- Every congressional incumbent in the Magnolia State continues to far outpace their opponents, with little prospects of that changing down the stretch to the General Election.
Quarterly campaign finance reports were due to be filed with the Federal Election Commission last week as this year’s Mississippi midterm races hit another gear with less than seven months to go until the November General Election.
Every congressional incumbent in the Magnolia State continues to far outpace their opponents, with little prospects of that changing down the stretch. All incumbents appear to be well positioned to defend their seats.
U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) continues to hold a sizeable lead over her Democrat challenger, District Attorney Scott Colom, in campaign finance terms, showing a cash on hand balance of nearly five times greater.
This new report comes just before Colom’s campaign pushed out a poll on Monday showing him within three points of Hyde-Smith. However, Hyde-Smith is no stranger to close polling. In her 2020 re-election bid, then-Democrat challenger Mike Espy was reportedly polling within one point of the Republican incumbent, but when the votes were tallied in that General Election, Hyde-Smith won by 10%.
The third candidate in the U.S. Senate race, Democrat-turned-Independent Ty Pinkins does not have a new report showing as filed with the FEC, but last reported $2,800 cash on hand in February.
Down ticket, incumbents in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Congressional Districts enjoy a wide fundraising lead over their General Election challengers. That, too, is unlikely to change.
Yet, in the 4th Congressional District, the campaign finance gap is a bit more tenuous, with Congressman Mike Ezell reporting the lowest cash on hand balance out of the four Mississippi incumbent U.S. House members with $132,000. Businessman Carl Boyanton, a Republican-turned-Independent, has shown the willingness to donate thousands to his own failed campaigns in the past, while Democrat Jeffery Hulum, a State Representative, is also beginning to churn up his campaign machine now that lawmakers are back home from this year’s legislative session.
Even still, given the voting history of the 4th Congressional District, Ezell remains the odds-on favorite in November, as do all other Mississippi incumbents running in this year’s midterms.
Here is a rundown of the cash on hand balances each candidate reported to the FEC as of April 15.
U.S. Senate
- Cindy Hyde-Smith, Republican (incumbent): $2.46 million
- Scott Colom, Democrat: $560,000
- Ty Pinkins, Independent: $2,800
- Note: April 15th report not showing
1st Congressional District
- Trent Kelly, Republican (incumbent): $827,000
- Cliff Johnson, Democrat: $65,000
- Johnny Baucom, Libertarian: $0
- Note: April 15th report not showing
2nd Congressional District
- Bennie Thompson, Democrat (incumbent): $1.42 million
- Ron Eller, Republican: $38,000
- Bennie Foster, Independent: $0
- Note: April 15th report not showing
3rd Congressional District
- Michael Guest, Republican (incumbent): $942,000
- Michael Chiaradio, Democrat: $16,000
- Erik Kiehle, Libertarian: $0
- Note: April 15th report not showing
4th Congressional District
- Mike Ezell, Republican (incumbent): $132,000
- Jeffery Hulum, Democrat: $1,700
- Carl Boyanton, Independent: $4,700
The General Election is set for November 3.
Frank Corder
