Mississippi Primary: Five Congressional races contested in MS. See who is running

Five of Mississippi's six congressional seats are up for grabs this year, and all five incumbents face several challengers.

Congressmen who face opponents this year are Sen. Roger Wicker, R, and Reps. Trent Kelly, R; Bennie Thompson, D; Michael Guest, R; and Mike Ezell, R.

Sen. Cindy Hyde Smith is not up for reelection this year, and her current term ends in 2027, meaning she could run for her seat in the 2026 election cycle.

All five races up for grabs this year had qualifying deadlines of Jan. 12, though, not all candidates have filed financial documents with the Federal Elections Committee, according to its website. Candidates have until the end of 2024’s first quarter to release campaign finance reports or face fines.

Get ready to vote: Check out these key dates for 2024 elections that include races for senate and president

Senate races

Wicker, who has been serving as the state’s senior senator since 2007, announced his candidacy in 2023.

A native of Pontotoc, Wicker had previously served as a state senator from 1988 to 1995, and as the state’s District One representative from 1995 to 2007. In his time as a U.S. Senator, Wicker has served as a ranked member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, previously served on the Senate Commerce Committee and chaired the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Wicker will face two fellow Republicans in the March primary. Dan Eubanks, R, announced his candidacy earlier this year. He has served as representative in the state House for nine years, serving DeSoto County.

Ghannon Burton, R, announced his bid to run last year. Though he has never held any state-elected office, Burton served in the United States Marine Corps from 1991 to 2021, earning the rank of Colonel.

Whoever wins the March primary will face off against Democratic candidate Ty Pinkins, who re-announced his campaign earlier this month.

Pinkins, a native of Rolling Fork, previously announced his bid for the Senate in January 2023, but also ran a failed campaign for Secretary of State in the past year against Republican incumbent Michael Watson, replacing Democratic candidate Shuwaski Young, who dropped out in August due to health reasons.

More on Pinkin's bid for Senate Ty Pinkins

House races

District 1:

Kelly will face no opponents in the primary this year, but he will be competing against whoever wins the Democratic Primary in March.

Dianne Black announced her candidacy last year. She previously ran for the same position in 2022 and for Mississippi House District 52 in 2023, but she lost both races.

Black will be facing off against Democrat Michael Williams, who announced his candidacy earlier this month. Williams previously ran for office ion 2019 to represent District 28n in the Mississippi House of Representatives, but he lost.

District 2:

Thompson, D, will face whoever wins in the Republican primary this year.

Thompson has served in his seat since 1993, and he previously served as an alderman and then mayor of Bolton from 1969 to 1979, and as a Hinds county supervisor from 1979 to 1993.

Republican challengers are Ronald Eller, Andrew S. Smith and Taylor Turcotte.

Eller previously ran for the same seat in 2022, but he lost. He also served in the Army and owns Buck Warrior Enterprises, a Raymond-based company.

Smith and Turcotte have not previously run for state or higher offices, according to state records.

District 3:

Guest will also be facing only one Democratic challenger. Guest previously served as the District Attorney for Rankin and Hinds counties from 2009 to 2018, and is currently the chair of the U.S. House Ethics Committee.

Jarvis Gordan, D, has not run for office in the past, according to start records. No information on Gordan was available at press time.

District 4:

Ezell, R, will face three challengers, Carl Boyanton, Michael McGill and Craig Raybon.

Ezell took office in January 2023 after previously serving as a police officer in Pascagoula from 1980 to 1998, before becoming chief of police in for Ocean Springs from 1998 to 2000. Ezell also served as an FBI agent and later was elected sheriff of Jackson County in a 2014 special election.

Boyanton ran for the same seat in 2020 and 2022, but he lost both times. Boyanton also owns a business, Farmer Fresh Produce, LLC.

McGill previously served in the Army and has been the president of School of Athens Charity, a nonprofit, since 2018, according to his LinkedIn account.

No information on Raybon could be found by press time.

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Grant McLaughlin covers state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi Primary: 13 candidates qualify for state Congressional seats