Sarah Adlakha (left) and Priscilla Till (right) (Photos from their campaigns)
- Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith has again been endorsed by President Donald Trump. That has not stopped candidates from jumping in the 2026 midterm race.
Two newcomers to Mississippi statewide politics made their bids for U.S. Senate official on Tuesday.
Sarah Adlakha, a resident of Ocean Springs, hosted a campaign kickoff event in Rankin County. She said the reason she was running against incumbent U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in the Republican Primary was to “fight for Mississippi families and take on Washington’s broken system.”
“I’m fed up with career politicians who look out for themselves and their friends instead of the people they serve,” Adlakha said. “Everywhere I turn, I see families like mine paying the price for a government that’s out of touch- and I believe Mississippi deserves better.”
Adlakha filed to run for the U.S. Senate in March and has thus far struggled to make a dent into Hyde-Smith’s significant campaign fundraising lead.
Hyde-Smith, who has again been endorsed by President Donald Trump, is sitting on nearly $1.5 million in her campaign account as she begins her re-election bid. Adlakha, on the other hand, has only been able to raise $126 along with a loan for $201,000, as of her June 30, 2025, Federal Election Commission filing.
A third GOP candidate has also entered the primary race. Andrew Scott Smith announced last week that he would be running for U.S. Senate, having lost his bid for Congress in the 2nd District GOP primary in 2024. He has not filed financial reports with the FEC as of this reporting.
As previously reported, Adlakha moved to Mississippi 13 years ago. She paused her psychiatric practice to help her husband establish his cardiology clinic and has run the business side of the practice for 11 years. The two have been involved in developing a $55 million multi-purpose real estate project in Jackson County that has faced pushback from the Board of Supervisors and Singing River Health System over certificate of need related to the medical component in the development.
On the Democratic side, Priscilla Williams Till, cousin of Emmett Till, announced Tuesday that she would be running for the U.S. Senate.
Till said she is running “to help shape and enact laws that promote social justice and Civil Rights protections at a national level that will address historical and ongoing inequalities, while representing marginalized communities that work towards an equitable society.”
“Also, to ensure that the perspectives and needs of our communities are represented with the federal government contributing to a more inclusive political dialogue,” Till added.
Till’s entry into the race comes a week after Mississippi and national Democrats celebrated the candidacy of Lowndes County District Attorney Scott Colom, their long-preferred candidate for U.S. Senate in the 2026 midterms to challenge Hyde-Smith, the Republican incumbent. Colom
Colom’s early misstep of faking a phone call with Hyde-Smith has drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle. In addition, left-leaning financier George Soros’ prior campaign contributions to Colom have also come back into focus with his bid for federal office.
As of this reporting, Till does not have a statement of candidacy showing as filed with the Federal Election Commission nor has her campaign filed financial reports.
Colom did file his statement of candidacy last week but as he has only just entered the race, no financial reporting has been submitted.
There is one other Democrat so far in the race, a newcomer from the Coast named Albert Little. Little has not submitted financial reports since he filed his statement of candidacy in June.
Also running for U.S. Senate in the 2026 midterms is Democrat-turned-Independent Ty Pinkins. Pinkins announced earlier this year that we was leaving the Democratic Party after having been their nominee for Secretary of State in 2023 and U.S. Senate in 2024.
Pinkins said in July that his personal experiences with Democratic Party insiders is that they have prioritized fundraising over values and vision.
“When I first entered this race, party officials didn’t ask me about healthcare, veterans, or education,” Pinkins said in a statement. “They asked how much money I had. And when I refused to step aside for their handpicked, millionaire-backed candidate, they tried to buy me off—and then they threatened me. But I didn’t serve 21 years in uniform to be bullied by party bosses.”
Pinkins told Magnolia Tribune that he was urged – more than once – to “make room” for someone else.
“When I didn’t, I was offered incentives to drop out. When I still refused, I was threatened politically,” Pinkins said.
