FILE - (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
- Voters will decide who replaces David Jordan and John Horhn in the Mississippi state Senate.
Two Mississippi Senate seats will be filled on December 2 in special runoff elections.
Senate District 24 and Senate District 26 featured fields with multiple candidates running for the vacated seats in the November 4 special election.
These races are non-partisan as they are special elections to fill unexpired terms left by retiring State Senator David Jordan (D) and now Jackson Mayor John Horhn (D). However, the candidates remaining in the two races are predicted to caucus with Senate Democrats given their history and policy positions.
Circuit Clerk’s Offices will be open this Saturday, November 29 from 8:00 a.m. until noon for in-person absentee voting for the December 2 runoff elections.
All mail-in absentee ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by Circuit Clerk’s Offices by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 9, in order to count.
Polls will be open on December 2 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Here is a look at who is on the ballot next Tuesday in these two state Senate races.
Senate District 24 – Portions of Tallahatchie, Panola and Leflore Counties
When the dust settled on November 4, voters in Senate District 24 advanced Curressia Brown and Justin Pope to the runoff election. Brown led the six-person field with 25 percent while Pope was second with 20 percent.
Curressia Brown
Brown is a native of Meridian and has been a resident of the Mississippi Delta for 29 years. She retired from Mississippi Valley State University as the chair of the Department of Business. She worked at MVSU for 24 years and a total of over 30 years in education.
Brown was the Leflore County delegate to the Mississippi Democratic Party 2nd Congressional District and State Conventions.
Brown has backed Medicaid expansion and has railed against Medicaid cuts at the federal level. She has also backed increased social action and an increased focus on education.
Justin Pope
Batesville-native Pope has worked in a variety of healthcare positions and is currently employed with Progressive Health Group.
He ran unsuccessfully for Panola County Chancery Clerk as a Democrat in 2023, losing to Independent Katie Ragon.
Pope says he wants to bring “accountability, responsibility, and transparency” to the office and has advocated for better education and healthcare outcomes. He also wants to “find a way to keep our kids” in District 24 through economic and workforce development.
Senate District 26 – Portions of Madison and Hinds County
Kamesha Mumford won 39 percent of the vote and Letitia Johnson drew 28 percent in the seven-person race for the Senate District 26 seat. The two will meet in the December 2 runoff election.
Kamesha Mumford
Mumford has served as Municipal Court Judge for the City of Canton since 2013. She is the President of the Mississippi Municipal Judges Association and founding partner of Mumford & Mumford Law Firm and co-founder of Mumford Title, LLC.
Mumford has said that Mississippi’s aging infrastructure is the state’s biggest opportunity for economic growth as improvements pave the way for new development. She also has voiced support for ensuring the stability of PERS, investing more in education, and supporting rural fire departments.
Notably, Mumford’s husband is Hinds County Prosecuting Attorney Gerald Mumford.
She has been endorsed by former Congressman Mike Espy (D).
Letitia Johnson
Johnson, an attorney, is a former member and president of the Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees.
Johnson has spoken against expanded school choice that would allow funds to go to private schools while advocating for increased funding for public school districts. She wants to see another round of teacher pay raises and more funding for student support services such as mental health and tutoring. Johnson also advocates for increasing state aid and scholarship programs for workforce development and affordable college education.
As for healthcare, Johnson has said the U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade jeopardizes the ability of many women to find life-saving reproductive healthcare services. She wants Mississippi make investments in healthcare higher a priority.
Congressman Bennie Thompson (D) has endorsed Johnson’s campaign.
