Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
Mississippi's 1st Congressional District election, 2016
2018 →
← 2014
|
 |
November 8, 2016 |
March 8, 2016 |
Trent Kelly  |
Trent Kelly |
 |
Cook Political Report: Solid R[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2] Rothenberg & Gonzales: Safe R[3] |
 |
The 1st Congressional District of Mississippi held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Trent Kelly (R) defeated Jacob Owens (D), Chase Wilson (L) and Cathy L. Toole (Reform) in the general election. Kelly defeated challenger Paul Clever in the Republican primary on March 8, 2016.[4][5]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election.
In Mississippi, primaries are open, meaning any registered voter may vote in the primary of their choice. State law says: "No person shall vote or attempt to vote in the primary election of one (1) party when he or she has voted on the same date in the primary election of another party."[6]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Trent Kelly (R). He was elected on June 2, 2015, to fill the vacancy created by the death of Alan Nunnelee (R).[7] [8][9]
Mississippi's 1st Congressional District is located in the northeastern portion of the state and includes Alcorn, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clay, DeSoto, Itawamba, Lafayette, Lee, Lowndes, Marshall, Monroe, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo, Union, Webster, and Winston counties and a portion of Oktibbeha County.[10]
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Trent Kelly Incumbent |
68.7% | 206,455 | |
| Democratic | Jacob Owens | 27.9% | 83,947 | |
| Libertarian | Chase Wilson | 2.1% | 6,181 | |
| Reform | Cathy L. Toole | 1.3% | 3,840 | |
| Total Votes | 300,423 | |||
| Source: Mississippi Secretary of State | ||||
Primary election
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Trent Kelly Incumbent |
89.3% | 95,049 | ||
| Paul Clever | 10.7% | 11,397 | ||
| Total Votes | 106,446 | |||
| Source: Mississippi Republican Party |
||||
Candidates
|
General election candidates: Trent Kelly - Incumbent  Jacob Owens Chase Wilson Cathy L. Toole |
|
Primary candidates:[11] |
|
Democratic [12] |
Republican [12]Paul Clever[12] |
|
Third Party/Other [12]Cathy L. Toole (Reform) [12] |
District history
2015
Thirteen candidates competed in the general election held on May 12, 2015. Since none of the candidates received a majority of the vote, a runoff election was held on June 2, 2015, between Walter Zinn (D) and Trent Kelly (R).[13] As expected, Kelly easily won the runoff in this Republican favored district.[14][15]
| U.S. House, Mississippi District 1 Special Election Runoff, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Trent Kelly |
70% | 69,516 | |
| Democratic | Walter Zinn | 30% | 29,831 | |
| Total Votes | 99,347 | |||
| Source: Mississippi Secretary of State | ||||
| U.S. House, Mississippi District 1 Special General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Walter Zinn |
17.4% | 15,385 | |
| Republican | Boyce Adams | 4.6% | 4,037 | |
| Republican | Nancy Collins | 4.5% | 4,006 | |
| Republican | Trent Kelly |
16.3% | 14,418 | |
| Republican | Quentin Whitwell | 3.5% | 3,124 | |
| Republican | Chip Mills | 7.8% | 6,929 | |
| Republican | Greg Pirkle | 8.1% | 7,142 | |
| Republican | Daniel Sparks | 3.2% | 2,828 | |
| Republican | Mike Tagert | 12.7% | 11,231 | |
| Republican | Sam Adcock | 4.5% | 4,000 | |
| Republican | Ed Holliday | 4.5% | 3,958 | |
| Republican | Starner Jones | 7.9% | 6,993 | |
| Republican | Henry Ross | 4.9% | 4,313 | |
| Total Votes | 88,364 | |||
| Source: Mississippi Secretary of State | ||||
2014
The 1st Congressional District of Mississippi held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Alan Nunnelee (R) defeated Ron Dickey (D), Danny Bedwell (L) and Lajena Walley (RP) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Alan Nunnelee Incumbent |
67.9% | 102,622 | |
| Democratic | Ron Dickey | 28.9% | 43,713 | |
| Libertarian | Danny Bedwell | 2.5% | 3,830 | |
| Reform | Lajena Walley | 0.6% | 946 | |
| Total Votes | 151,111 | |||
| Source: Mississippi Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
2012
The 1st Congressional District of Mississippi held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Alan Nunnelee (R) won the election in the district.[16]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brad Morris | 36.9% | 114,076 | |
| Republican | Alan Nunnelee Incumbent |
60.4% | 186,760 | |
| Libertarian | Danny Bedwell | 1.2% | 3,584 | |
| Constitution | Jim R. Bourland | 0.8% | 2,390 | |
| Reform | Chris Potts | 0.8% | 2,367 | |
| Total Votes | 309,177 | |||
| Source: Mississippi Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Important dates and deadlines
- See also: Mississippi elections, 2016
The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Mississippi in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description |
| January 4, 2016 | Ballot access | Qualifying period opens for primary and independent candidates |
| January 8, 2016 | Ballot access | Qualifying period closes for primary and independent candidates |
| January 8, 2016 | Campaign finance | Campaign finance report due |
| January 29, 2016 | Campaign finance | 2015 annual report due |
| March 8, 2016 | Election date | Primary election |
| May 6, 2016 | Ballot access | Qualifying period closes for nonpartisan judicial offices |
| May 10, 2016 | Campaign finance | Campaign finance report due |
| June 10, 2016 | Campaign finance | Campaign finance report due |
| July 8, 2016 | Campaign finance | Campaign finance report due |
| October 10, 2016 | Campaign finance | Campaign finance report due |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election |
| Source: Mississippi Secretary of State, "2016 Elections Calendar," accessed November 25, 2015 | ||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Mississippi, 2016
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2016
- Mississippi's 1st Congressional District special election, 2015
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2016 House Race Ratings for July 11, 2016," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2016 House," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "House Ratings," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "2016 Candidate Qualifying List," accessed January 12, 2016
- ↑ The Clarion-Ledger, "Primary Results: Statewide, county by county," March 8, 2016
- ↑ LexisNexis, "Miss. Code Ann. § 23–15–575," accessed September 3, 2025
- ↑ USA Today, "Rep. Alan Nunnelee dies at 56," February 6, 2015
- ↑ WTVA, "Election Results," May 12, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Republican Trent Kelly wins runoff for Miss. House seat," June 2, 2015
- ↑ Mississippi Redistricting Map, "Map," accessed August 30, 2012
- ↑ Candidates are listed by party and alphabetically within each party.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Mississippi Secretary of State, "2016 Candidate Qualifying List," accessed January 12, 2016
- ↑ WMC Action News 5, "May 12 election set to fill north Mississippi US House seat," February 24, 2015
- ↑ WTVA, "Election Results," May 12, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Republican Trent Kelly wins runoff for Miss. House seat," June 2, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map," accessed August 15, 2012
For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!
