Mississippi Democratic Party chairman State Rep. Cheikh Taylor (left) and Mississippi Republican Party chairman Mike Hurst (right) (Photos from Facebook)
- Mississippi Democratic Party chairman Cheikh Taylor praised the Voting Rights Act for making Tuesday’s results possible while MSGOP chairman Mike Hurst said Republicans were underdogs in the new gerrymandered districts.
The Mississippi Republican Party admitted Wednesday that the legislative special election results this week were disappointing. Yet, as MSGOP chairman Mike Hurst noted, the outcome was not totally unexpected.
“Republicans were the underdogs in these gerrymandered districts drawn by an unelected court pursuant to a misapplied federal statute that has been weaponized by interest groups,” Hurst said.
Due to court-ordered redistricting to allow for more majority-minority districts, Democrats were favored in two Senate seats and one House seat in Tuesday’s elections. All three were specifically drawn to where a Democrat could win based on racial voter trends using black voting age populations.
When the dust settled, Democrats picked up the two seats in the state Senate, breaking the Republican supermajority, and added the one seat in the state House.
State Rep. Cheikh Taylor, chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party, said Tuesday’s victories prove “that Mississippi is no longer a foregone conclusion—we are a battleground state.”
“But this win was only possible because the Voting Rights Act ensures fair representation,” Taylor said. “If the Supreme Court dismantles these protections, we risk silencing the very voices that made last night’s historic outcome possible. As voters continue to reject Trump’s agenda in 2026 and 2027, we must protect the fundamental right that makes change possible: the right to vote.”
The U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether to limit the use of the Voting Rights Act to force states like Mississippi to draw electoral districts favorable to black voters.
Three years ago, the Mississippi NAACP filed a lawsuit challenging the 2022 legislative redistricting plan claiming black voting strength had been diluted. Lawmakers, then, adopted their version of a revised electoral district map in an attempt to comply with federal court ordered redistricting. The result was the need to hold multiple mid-term special elections in the affected areas for both House and Senate seats.
Yet, following the passage of the Legislature’s remedial attempt at redistricting, the NAACP told the federal court that the updated maps did not do enough to satisfy their complaint and asked the federal panel to consider changes.
The federal three-judge panel at the U.S. Fifth Circuit consisting of Judge Leslie Southwick and U.S. District Judges Sul Ozerden and Daniel Jordan reviewed the revised maps and listened to both the NAACP and the Mississippi State Board of Election Commissioners. Ultimately, the judicial panel approved a revised plan submitted by the State Board of Election Commissioners and set the special elections.
MSGOP Chairman Hurst said the Democrats’ wins on Tuesday under the court-ordered maps “were the equivalent of scoring points in the fourth quarter while losing the game in a blowout.”
“It may make them feel better, but it doesn’t change the conservative direction or policies in our state legislature led by Republicans,” Hurst said. “While we respect the role of the courts, we will nonetheless keep fighting—through legislation and, when necessary, litigation—for fair, compact election districts that keep communities together and let voters, not judges, decide elections.”
Mississippi Democratic Party Vice-Chair Jodie Brown said the results remind Democrats “that change is possible when we show up together.”
“Breaking the supermajority means restoring checks and balances—and ensuring that every Mississippian’s voice counts in their state government,” Brown said.
When lawmakers gavel in come January, Republicans will now hold 34 of the 52 seats – one shy of the supermajority the GOP has held in the chamber for a decade. This is assuming that the winners in the two remaining special elections to fill vacated Senate seats caucus with Democrats, which is expected.
Hurst said he was proud of their candidates, their campaigns, the countless volunteers, elected officials, state Republican leadership and the Mississippi Republican Party “for pouring untold resources, countless hours, and significant manpower into these races.”
“In light of yesterday’s results, our party will be redoubling our efforts to learn from these races and come back even stronger by recruiting outstanding candidates, expanding our outreach, and earning the trust and vote of every citizen in every corner of this state,” Hurst said.
