Four special elections were held on Tuesday to fill vacancies in the Mississippi House and Senate, and all will be decided in a runoff in three weeks.
Here is a rundown of the results.
Senate District 15
Bart Williams and Joyce Meek Yates will meet in a runoff October 13th to decide who wins this seat. Williams won 34% of the votes cast on Tuesday, followed by Yates with 27%.
Notably, Oktibbeha County Supervisor Bricklee Miller who was endorsed by Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann did not advance to the runoff, drawing only 25% of the vote.
In all, four candidates ran in this special election.
Senate District 39
Bill Sones topped the 9 candidates running for this seat, gaining 32% of the vote. Sones moves on to face Jason Barrett in the October 13th runoff. Barrett won 19% of the votes cast Tuesday.
House District 37
Lynn Wright barely missed the 50%+1 to avoid a runoff drawing 49% of the votes Tuesday. Wright will face David Michael Chism in the October 13th runoff. Chism won 32% of the vote.
Three candidates ran in this special election. The third candidate, Vicky Rose, won 19%.
House District 66
Jackson City Councilman DeKeither Stamps won 40% of the votes Tuesday to move on to the October 13th runoff. Stamps and Robert C. ‘Bob’ Lee, Jr. will meet after Lee drew 26% of the votes cast.
Six candidates were in this race. Gregory Divinity finished third with 24% of the vote.
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Special Elections are non-partisan, meaning candidates do not declare a party affiliation and no party is listed on the ballot. The winners will determine which party to caucus with upon being sworn-in to their new seats in the state House and Senate.
These elections will not shift the power balance in the Mississippi Legislature as Republican hold supermajorities in the both chambers.
Frank Corder
