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Melanie Sojourner
Melanie Sojourner (Republican Party) was a member of the Mississippi State Senate, representing District 37. She assumed office on January 7, 2020. She left office on January 2, 2024.
Sojourner (Republican Party) ran for election to the Mississippi State Senate to represent District 37. She won in the general election on November 5, 2019.
Sojourner served in the state Senate from 2012 to 2016.
Biography
Sojourner earned her A.S. from Copiah-Lincoln Community College, and B.S. in animal science from Louisiana State University. Sojourner's professional experience includes working as a production assistant for a Walt Disney production company, in the membership department of the Mississippi Cattlemen's Association and for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Sojourner has also run a small commercial cow/calf operation.[1]
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Sojourner was assigned to the following committees:
- Senate Agriculture Committee
- Senate Corrections Committee
- Elections Committee
- Senate Energy Committee
- Finance Committee
- Senate Gaming Committee
- Senate Municipalities Committee
- Senate Tourism Committee, Chair
- Veterans and Military Affairs Committee
2020-2021
Sojourner was assigned to the following committees:
- Highways and Transportation Committee
- Labor Committee
- Ports and Marine Resources Committee
- Senate Agriculture Committee
- Senate Corrections Committee
- Senate County Affairs Committee
- Senate Drug Policy Committee, Vice-Chairman
- Finance Committee
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Sojourner served on the following committees:
| Mississippi committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Forestry, Chair |
| • Agriculture |
| • Appropriations |
| • Congressional Redistricting |
| • County Affairs |
| • Energy |
| • Environmental Protection, Conservation and Water Resources |
| • Legislative Reapportionment |
| • Municipalities |
| • Public Health and Welfare |
| • Tourism |
2012-2013
In the 2012-2013 legislative session, Sojourner served on the following committees:
| Mississippi committee assignments, 2012 |
|---|
| • Forestry, Chair |
| • Agriculture |
| • Appropriations |
| • Congressional Redistricting |
| • County Affairs |
| • Energy |
| • Environment Prot, Cons and Water Res |
| • Legislative Reapportionment |
| • Municipalities |
| • Public Health and Welfare |
| • Tourism |
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2023
- See also: Mississippi State Senate elections, 2023
Melanie Sojourner did not file to run for re-election.
2019
See also: Mississippi State Senate elections, 2019
General election
General election for Mississippi State Senate District 37
Melanie Sojourner defeated William Godfrey in the general election for Mississippi State Senate District 37 on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Melanie Sojourner (R) | 57.9 | 11,497 |
| William Godfrey (D) | 42.1 | 8,370 | ||
| Total votes: 19,867 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary runoff election
Republican primary runoff for Mississippi State Senate District 37
Melanie Sojourner defeated Morgan Poore in the Republican primary runoff for Mississippi State Senate District 37 on August 27, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Melanie Sojourner | 55.5 | 3,599 |
 | Morgan Poore | 44.5 | 2,885 | |
| Total votes: 6,484 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Mississippi State Senate District 37
William Godfrey advanced from the Democratic primary for Mississippi State Senate District 37 on August 6, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | William Godfrey | 100.0 | 8,024 | |
| Total votes: 8,024 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Mississippi State Senate District 37
Melanie Sojourner and Morgan Poore advanced to a runoff. They defeated Kevin Wells and Milt Burris in the Republican primary for Mississippi State Senate District 37 on August 6, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Melanie Sojourner | 45.6 | 3,265 |
| ✔ | | Morgan Poore | 27.4 | 1,960 |
| Kevin Wells | 13.8 | 990 | ||
| Milt Burris | 13.2 | 946 | ||
| Total votes: 7,161 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Scott Carnegie (R)
2015
- See also: Mississippi State Senate elections, 2015
Elections for the Mississippi State Senate took place in 2015. A primary election was held on August 4, 2015, and the general election was held on November 3, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 27, 2015.[2] Robert Dearing defeated Etta Batteaste-Taplin in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Melanie Sojourner defeated Lane Reed and Curtis Moroney in the Republican primary. Dearing defeated Sojourner in the general election.[3]
On December 2, 2015, Sojourner formally challenged the outcome of the election, saying that "criminal fraud" was responsible for her defeat.[4] On January 5, 2016, Lt. Gov Tate Reeves (R) appointed a senatorial committee consisting of Terry Burton (R), Rita Parks (R), Sally Doty (R), Joey Fillingane (R) and Hillman Frazier (D). The committee was required to make a recommendation by January 18; it could either declare a winner or call a new election.[5] The chamber voted 47-3 to seat Dearing.[6]
| Mississippi State Senate, District 37 General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Robert Dearing |
50.2% | 8,218 | |
| Republican | Melanie Sojourner Incumbent | 49.8% | 8,154 | |
| Total Votes | 16,372 | |||
| Mississippi State Senate, District 37 Democratic Primary, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|
Robert Dearing |
58% | 6,816 |
| Etta Batteaste-Taplin | 42% | 4,927 |
| Total Votes | 11,743 | |
| Mississippi State Senate, District 37 Republican Primary, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|
Melanie Sojourner Incumbent |
55.4% | 2,433 |
| Lane Reed | 33.6% | 1,475 |
| Curtis Moroney | 11% | 484 |
| Total Votes | 4,392 | |
2011
- See also: Mississippi State Senate elections, 2011
Sojourner won the 2011 election for Mississippi Senate District 37. She defeated Stephen Oglesby in the primary on August 2, 2011. Incumbent Robert Dearing ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. Sojourner defeated Dearing in the general election on November 8, 2011.[7]
| Mississippi State Senate, District 37 General Election, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Melanie Sojourner |
51.1% | 10,272 | |
| Democratic | Robert Dearing Incumbent | 48.9% | 9,814 | |
| Total Votes | 20,086 | |||
| Mississippi State Senate, District 37 Republican Primary, 2011 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Melanie Sojourner |
65.1% | 1,848 |
| Stephen Oglesby | 34.9% | 990 |
| Total Votes | 2,838 | |
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Melanie Sojourner did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.
2011
| Campaign ad from October 2011. |
On her website, Sojourner highlighted the following campaign themes:[8]
- "I'm running for Senate District 37 because I believe in southwest Mississippi and what our region and people have to offer. I care deeply about our future, our children’s future. I believe in the difference we can make when we listen to each other, work together across boundaries, share ideas and thoughts to develop sound plans and initiatives that provide for a strong small business environment, promote economic development, create jobs and improve our educational systems. I believe in a limited non-intrusive government that protects our rights, doesn’t try to create them and certainly doesn’t take them away."
- "If you would allow me the opportunity to serve as your next senator of District 37 I will take the values and work ethic I’ve acquired being raised on a sixth generation family farm and put them to work for our region, improving our educational system, protecting private property rights and working to create an environment that supports strong small businesses. I will work tirelessly to grow Mississippi’s economy by attracting new industries and creating more jobs to help secure that future generations of southwest Mississippians will always have a thriving community to call home. And in every decision I make I will never sacrifice our core traditional conservative values and beliefs."
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Mississippi scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023
In 2023, the Mississippi State Legislature was in session from January 3 to April 1.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business and economic issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
- Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.
2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2022, the Mississippi State Legislature was in session from January 4 to April 5.
|
2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2021, the Mississippi State Legislature was in session from January 5 to April 1.
|
2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2020, the Mississippi State Legislature was in session from January 7 to October 10. The session was suspended effective July 1, 2020. It had been previously suspended from March 18 to May 7. The session reconvened from August 10 to October 2.
|
2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2015, the Mississippi State Legislature was in session from January 6 through April 2.
|
2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
|---|
|
In 2014, the Mississippi State Legislature was in session from January 7 through April 2.
|
Endorsements
Presidential preference
2012
Melanie Sojourner endorsed Newt Gingrich in the 2012 presidential election.[9]
See also
2019 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ MelanieSojourner.com, "Full biography," accessed July 29, 2011
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "2015 Elections Calendar," accessed December 2, 2014
- ↑ natchezdemocrat.com, "Dearing says he has enough votes to win District 37 senate seat," accessed November 12, 2015
- ↑ The Clarion Ledger, "Sojourner claims 'criminal fraud'; Dearing says, 'I won,'" December 3, 2015
- ↑ Associated Press, "Senate panel to hear Sojourner-Dearing election contest," January 5, 2016
- ↑ Daily Journal, "Dearing seated as Legislature inches closer to taking up bills," January 19, 2016
- ↑ Mississippi Department of State, "2011 Official State Senate Candidate List," accessed April 2, 2015
- ↑ MelanieSojourner.com, "Why," accessed August 22, 2011
- ↑ Newt Gingrich 2012, "Newt 2012 Announces “Mississippi Leaders With Newt”," March 12, 2012
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robert Dearing (D) |
Mississippi State Senate District 37 2020-2024 |
Succeeded by Albert Butler (D) |
| Preceded by - |
Mississippi State Senate District 37 2012-2016 |
Succeeded by - |
