Democratic lawmaker of more than 30 years defeated five other candidates in the win, collecting 67% of the vote and a total of 15,755 ballots.
The unofficial results are as follows:
- John Horhn (D) – 67% (15,755)
- Rodney DePriest (I) – 27.9% (6,561)
- Zach Servis (I) – 2.6% (600)
- Lillie Stewart-Robinson (I) – 0.9% (221)
- Kenny Gee (R) – 0.8% (196)
- Kim Wade (I) – 0.8% (185)
Horhn rode a wave of momentum into the general election after unseating incumbent Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba in the Democratic primary, drawing nearly 75% of the vote to become the favorite to take the seat.
“Together, we will create a government that listens to every part of this city and, most importantly, takes action,” Horhn said to supporters after the race was called Tuesday night. “Talk is cheap. It is now time for action. We will hit the ground running.”
In his victory speech, Horhn emphasized that his team would swiftly address short term problems in the first 100 days of his mayorship. He also noted that his camp is continuing to formulate a practical, long-term plan for Mississippi’s capital city.
City council races
Five of the seven Jackson city council seats were up for grabs Tuesday night, with four of the races being called.
In Ward 2, Democrat Tina Clay easily defeated Republican Bethany Williams-Sherif. Clay first gained the seat through a special election following the resignation of Angelique Lee, who pleaded guilty to bribery charges.
In Ward 3, Democrat Kenneth Stokes retained his position on the city council, beating independent candidate Marques Jackson. In Ward 5, another incumbent won with Democrat Vernon Hartley defeating independent Ray McCants.
Ward 7 saw Democrat Kevin Parkinson defeat former independent Ron Aldridge and Republican Taylor Turcotte. Parkinson, an educator, will replace Virgi Lindsay, who decided not to seek reelection. Lindsay currently serves as president of the city council.
Ward 1 was too close to call by the night’s end. Republican-turned-independent and current officeholder Ashby Foote had a 10-vote lead over independent challenger Grace Greene, according to unofficial results. Trailing Greene by a mere 15 votes is Democrat Jasmine Barnes. All three are sitting just over the 33% mark, meaning it could take days for the race to be called.
Ward 4 and Ward 6 were decided during the primaries. Democrat Brian Grizzel kept his Ward 4 seat, while Democrat Lashia Brown-Thomas won the Ward 6 seat previously held by Aaron Banks, who is facing federal bribery charges in the same case that involves Lee and Lumumba.
