Oct. 28, 2026, 1:20 p.m. CT
Will it be an unprecedented blue wave or the more typical red ripple in the Magnolia State? Only the results will tell.
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, voters head to the polls with much at stake. Nationally, control of Congress is the topic. Will a Democratic wave earn the majority of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate?
In Mississippi, all four U.S. House races are up for grabs, but most eyes will be on a heated U.S. Senate race between incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democratic challenger Scott Colom.
There are a pair of special elections in the Magnolia State to fill seats vacated by the deaths of sitting members of the state Legislature.
Local races feature school board and judge seats up for grabs as well one district attorney race and a vote on taxes in Hinds County.
Below is a quick look at each race affecting Central Mississippi, with links back to more detailed stories on those contests in the Clarion Ledger.
U.S. Senate
At the top of the ballot, and the main focus for most Mississippians, is perhaps the most competitive U.S. Senate race that Mississippi has seen in decades. Polling shows the race is tight.
Bad blood between Republican incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democratic district attorney challenger Scott Colom has intensified in recent weeks. A third candidate, Independent Ty Pinkins, could be a spoiler.
Heavy hitters in both major parties have come to the state in recent days to support their candidates.
Senior Mississippi U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker is not up for election this cycle.
Here’s what you need to know about the U.S. Senate race in Mississippi.
U.S. House
All four U.S. House seats are up for grabs, as they are every two years.
District 1
The northeastern corner of the state makes up House District 1. Two challengers, a Democrat and a Libertarian, are vying to unseat Republican incumbent Rep. Trent Kelly. He is the longest-tenured Republican in Mississippi’s U.S. House delegation.
The Democratic candidate is Cliff Johnson, a Lafayette County-based lawyer and faculty member at the University of Mississippi School of Law. Also on the ballot is Johnny Baucom, a Libertarian who works as an environmental health and safety technician.
Here is a look at the race in U.S. House District 1.
District 2
Rep. Bennie Thompson is the dean of all Mississippi Congressmen, having represented District 2 for more than 30 years. The Democrat from the Jackson area has been in office for 16 full terms, but due to expected redistricting, this will likely be his last bid under the current voting district maps.
He is fighting off challenges from a Republican and an Independent on Nov. 3 to win his 17th term in Congress. Republican Ron Eller, a Raymond-based physician, and Independent Bennie Foster are looking to unseat Thompson.
Here is a look at the race in Mississippi’s only traditional Democratic district.
District 3
Incumbent Michael Guest has held the District 3 office since 2018, handily winning reelection in every cycle since then. Democratic candidate Michael Chiaradio, a farmer and entrepreneur, and Libertarian Erik Kiehle are running against Guest for the first time.
Guest, a Brandon resident, serves as the chair of the House Committee on Ethics. The district serves a large chunk of Central and Eastern Mississippi. Chiaradio is a farmer in Clarke County, while Kiehle lives near Meridian and works in property management.
Here’s a look at the Mississippi District 3 race for the U.S. House.
District 4
A Democratic state legislator and Republican-turned-Independent candidate are fighting to unseat the newest addition to Mississippi’s federal delegation in the state’s most Republican congressional district.
Residents of South Mississippi will see Rep. Mike Ezell on their Nov. 3 ballots. He will face Democratic candidate Jeffrey Hulum III and Carl Boyanton.
Here is a look at the U.S. House District 4 race.
Special elections
Mississippi House District 70
Three candidates are competing in a special election for a Mississippi House seat in Hinds County after Rep. Bo Brown, D-Jackson, died on June 8 following a long illness.
Candidates include the late representative’s widow, Imelda Brown, businessman Marcus Cheatham and Clinton alderman James Lott III.
Read more about this special election here.
Mississippi House District 77
Voters in Mississippi House District 77 will elect a new representative to the chamber for a one-year term on Election Day.
District 77 covers southern Rankin County and most of northern Simpson County, containing towns, including Mendenhall and a portion of Magee. The race is one of the special elections that Gov. Tate Reeves called for Nov. 3 after two lawmakers died in the summer. Rep. Price Wallace, R-Mendenhall, represented the district in the Legislature from 2018 until his death in early June. He was 64 years old.
Four candidates are vying for that seat, in this preview.
Hinds County
In addition to the special election, the Hinds County ballot will feature a race for the district attorney as well as a ballot item on a special tax and several judicial races.
District attorney
Former Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens resigned earlier this year after admitting to conspiracy to commit bribery charges as part of the Jackson Bribery Scandal that also netted two council members and the former mayor. Sentencings start shortly after the Nov. 3 election.
The appointed interim district attorney is not running to replace Owens. That leaves five candidates running for Hinds County DA on Nov. 3 — Gwen Agho, Greta Mack Harris, Darla Palmer, Marvin L. Sanders and Wendy Wilson White.
See their backgrounds here.
Judicial races
Several judge seats are up for grabs, including from the Court of Appeals, the Chancery Court, the Circuit Court and the County Court. Most of the candidates are running unopposed, though, and one race has only a deceased candidate who passed away after the ballots were finalized.
Two of the elections feature more than one candidate.
Tourism tax
Eating out or staying in a Jackson hotel could cost a little more if voters approve a tourism tax on the Nov. 3 ballot.
The proposal would raise the tax funding for Visit Jackson from 1% to 1.5% on restaurant purchases and from 1% to 2% on hotel stays. That would mean an extra 10 cents on a $20 restaurant bill or $1 on a $100 hotel room. The additional money would go to the city’s tourism agency to promote Jackson and attract visitors, conventions and events.
The measure needs approval from 60% of voters to pass. See how it would impact you here.
Madison County
Madison County will feature judicial and school board races.
Judicial races
Nine nonpartisan judicial races will be appearing on the Nov. 3 ballot, including a contest in Chancery Court District 11 pitting an incumbent Cynthia Lee Brewer against Rhonda Cecilia Cooper for Place 2 Judge. Brewer is the only judicial incumbent to face a challenger on the entire ballot.
Two other races are contested in the county. The candidates are all vying for four-year terms on the bench, which begin at the start of 2027.
School board races
District 5 in Madison County Schools and Trustee 2 in Canton Public Schools are the school board races on the ballot in Madison County.
Rankin County
Rankin County will feature judicial and school board races.
Judicial races
Only two races feature multiple candidates.
Three candidates are vying for the open Chancery Court District 20 Place 1 seat, which handles matters such as divorces and property disputes. The 20th Circuit District covers both Rankin and Madison counties, so votes will be tallied from both counties toward the result.
Circuit Court District 20 Place 1 Judge is just second of the eight nonpartisan judicial contests on the ballot in Rankin County, but the other six races feature incumbents running unopposed.
School board races
Only one school board race is being contested in Rankin County, and that race is unopposed with David “Grump” Farmer on the ballot
Staff writers Bea Anhuci, Charlie Drape and Justin Marville contributed to this report.
