Evan Turnage, a Yale-educated attorney with ties to some of Washington’s most powerful Democrats, announced Wednesday he’s running for Congress in Mississippi against longtime officeholder Bennie Thompson.
Turnage launched his primary bid against Thompson, who is expected to seek an 18th term after first being elected in 1993, in a press release before he begins to trek through Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District. The district is made up of 28 counties concentrated along the Mississippi River and in the Delta region and holds portions of Madison and Hinds counties, including most of the city of Jackson.
The 33-year-old from Jackson is a graduate of Murrah High School, Morehouse College, and Yale Law School and previously served as chief counsel to then-Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and senior counsel to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
“Mississippi’s 2nd was the poorest district in the poorest state when I was born. Sadly, after 33 years of the same leadership, that’s still true,” Turnage stated. “It’s time someone fought for Mississippi.”
As an attorney on Capitol Hill, Turnage crafted several noteworthy pieces of legislation, such as the No Kings Act, which would have clarified that presidents do not have immunity for criminal actions, and the Price Gouging Prevention Act to address rising costs at the grocery store. The latter did not make it through both chambers but was touted as a priority by former Vice President Kamala Harris during her presidential campaign in 2024.
Turnage, who currently heads the Southern Justice Project at the Open Markets Institute, a Jackson-based initiative that strives to help Black communities achieve economic and political power, addressed in the release what pushed him to challenge Thompson.
“Too often, families across my community have been forced to watch their loved ones grow up online as they build lives past the state line, chasing economic opportunities that simply don’t exist at home,” Turnage explained. “I’m running for Congress because I’ve dedicated my life to leveling the playing field so people can not only get by, but get ahead, and raise a family right here. I look forward to earning the support of this district to make it easier for Mississippians to come home.”
Turnage is the latest to announce a bid for Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District. Over the weekend, Republican oilman Kevin Wilson from Natchez said he’s running against Ron Eller, a cardiothoracic physician assistant in Jackson, in the GOP primary. Bennie Foster, who works as the chief operating officer at New Vineyard Church in Jackson, is running as an independent.
Thompson is Mississippi’s longest-serving member of Congress, and while he hasn’t officially announced a reelection bid, it’s widely believed he will seek another term. He’s served on various committees and was chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security from 2007-11 and again from 2019-23. His national name recognition was boosted when he co-chaired the bipartisan House committee that investigated the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Primary races for Thompson’s seat and the state’s other three U.S. House seats will be held on March 10, with April 7 reserved for potential runoffs. The general election is slated for Nov. 3. Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith will also be on the ballot statewide and is drawing several challengers. Republican Sen. Roger Wicker is not up for reelection as Senate seats are staggered.
