House District 23 special election to be decided in runoff

Stepp, Van Bailey to faceoff on January 31st.

On Tuesday, voters in Calhoun, Grenada, Lafayette and Webster counties went to the polls to elect a new state representative to replace former lawmaker Jim Beckett.

Beckett, a Republican, resigned late last year to become the executive director of the Public Utilities Staff.

The special election featuring three candidates drew less than 2,500 voters.

According to unofficial results, Andy Stepp won just under 49% of the vote while Perry Van Bailey pulled in 38%. Andy Clark drew less than 14% of the vote.

Since no candidate won 50% plus one, a runoff between Stepp and Van Bailey will determine who is seated in the Mississippi Legislature to represent House District 23. That special election runoff is set for Tuesday, January 31st.

Special elections are non-partisan, meaning candidates do not run under a political party label.

The winner of the special election will complete the current term which ends at the end of the year and is expected to seek re-election during this 2023 election year. Qualifying for candidates ends February 1st.

Get to know the candidates in the runoff

Andy Stepp

According to his Facebook campaign page, Stepp says he will be a conservative voice in Jackson.

“Liberal policies have caused consumer prices to go through the roof, hitting rural communities the hardest,” Stepp is quoted as saying on a campaign flyer.

The Bruce native is a pharmacist and small business owner of Stepp-Saver Pharmacy.

Stepp says he believes the Legislature’s first priority is to ensure the health and well-being of the people it represents.

“That includes access to affordable, quality healthcare and a thriving, healthy economy free of the burden of out-of-control inflation,” the candidate says on his Facebook page.

Perry Van Bailey

Bailey, a native of Calhoun County, does not have a social media presence that can be readily accessed.

He is a farmer with more than 30 years of experience.

If elected, Bailey intends to be a watchdog for the state’s most precious resource – the land – and the agriculture industry. He is interested in working with lawmakers to increase economic development in this vein.