When polls across Mississippi closed Tuesday evening after a day full of municipal races, eyes statewide turned to see if voters in the capital city were going to stick with or move away from embattled Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba.
While no candidate in the Democratic primary broke the required 50% threshold, a tough task with 12 candidates on the ballot, it quickly became apparent that Lumumba had lost support since his last bid for mayor in 2021. After winning the primary four years ago with nearly 70% of the vote, the incumbent eclipsed just 16% on Tuesday.
Late Tuesday night, with 99% of precincts reporting, state Sen. John Horhn had a commanding lead at 48.4% – just shy of avoiding a runoff – while Lumumba was in second with 16.8%. Tim Henderson rounded out the top three with 13.5% of the vote. Citizens will now be asked to return to the polls on Tuesday, April 22, to choose between Horhn and Lumumba ahead of the general election.
Lumumba, for months, has been wrapped up in a federal bribery indictment, alleging he accepted $50,000 in bribes from undercover FBI informants. As he awaits a trial date set for next summer, Lumumba has tried to convey to voters that the indictment is nothing but “political prosecution.” He even told TV reporters after a runoff was confirmed that he is working to “fix the narrative” and will be knocking on doors for the next three weeks to share more information on the work he has done while in office.
Horhn was able to capitalize on the optics of a sitting mayor under investigation plus recent issues the city has faced related to water, infrastructure, and crime.
“We believe that we have the momentum going into the runoff. We had the momentum coming into today, and we’ll keep pushing the message,” said Horhn, who has represented a portion of Jackson in the Mississippi Senate for over three decades. “We need better leadership in Jackson – leadership that can realize the resources available to us, put together a team that can put action in place, and restore trust and accountability.”
The winner between Horhn and Lumumba will face one Republican candidate, another race heading to a runoff after a much-lower turnout, and a slate of independent candidates on Tuesday, June 3.
City council to see some new faces
Aaron Banks, a sitting councilman wrapped up in the same federal bribery scandal as Lumumba, decided not to seek reelection. The person replacing him will either be Emon Thompson, Sr. or Lashia Brown-Thomas, two Democrats who will go against each other in a runoff. No Republican or independent candidates are seeking the spot, meaning the winner will be the next council member from Ward 6.
In Ward 7, Democrats Kevin Parkinson and Quint Withers are heading to a runoff. The two are vying to fill the seat of Virgi Lindsay, the city council president soon to step away from office. Whoever wins the runoff will have another test in this summer’s general election, which includes independent candidate and former state Rep. Ron Aldridge along with Republican Taylor Turcotte.
Suburbs get answers
While Jackson was the focus for most, the suburbs did have some races worth watching.
Flowood found its third-ever mayor with the election of Kathy Smith in the Republican primary. The alderwoman defeated Greg Wilcox for the top spot in city hall since no Democratic or independent candidates sought the position. In Brandon, incumbent Republican Butch Lee handled challenging state Rep. Fred Shanks. No Democrats or independents there, either. In Pearl, incumbent Republican Jake Windham won his primary and will face Democrat Willie Robinson in the general.
Madison, with no challengers for Republican Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler or its board of aldermen, was able to opt out of holding elections altogether under state law. Ridgeland Mayor Gene McGee had no challengers in the Republican primary and will be unopposed in the general.
