Jessica Carter

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Jessica Carter

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Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

April 1, 2025

Education

High school

Mississippi School for Mathematics & Science

Bachelor's

Cornell University, 2009

Law

Louisiana State University, 2015

Personal

Birthplace

Meridian, Miss.

Religion

Christian

Contact

Campaign Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Jessica Carter (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Jackson City Council to represent Ward 1 in Mississippi. She lost in the Democratic primary on April 1, 2025.

Carter completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Jessica Carter was born in Meridian, Mississippi. She earned a bachelor's degree from Cornell University in 2009 and a law degree from Louisiana State University in 2015.

Elections

2025

See also: City elections in Jackson, Mississippi (2025)

General election

General election for Jackson City Council Ward 1

Incumbent Ashby Foote defeated Grace Greene and Jasmine Barnes in the general election for Jackson City Council Ward 1 on June 3, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Ashby Foote (Independent)	33.5	1,739
		Grace Greene (Independent)	33.4	1,731
	Submit photo	Jasmine Barnes (D)	33.1	1,716
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	4

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,190
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Jackson City Council Ward 1

Jasmine Barnes defeated Stephen Thompson, Jessica Carter, and Rhoda Barnes in the Democratic primary for Jackson City Council Ward 1 on April 1, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Jasmine Barnes	59.1	2,535
	Submit photo	Stephen Thompson	18.5	792
	Submit photo	Jessica Carter	11.2	481
	Submit photo	Rhoda Barnes	5.7	243
		Other/Write-in votes	5.6	240

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,291
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Carter in this election.

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Jessica Carter completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Carter's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a career organizer, strategist, advocate, and leader. I am born and raised in Philadelphia, MS and traveled the world and country for school and work. I attended the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science for high school, then Cornell University in Ithaca, NY for college. After college, I was a union organizer then joined the Southern Poverty Law Center before attending law school at LSU. At SPLC, I worked in New Orleans, LA then throughout MS on education and prison reform. I also facilitated education trainings for students and families. During law school, I continued to work with nonprofit organizations, and participated in the parole reentry clinic where I represented clients. After LSU, I worked with the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, then the Elizabeth Warren presidential campaign, while continuing to work on issues like education, climate justice, and social justice with national organizations. During this time, I also co-owned a trucking company and learned the ins and outs of small business. I will continue to be an advocate for underrepresented communities and a leader looking for solutions and collaborative work with others to achieve that goal.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Honest. As a prospective city council member for ward 1, I will remain honest in communication with residents. I plan to provide updates and answer questions with honesty in mind, whether good or bad, but also be ready to work with to find solutions.
• Accountable. I want ward 1 residents to continue to remind me about issues and hold me to a higher standard of getting things done. I intend to communicate at every step, and obtain community input. I will not be a part of city council by myself, we are together in this effort to see ward 1 thrive.
• Innovative. I intend to bring new energy and new ideas to the Jackson city council. New ideas that come from ward 1 as a whole are important and should be heard. I believe Jackson can be a flourishing city. Having that belief is something residents need to see on a regular basis in a leader, and that energy will spread and move us forward in ward 1 and the whole of Jackson.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about serving people, specifically looking to serve the residents of Ward 1.

Elected officials are looked to for answers and to explain details when there is a problem. They represent the people that vote for them, and are expected to be honest, communicative, and accessible. I am passionate about representing the interests of the people that invest their vote in me to do the job and uphold these characteristics.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Experience within other cities and countries allows for a comparison and insight into what feels productive and efficient. I have lived, worked, and attended school in various places with that flourished, but also had problems along the way. That experiences allows for a different and fresh perspective.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave the legacy of being a part of a city council that moved the city of Jackson to a critical point of forward movement.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Everyone should be aware of all the responsibilities and decision making power of each elected position.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

It is beneficial to have previous experience, but not a prerequisite to have government or political experience.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

As a first time candidate I am not aware of the skills or expertise that would be most helpful as a member of city council, without specific experience in that position.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the local government?

It's an integral component of local government as a representative body speaking for residents in their decisions and voting power.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

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Candidate

Jackson City Council Ward 1

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