Congressman Bennie Thompson (Photo from the Congressman's Facebook page)
- The group is affiliated with the Southern Poverty Law Center which the U.S. Department of Justice charged with fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering last week.
Mississippi’s 2nd District Congressman Bennie Thompson (D) was among a group of 10 incumbent Congressional Black Caucus members who received an endorsement from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) Action Fund on Monday.
Thompson, a Democrats who has served in Congress for over 30 years, is running against Republican nominee Ron Eller and Democrat-turned-Independent Bennie Foster in the midterm General Election in November.
SPLC Action Fund pointed to the looming U.S. Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais they say could “gut the Voting Rights Act and in the process enable states to gerrymander Black congressional leaders out of power.”
SPLC Action Fund is the 501(c)(4) affiliate organization to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the same group the U.S. Department of Justice charged with fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering last week. Federal prosecutors allege that between 2014 and 2023, SPLC funneled millions of dollars to individuals inside extremist groups, while telling donors it was fighting those same groups.
READ MORE: Federal indictment against The Southern Poverty Law Center hits close to home
SPLC Action Fund bills itself as “a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements, and advance the human rights of all people.”
SPLC’s reach into Mississippi does not stop at Thompson. The group pledged over $300,000 to support the anti-school choice lobbying group The Parents Campaign while backing litigation challenging the state’s legislative districts.
Madison Hollon, senior program manager of political campaigns, SPLC Action Fund, said in a statement that the, “Black representation that we see in the House of Representatives today is a testament to the relentless work of the civil rights and voting rights activists who marched, protested, boycotted and organized for decades throughout the Deep South to win a seat at the table.”
“The members of the [Congressional Black Caucus] that we are endorsing have consistently used their political power to give a voice to their communities in debates in Washington and to advance legislation that serves the interests of every American, not just the wealthy and privileged,” Hollon added.
Among the other Democrat members of Congressman SPLC Action Fund endorsed Monday were:
- Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA)
- Rep. Troy Carter (D-LA)
- Rep. Cleo Fields (D-LA)
- Rep. Shomari Figures (D-AL)
- Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL)
- Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA)
- Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA)
- Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL)
- Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL)
