Polls are now closed across Mississippi after primary races were held Tuesday for 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, four are uncontested. The following incumbents, unless something drastic happens, will be back in office come January:
- Democratic Rep. Karl Gibbs in House District 36 (Clay, Lowndes, Monroe, and Oktibbeha counties)
- Republican Rep. Dana McLean in House District 39 (Lowndes and Monroe counties)
- Democratic Sen. Juan Barnett in Senate District 34 (Covington, Jasper, and Jones counties)
- Republican Sen. Joey Filingane in Senate District 41 (Covington, Lamar, Marion, and Walthall counties)
Seven of the 10 contested seats saw primaries with more than one candidate on Tuesday. Live updates throughout the night from each district will be provided below.
House District 16 (Chickasaw, Lee, Monroe, and Pontotoc counties)
9:20 p.m.: Results are in, and Rep. Rickey Thompson will head back to the state capitol in January after mounting a landslide victory over Brady Davis in the Democratic primary. Thompson earned 79% of the vote, while Davis received 21% of ballots cast. The incumbent will be unopposed in the November 4 general election.
7 p.m.: No updates yet. On the Democratic side, incumbent Rep. Rickey Thompson is being challenged by Brady Davis. Davis is the current CEO of the Chickasaw Inkana Foundation. More on each candidate can be found here. The winner will have no Republican or independent challengers during the Nov. 4 general election.
House District 22 (Chickasaw, Clay, and Monroe counties)
7 p.m.: This is one of the seats that residents already knew who would be on the ballot during the Nov. 4 general election: Incumbent Rep. Jon Lancaster and Democratic challenger Justin Crosby. More on both candidates can be found here.
House District 41 (Lowndes County)
9:20 p.m.: With 100% of precincts reporting, Rep. Kabir Karriem is returning to Jackson for another term. The incumbent triumphed greatly over Pierre Beard in the Democratic primary, earning 84% of ballots cast versus his opponent’s 16%. Karriem will be unopposed in November’s general election.
7 p.m.: No updates yet. The winner of the Democratic primary will be the de facto winner with no Republican or independent candidates. Incumbent Rep. Kabir Karriem, the chairman of the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus, is being challenged by embattled former Columbus City Councilman Pierre Beard. More on each candidate can be found here.
Senate District 1 (DeSoto and Tate counties)
8:40 p.m.: With 100% of votes in from DeSoto County, Sen. Michael McLendon holds his 34-point lead over Jon Stevenson, and looks to be representing the Republican Party in November. Numbers from Tate County have not yet been posted.
8:10 p.m.: With 36 of 38 precincts reporting in DeSoto County, Sen. Michael McLendon has a 66.91% lead over Jon Stevenson, who has earned 32.11% of the vote.
7:45 p.m.: Sen. Michael McLendon has maintained a strong lead over Jon Stevenson. With 35 of 38 precincts reporting, McLendon has 67% of the vote versus Stevenson’s 32%.
7:30 p.m.: Sen. Michael McLendon builds on the lead with 33 of 38 precincts reporting, according to the DeSoto County’s official government Facebook page. McLendon has 67.14% of the votes versus Jon Stevenson’s 31.9%.
7:23 p.m.: With 27 of 38 precincts reporting, DeSoto County’s official government Facebook page shows McLendon holding 69.4% of votes over Jon Steveson’s 29.21%. Tate County has an 8:30 p.m. estimated arrival of its side of the votes.
7 p.m.: No updates yet. The Republican primary is one to watch with incumbent Sen. Michael McLendon being challenged by former Alabama player and economic guru Jon Stevenson. Stevenson has picked up some steam as of late, getting endorsements from area leaders such as Olive Branch Mayor Ken Adams. The winner will face Democrat Chris Hannah on Nov. 4. More on the candidates can be found here.
Senate District 2 (DeSoto and Tunica counties)
8:40 p.m.: With all 38 precincts reporting in DeSoto County, Theresa Isom is in a strong position to represent the Democratic Party in November. Isom has garnered a whopping 78.85% of the vote compared to Robert Walker’s 19.20%. Vote totals from Tunica County have yet to roll in.
8:10 p.m.: With 36 of 38 precincts reporting in DeSoto County, Theresa Isom is maintaining her 57-point lead over Robert Walker.
7:45 p.m.: With 35 of 38 precincts reporting, Theresa Isom continues to hold a large advantage over Democratic colleague Robert Walker. Isom currently has 77.62% of the vote compared to Walker’s 20.18%
7:30 p.m.: With 33 of 38 precincts reporting, according to DeSoto County’s official government Facebook page, Theresa Isom maintains a big lead and looks to be heading toward victory. She has 78.37% compared to Walker’s 19.78%.
7:23 p.m.: With 27 of 38 precincts reporting, DeSoto County’s official government Facebook page shows Theresa Isom with a hefty lead over Robert Walker. Isom has 81.18% of the votes. No word yet on Tunica County’s side of the votes.
7 p.m.: No updates yet. Southaven Alderman Charlie Hoots had no Republican opponents, but there’s a relatively busy field trying to face him on Nov. 3. Theresa Isom, Robert Walker, and Kelly Andress are all running on the blue ticket. More on the candidates can be found here.
Senate District 11 (Coahoma, DeSoto, Quitman, Tate, and Tunica counties)
9:15 p.m.: With 100% of precincts reporting across all five counties, Sen. Reginald Jackson has advanced to the November general election. Jackson defeated Abe Hudson, Jr. in the Democratic primary after garnering 58.33% of the vote compared to his challenger’s 41.67% of ballots cast.
9 p.m.: Tate County has joined its neighbors in providing results. Sen. Reginald Jackson has 59.3% of the vote, while Abe Hudson, Jr. has received 40.69%.
8:50 p.m.: We’ve now gotten numbers from Coahoma, DeSoto, and Quitman counties, and Sen. Reginald Jackson has done enough to earn the Democratic bid for the November general election. Jackson has garnered 59.27% of the vote, while Hudson has gotten 40.27% of ballots cast.
8:25 p.m.: With 37 of 38 precincts reporting in DeSoto County, Sen. Reginald Jackson holds a lead over challenger Abe Hudson, Jr. Jackson has gathered 54.33% of the vote versus Hudson’s 42.25%
8:10 p.m.: With 36 of 38 precincts reporting in DeSoto County, Sen. Reginald Jackson has garnered 54.68% of the vote compared to Abe Hudson, Jr.’s 41.73%
7:30 p.m.: With 33 of 38 precincts reporting, according to DeSoto County’s official government Facebook page, Sen. Reginald Jackson has around 57% of votes compared to Abe Hudson, Jr.’s 40%. A small number of write-in votes make up the rest.
7:23 p.m.: With 27 of 38 precincts reporting, DeSoto County’s official government Facebook page shows Reginald Jackson with a 16-point lead over Abe Hudson, Jr. No word yet on Quitman, Tate, and Tunica counties’ side of the votes.
7 p.m.: No updates yet. The Democratic primary here sees incumbent Sen. Reginald Jackson being challenged by former Rep. Abe Hudson, Jr. The winner will face Republican Kendall Prewett on Nov. 4. More on the candidates can be found here.
Senate District 19 (DeSoto County)
7 p.m.: In another race where Nov. 4 will be more interesting, neither incumbent Republican Sen. Kevin Blackwell nor Democrat Dianne Black had primary challengers. More on each candidate can be found here.
Senate District 42 (Forrest, Greene, Jones, and Wayne counties)
8:44 p.m.: With 100% of precincts reporting, Don Hartness has pulled off a landslide victory over incumbent Sen. Robin Robinson. Hartness acquired 70.7% of the vote, while the incumbent earned 27.9% of ballots cast. Robinson’s brother, RJ, received 1.4% of the vote.
8:31 p.m.: With 63% of votes in, Don Hartness is still in control of this race, boasting 70% of ballots cast. Sen. Robin Robinson is a distant second with 28.7% of the vote, while her brother, RJ Robinson, has earned 1.3% of the vote.
8:26 p.m.: With 57% of votes counted, Don Hartness is maintaining a solid lead over Sen. Robin Robinson, while RJ Robinson has become a nonfactor in this race. Hartness holds 70.2% of votes compared to the incumbent’s 28.1%, while RJ has gathered 1.3% of ballots cast.
8:11 p.m.: With 51% of precincts reporting, Don Hartness has 72% compared to the incumbent’s 26.7%, while RJ Robinson is pretty much out of the picture, with only 1.3%.
8 p.m.: With 11% of precincts reporting, Sen. Robin Robinson holds a narrow lead over Don Hartness, while RJ Robinson trails by a large margin. The incumbent has 49.4% of the vote, while Hartness has 47.2%. RJ Robinson has earned 3.3% of ballots cast.
7 p.m.: No updates yet. Arguably, the race most people are talking about, incumbent Republican Sen. Robin Robinson is being challenged by her own brother, RJ, and Don Hartness in the party primary. More information on the candidates can be found here. No Democrats are running.
Senate District 44 (Forrest, Lamar, and Perry counties)
8:44 p.m.: With 100% of precincts reporting, incumbent Sen. Chris Johnson has staved off challenger Patrick Lott to represent the GOP in the November general election. Johnson received 53.8% of the vote versus Lott’s 46.2%.
8:26 p.m.: With 95% of precincts reporting, it appears that Sen. Chris Johnson is separating from his opponent after trailing early. Johnson has garnered 53.6% of the vote compared to Patrick Lott’s 46.4%.
8:17 p.m.: With 88% of precincts reporting, the tides have turned in Sen. Chris Johnson’s favor. The incumbent now holds a 5-point lead over Patrick Lott. Johnson has earned 52.8% of the vote compared to Lott’s 48.2%
8:06 p.m.: While Patrick Lott holds the lead, Sen. Chris Johnson has made up some ground. The incumbent is currently pulling 48.8% of the vote while his challenger has 51.2% of ballots cast.
7:45 p.m.: With 48% of precincts reporting, Patrick Lott has taken a 123-vote lead over Sen. Chris Johnson. The challenger has garnered 54.6% of the vote while the incumbent has received 45.4% of ballots cast.
7 p.m.: No updates yet. Republican Sen. Chris Johnson is facing Patrick Lott in the party primary. Democrat Shakita Taylor awaits on the other side. More information on the candidates can be found here.
Senate District 45 (Forrest and Lamar counties)
7 p.m.: The final race, where voters will wait until the general election. Democrat Johnny Dupree will face Republican Ann Rush on Nov. 4. Dupree is the former mayor of Hattiesburg and was once the Democratic nominee for governor, while Rush is considered a rising star in the legal field. More information on the candidates can be found here.
