(Photo from Cliff Johnson for Congress on Facebook)
- Cliff Johnson announced a bid for the U.S. House on Thursday, joining two other Democrats. The primary winner will likely face incumbent GOP Congressman Trent Kelly in the midterm election.
The Democratic Primary field in Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District grew even more crowded Thursday as Ole Miss law school professor Cliff Johnson announced he is running for the seat in the upcoming 2026 midterm election.
Johnson worked for five years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney during the Clinton administration. He is now the Director of the MacArthur Justice Center and a member of the faculty at the University of Mississippi School of Law, oversees the Center’s litigation efforts and provides instruction and supervision to students participating in the MacArthur Justice Clinic.
A disclaimer at the bottom of Johnson’s website states, “This campaign is undertaken in Cliff Johnson’s individual capacity. He does not speak for the University of Mississippi or the MacArthur Justice Center, and neither of those institutions is endorsing or supporting his campaign.”
The trial lawyer, who lives in Lafayette County, launched his campaign in DeSoto County’s Horn Lake, criticizing incumbent Congressman Trent Kelly, a Republican, for not actively engaging with or showing up in the fast-growing northwest Mississippi community.
In a video message announcing his campaign, Johnson said he will challenge “any bully, anywhere” who does anything against the hardworking people of North Mississippi. His message to voters will focus on access to health care, environmental protection, and solving economic disparities.
Johnson joins former State Representative turned Holly Springs mayor Kelvin Buck and newcomer Montravius Hall, a real estate professional, in the district’s Democratic Primary.
Whichever candidate emerges from the Democratic Primary will move on to the General Election to likely face Kelly, who is currently running unopposed in the GOP primary. The incumbent Republican is seeking his sixth full two-year term. He has represented the North Mississippi area since winning a special election in 2015 after the death of former Congressman Alan Nunnelee.
The June campaign finance report filed by Kelly with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) shows the incumbent has $620,000 cash on hand. The three Democrats are the only other filers so far seeking to challenge Kelly, who ran unopposed in the GOP Primary in 2024. None of the Democrats have campaign finance reports showing at this time.
Notably, a Republican has held this congressional seat since January 1995 except for less than three years when Democrat Travis Childers was elected in a special election after Republican Roger Wicker resigned. Wicker stepped down prior to being sworn in as one of the state’s two U.S. Senators, a position he holds to this day.
The qualifying period for those running for a seat in the U.S. House or U.S. Senate in Mississippi opens December 1 and ends December 26. Party primary elections will be held March 10, 2026, and the General Election is slated for November 3, 2026.
Frank Corder
