mississippi – Ballotpedia News

All candidates for Mississippi House of Representatives District 3 Republican primary complete Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey

In 2023 elections, State

June 5, 2023 at 10:34 AM

All three candidates running in the August 8, 2023, Republican primary election for Mississippi House of Representatives District 3—Jonathan Dantzler (R), Jim Estrada (R), and Dennis Nowell (R)—completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office.

Eight of the country’s 99 state legislative chambers will hold regularly scheduled elections in 2023. Republicans control both chambers of the Mississippi state legislature. Mississippi is one of 22 states with a Republican trifecta.

Here are excerpts from candidates’ responses to the question: What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

Dantzler:

“Protecting State Employees under our Medical Marijuana Program
Furthering the Protection of the 2nd Amendment
Restore the Ballot Initiative Process”

Estrada:

“I would like for it to be a bill that would help to foster economic development. Creating an environment for higher paying job opportunities is critical to our area specifically and to our great state in general..”

Nowell:

“Task force to investigate other states and cities that are attracting large corporations to their communities. We have to learn how to compete so we quit losing our young talent and families.”

Click on the candidates’ profile pages below to read their full responses to this and other questions.

We ask all federal, state, and local candidates with profiles on Ballotpedia to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Ask the candidates in your area to fill out the survey.

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All candidates for Mississippi House of Representatives District 111 complete Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey

By Mercedes Yanora

In State

May 15, 2023 at 7:38 PM

All three candidates running in the Aug. 8 Republican primary for Mississippi House of Representatives District 111 — Eric Camp (R), Jimmy Fondren (R), and David Carson Futch (R) — completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office.

Here are the candidates’ responses to the question: What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Camp:

“Experience: I have over 30 years experience in business and public relations. …
Family: Married to my wife, Toni, for 24 years. Have a 20 year old son in college.
Integrity / Values: Christian Conservative who has proven leadership and integrity that will work hard and fight to protect our freedoms.”

Fondren:

“I support lowering taxes and eliminating the state income tax. …
I want to work hard to ensure conservative values are protected in our state. …
I strongly support our law enforcement officers and all first responders. …”

Futch:

“No income tax
No tax on groceries
More mental health facilities.”

Click on the candidates’ profile pages below to read their full responses to this and other questions.

We ask all federal, state, and local candidates with profiles on Ballotpedia to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Ask the candidates in your area to fill out the survey.

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Absentee/mail-in ballot request deadlines, 2023

By Roneka Matheny

In 2023 elections

March 30, 2023 at 10:59 AM

Eight states—Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington—are holding statewide elections this year.

Absentee/mail-in voting is voting that does not happen in person on Election Day but instead occurs another way, usually by mail. All states allow for some form of absentee/mail-in voting. Some states require voters to provide a valid excuse in order to be eligible to vote absentee/by mail, while others do not.

Seven states—California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington—provide for automatic mail-in voting, meaning that every voter receives a ballot in the mail by default. In Vermont, voters automatically receive a ballot for general elections only.

Fifteen states require voters to provide a reason for requesting a mail-in ballot. Twenty-eight states do not require voters to provide a reason for requesting a mail-in ballot.

The table below shows the absentee/mail-in request deadlines for primary and general elections this year:

Rules for requesting absentee/mail-in ballots vary by state. For example, Kentucky requires requests for absentee/mail ballots to be submitted through its online system, while New Jersey does not accept request made online or electronically. In New Jersey, absentee/mail-in ballot requests must be either submitted in person or by mail, while Wisconsin does not allow in-person requests for absentee/mail-in ballots. Requests must be made either online or by mail in Wisconsin.

Of the eight states holding statewide elections this year, Mississippi is the only one that does not require requests for absentee/mail-in ballots to be submitted by any specific deadline.

Statewide filing deadline passes in Mississippi

By Tyler King

In State

February 9, 2023 at 11:15 AM

The filing deadline for statewide candidates running in Mississippi passed on Feb. 1, 2023. A primary is scheduled for Aug. 8, with primary runoffs taking place on Aug. 29. The general election is Nov. 7. A general runoff election is scheduled to be held on Nov. 28 for state executive offices only.

Offices on the ballot include governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, and 10 other state executive seats. All seats in the state Senate and state House are up for election. Ballotpedia is also covering school board elections in DeSoto County.

Mississippi is one of 22 Republican trifectas, where the Republican Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature. There are 17 Democratic trifectas and 11 states with divided governments.

Governor Tate Reeves (R) is seeking re-election to a second term. Two candidates are running against Reeves in the Republican primary. There are also three Democrats and one independent candidate running.

There are 33 candidates running for the remaining state executive offices including lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, commissioner of agriculture and commerce, commissioner of insurance, public service commission, and transportation commission.

Republicans control the state Senate with a 36-16 majority. All 52 seats are up for election to four-year terms. Ninety-one candidates filed to run for the state Senate.

Republicans control the state House with a 76-42 majority with three independent members and one vacancy. All 122 seats are up for election to four-year terms. A total of 229 candidates filed to run for state House.

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Mississippi Republicans guaranteed majorities in both state legislative chambers for first time since Reconstruction

By Douglas Kronaizl

In State

February 9, 2023 at 11:06 AM

The major party candidate filing deadline in Mississippi passed on Feb. 1, and, for the first time since Reconstruction, the number of Republicans running without Democratic opponents is large enough to guarantee Republican majorities in both legislative chambers.

Following Reconstruction, Democrats controlled the Mississippi Legislature consistently from 1876 until 2007, when Republicans briefly controlled the Senate.

Republicans won control of both chambers in 2011, and since then, the number of races contested by both major parties has gradually decreased.

For Democrats, the number of seats without Republican opponents has remained somewhat constant since 2011, ranging from a high of 55 seats in 2019 to a low of 47 this year.

For Republicans, the number of seats without Democratic opponents has consistently increased, growing from 55 in 2011 to 98 this year.

Additionally, in 2023, there is one seat—House District 96—where neither major party fielded candidates, guaranteeing the seat to Rep. Angela Cockerham (I).

These figures are subject to change ahead of the general election due to candidate withdrawals and replacements.

This trend towards an increased number of uncontested Republicans mirrors that of filed candidates, in general.

Since 2011, the number of Republicans running for state legislative offices has increased from 172 to 183 in 2019 and this year.

The number of Democrats running has decreased from 168 to 105 this year.

This decrease in the number of Democratic candidates has resulted in a decade-low number of contested primaries. In Mississippi, a primary is contested if more than one candidate from the same party file to run for the same seat.

In 2019, there were 31 contested Democratic primaries, compared to 22 this year, a 29% decrease.

For Republicans, contested primaries increased from 41 in 2019 to 45 this year, a 10% increase.

Overall, the total number of contested primaries this year (67) represents 19% of all possible primaries, a decade-low percentage.

Twenty seats are open, meaning no incumbents filed to run, a decade-low number, representing 11% of the 174 seats up for election across both chambers. Newcomers are guaranteed to win open seats.

Mississippi has had a Republican trifecta since the party won control of the House in 2011. Republicans currently hold a 77-42-3 majority in the House and a 36-16 majority in the Senate.

Mississippi’s state legislative primaries are scheduled for Aug. 8. A candidate must receive at least 50% of the vote to win the primary, otherwise the top-two vote-getters advance to a runoff on Aug. 29.

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Incumbent Michael Guest defeated Michael Cassidy in Mississippi’s 3rd District Republican Party primary runoff

By Roneka Matheny

In 2022 elections

June 30, 2022 at 7:33 PM

Incumbent Michael Guest (R) defeated Michael Cassidy (R) in the Republican Party primary runoff in Mississippi’s 3rd Congressional District on June 28, 2022. Guest, who has represented this district in Congress since 2019, won with 67.4% of the vote while Cassidy received 32.6%. In the first round of the primary on June 7, Cassidy received 47.5% of the vote to Guest’s 46.9%.

Guest is a member of the U.S. House Homeland Security, Transportation, and Ethics Committees. He served as the district attorney for Rankin and Madison counties in Mississippi before his election to Congress. The Guest campaign highlighted his political experience and what they described as his conservative voting record in Congress. After the June 7 primary, Guest said, “I’ll be working to earn your vote because we need PROVEN, conservative leadership with a real record of fighting for our values—that’s the difference in the runoff election!”

Cassidy is a military veteran who said that he was running for Congress to continue serving his country. After the June 7, 2022, primary, Cassidy said “This is the first step in replacing our current congressman with someone who better represents [our] conservative Mississippi values.” According to Cassidy, “We need more people in Congress that will truly fight for the American people, and Michael Guest is quite simply not equipped for that challenge. He may be a decent man but he has proven to be ineffective at his job, and we need people who know how to fight in Congress.”

Guest voted along with 34 other House Republicans to create a bipartisan commission to investigate the events of January 6, 2021. Cassidy mentioned this vote when he challenged Guest to a debate after the June 7 primary: “I am calling on Mr. Guest to give the voters the opportunity to see us debate and so he can be held accountable for voting for the Democrats’ January 6th Commission.” Guest’s campaign responded saying, “Congressman Guest did not vote for Nancy Pelosi’s Select Committee on January 6th that’s currently in the news…He voted against the Select Committee because he knew it would lead to the witch hunt we are seeing now…[Cassidy] has spent a personal fortune to mislead the people of Mississippi about Congressman Guest’s conservative, Christian character.”

Before the primaries, the Cook Political Report, Sabato’s Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections all rated Mississippi’s 3rd Congressional District as a solid/safe Republican seat.

Ezell defeats incumbents Palazzo in primary runoff for Mississippi’s 4th Congressional District

By Samuel Wonacott

In 2022 elections, Federal

June 29, 2022 at 10:22 PM

Mike Ezell defeated incumbent Steven Palazzo in the June 28 Republican primary runoff for Mississippi’s 4th Congressional District on June 28, 2022. In the June 7 primary, Palazzo received 31.6% of the vote, while Ezell received 25.1%. Both candidates advanced to a runoff because no candidate received more than 50% of the vote.

Palazzo was first elected to the U.S. House in 2010. From 2006 to 2011, he served in the Mississippi House of Representatives. Palazzo said voters should choose him because of his experience in Congress, relationships at the state, local, and federal levels, and seat on the House Committee on Appropriations. Palazzo said, “If we lose this Appropriations seat, we will not get it back.” Palazzo also said, “I’m the one with the proven track record. I’ve been working hard for south Mississippi for over 12 years. Look, $26 billion for 26 ships since 2011, fighting for our men and women in uniform, helping to secure funds for the wall on our southern border. I think I’ve been an effective legislator for south Mississippi.” Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise (R) and the National Right to Life endorsed Palazzo’s re-election.

Ezell is the Jackson County Sheriff, a position to which he was first elected in 2014. Ezell campaigned on protecting the 2nd Amendment, securing the border, and growing the economy. Ezell said voters should choose him because of his law enforcement experience: “From the chaos and crisis on our southern border to the crime and drugs that are hurting so many communities across our country, it’s going to take someone in Congress with real law enforcement experience to tackle these issues that affect all of us.” The candidates who lost in the June 7 primary—Clay Wagner, Brice Wiggins, Carl Boyanton, Raymond Brooks, and Kidron Peterson—endorsed Ezell.

Allegations that Palazzo previously misused campaign funds were an issue in the primary, with Ezell saying, “Steven Palazzo has been under the cloud of an ethics investigation.” In 2020, the Office of Congressional Ethics released a report that said the allegations should be further investigated because “there is substantial reason to believe that Rep. Palazzo converted funds to personal use to pay expenses that were not legitimate and verifiable campaign expenditures attributable to bona fide campaign or political purposes.” Palazzo denied the allegations. Palazzo’s campaign spokesman said, “All of this from the beginning was political, created by Congressman Palazzo’s political opponents…We’ve long been ready to get this behind us and we fully believe it will be resolved in Congressman Palazzo’s favor.” The House Ethics Committee’s review of the allegations is ongoing.

Palazzo and Ezell headed for runoff in Mississippi’s 4th Congressional District primary

By Samuel Wonacott

In 2022 elections, Federal

June 23, 2022 at 9:19 PM

Incumbent Steven Palazzo and Mike Ezell are running in the June 28 Republican primary runoff for Mississippi’s 4th Congressional District. In the June 7 primary, Palazzo received 31.6% of the vote, while Ezell received 25.1%. Both candidates advanced to a runoff because no candidate received more than 50% of the vote.

Palazzo was first elected to the U.S. House in 2010. From 2006 to 2011, he served in the Mississippi House of Representatives. Palazzo said voters should choose him because of his experience in Congress, relationships at the state, local, and federal levels, and seat on the House Committee on Appropriations. Palazzo said, “If we lose this Appropriations seat, we will not get it back.” Palazzo also said, “I’m the one with the proven track record. I’ve been working hard for south Mississippi for over 12 years. Look, $26 billion for 26 ships since 2011, fighting for our men and women in uniform, helping to secure funds for the wall on our southern border. I think I’ve been an effective legislator for south Mississippi.” Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise (R) and National Right to Life endorsed Palazzo’s re-election.

Ezell is the Jackson County Sheriff, a position to which he was first elected in 2014. Ezell has campaigned on protecting the 2nd Amendment, securing the border, and growing the economy. Ezell has said voters should choose him because of his law enforcement experience: “From the chaos and crisis on our southern border to the crime and drugs that are hurting so many communities across our country, it’s going to take someone in Congress with real law enforcement experience to tackle these issues that affect all of us.” The candidates who lost in the June 7 primary—Clay Wagner, Brice Wiggins, Carl Boyanton, Raymond Brooks, and Kidron Peterson—endorsed Ezell.

Allegations that Palazzo previously misused campaign funds have been an issue in the primary, with Ezell saying, “Steven Palazzo has been under the cloud of an ethics investigation.” In 2020, the Office of Congressional Ethics released a report that said the allegations should be further investigated because “there is substantial reason to believe that Rep. Palazzo converted funds to personal use to pay expenses that were not legitimate and verifiable campaign expenditures attributable to bona fide campaign or political purposes.” Palazzo has denied the allegations. Palazzo’s campaign spokesman said, “All of this from the beginning was political, created by Congressman Palazzo’s political opponents…We’ve long been ready to get this behind us and we fully believe it will be resolved in Congressman Palazzo’s favor.” The House Ethics Committee‘s review of the allegations is ongoing.

Independent race ratings outlets consider the general election Solid Republican.

Guest faces Cassidy in Republican primary runoff in Mississippi’s 3rd District on June 28, 2022

By Roneka Matheny

In 2022 elections

June 22, 2022 at 5:38 PM

Incumbent Michael Guest (R) and Michael Cassidy (R) are running in a Republican Party primary runoff in Mississippi’s 3rd Congressional District on June 28, 2022, to determine which Republican candidate will run in the district’s general election on Nov. 8, 2022. Guest has represented this district in Congress since 2019.

In the June 7 primary, Cassidy received 47.5% of the vote, and Guest received 46.9%. In Mississippi, a candidate must receive over 50% of the vote to advance directly to the general election. Since no candidate received a majority of votes on June 7, Guest and Cassidy advanced to the June 28 primary runoff.

Guest has represented Mississippi’s 3rd Congressional District for two terms. He is a member of congressional committees dealing with homeland security, transportation, and ethics. He served as the district attorney for Rankin and Madison counties before being elected to Congress. Guest’s campaign says he has more political experience and has a conservative voting record in Congress. After the June 7 Republican primary, Guest thanked his supporters and said, “It appears we are headed to a runoff on 6/28. I’ll be working to earn your vote because we need PROVEN, conservative leadership with a real record of fighting for our values—that’s the difference in the runoff election!”

Cassidy is a political newcomer and military veteran who said that he is running for Congress to continue serving his country. Cassidy’s campaign says he is more conservative politically than Guest. After the June 7 primary, Cassidy said he was, “grateful to the people of Mississippi’s 3rd Congressional District for giving me the most votes…This is the first step in replacing our current congressman with someone who better represents [our] conservative Mississippi values.”

Guest voted along with thirty-four other House Republicans to create a bipartisan commission to investigate the events of Jan. 6, 2021. According to the New York Times, “the decision to buck their party and former President Donald J. Trump has imperiled several Republicans in their primaries this year” despite the fact that the House’s proposal later failed in the Senate.

Cassidy mentioned this vote when he challenged Guest to a debate after the June 7, 2022, primary: “I am calling on Mr. Guest to give the voters the opportunity to see us debate and so he can be held accountable for voting for the Democrats’ January 6th Commission.”

Guest’s campaign responded saying, “Congressman Guest did not vote for Nancy Pelosi’s Select Committee on January 6th that’s currently in the news…He voted against the Select Committee because he knew it would lead to the witch hunt we are seeing now…[Cassidy] has spent a personal fortune to mislead the people of Mississippi about Congressman Guest’s conservative, Christian character.”

Before the primaries, the Cook Political Report, Sabato’s Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections all rated Mississippi’s 3rd Congressional District as a solid/safe Republican seat. This means that the winner of this Republican primary runoff is very likely to win the general election as well.

All Mississippi’s U.S. House incumbents face primaries for the first time since 2012

By Dave Beaudoin

In Uncategorized

April 14, 2022 at 11:27 AM

The filing deadline for candidates running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Mississippi was March 1, 2022. This year, 24 candidates—an average of six for each of the state’s four U.S. House districts—filed to run, including 16 Republicans, seven Democrats, and one Libertarian. The six candidates per district average is more than it was in both 2020—3.5 candidates per district—and 2018 (4.75).

There are no open-seat congressional races this year in Mississippi, as all four incumbents are running for re-election. Mississippi has had one open-seat U.S. House race since 2012.

Here are some other highlights from this year’s filings:

This is the first election to take place under new district lines following the 2020 census. Mississippi was apportioned four seats in the House of Representatives, the same number it received after the 2010 census. Governor Tate Reeves (R) signed the state’s congressional redistricting plan on Jan. 24, 2022. After the state Senate approved the plan, Lee Sanderlin wrote in the Mississippi Clarion Ledger, “The bill preserves the current balance of congressional power in Mississippi, keeping three seats for Republicans and one for lone Democrat Bennie Thompson.”
All four U.S. House incumbents in the state face contested primaries for the first time since 2012.
There are seven contested U.S. House primaries—four Republican and three Democratic—this year in Mississippi. The only U.S. House district without a Democratic or Republican primary will be in Mississippi’s 3rd District, where Shuwaski Young (D) is unopposed for his party’s nomination.
For the second cycle in a row, Fourth District Rep. Steven Palazzo (R) is running in the state’s largest U.S. House primary, with seven candidates competing for that seat
All four U.S. House districts will be contested in the general election, as every district has both Democratic and Republican candidates.

{Chart of open seats – https://app.datawrapper.de/chart/nhUHz/publish]

Mississippi’s primary for U.S. House districts is scheduled for June 7, 2022. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in any race, a primary runoff will take place on June 28, 2022.

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