Mississippi State Senate District 37
Mississippi State Senate District 37 is represented by Albert Butler (D).
As of the 2020 Census, Mississippi state senators represented an average of 56,998 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 57,274 residents.
About the office
Members of the Mississippi State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Mississippi legislators assume office the Tuesday after the first Monday of January.[1]
Qualifications
Section 42 of Article 4 of the Mississippi Constitution states, "No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained the age of twenty-five years, who shall not have been a qualified elector of the State four years, and who shall not be an actual resident of the district or territory he may be chosen to represent for two years before his election."[2]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[3] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $23,500/year | For senators: $166/day. For representatives: $157/day. |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Mississippi State Legislature, a special election is required to fill the vacant seat. The governor must call for an election no later than 30 days after the vacancy happened. After the governor sets the election date, the counties conducting the election must be given at least 60 days' notice before the election. All qualifying deadlines are 50 days before the election.[4]
The governor can choose not to issue a writ of election if the vacancy occurs in the same calendar year as the general election for state officials.[4]
See sources: Mississippi Code Ann. § 23-15-851
District map
Redistricting
2020 redistricting cycle
On July 3, 2025, the state filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court of part of a May 7, 2025, federal three-judge panel decision that led to redrawn districts and special elections. The state said the appeal would not affect the special elections.[5]
A legal challenge to the state legislative maps had resulted in a three-judge panel ordering the state to add two new majority-Black Senate districts and one new majority-Black House district by the end of the 2025 legislative session.[6] The legislature approved the new maps on March 5, 2025.[7] On April 15, 2025, a three-judge panel ordered the legislature to redraw the Senate district in DeSoto County and gave the State Board of Election Commissioners seven days to submit a new map.[8] The panel approved revised maps from the Mississippi Election Commission on May 7, 2025, and special elections in the affected districts were scheduled for November 4, 2025.[9]
Mississippi enacted new state legislative district boundaries on March 31, 2022, when both legislative chambers approved district maps for the other chamber.[10] Legislative redistricting in Mississippi is done via a joint resolution and did not require Gov. Tate Reeves' (R) approval.[10] Emily Wagster Pettus of the Associated Press wrote that "Republican legislative leaders said the redistricting plans are likely to maintain their party's majority in each chamber."[11] Pettus also wrote that "Senate President Pro Tempore Dean Kirby of Pearl said the Senate redistricting plan keeps the same number of Republican-leaning and Democratic-leaning districts as now."[11]
Redistricting of the state Senate was approved by the Senate on March 29, 2022, by a vote of 45-7, with 31 Republicans and 14 Democrats in favor and five Republicans and two Democrats voting against.[12] The state House approved the Senate's district boundaries on March 31, 2022, by a vote of 68-49. Sixty-two Republicans, three Democrats, and three independents voted in favor and 35 Democrats and 14 Republicans voted against.[13]
New district boundaries for the Mississippi House of Representatives were approved by the House on March 29, 2022, by an 81-38 vote. Seventy-three Republicans, five Democrats, and three independents voted to enact the new map and 36 Democrats and two Republicans voted against it.[14] The Mississippi Senate approved the House map—41 to 8—on March 31, 2022, with 34 Republicans and seven Democrats voting in favor and all eight votes against by Democrats.[15]
How does redistricting in Mississippi work? In Mississippi, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. Congressional district lines are approved as regular legislation and are thus subject to veto by the governor. State legislative district boundaries are approved as a joint resolution; as such, they are not subject to gubernatorial veto.[16]
If the legislature cannot approve a state legislative redistricting plan, a five-member commission must draw the lines. This commission comprises the chief justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court, the attorney general, the secretary of state, and the majority leaders of the Mississippi State Senate and the Mississippi House of Representatives.[16]
The Mississippi Constitution requires that state legislative district boundaries be contiguous. State statutes further require that state legislative districts "be compact and cross political boundaries as little as possible."[16]
Mississippi State Senate District 37
before 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Mississippi State Senate District 37
after 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2023
See also: Mississippi State Senate elections, 2023
General election
General election for Mississippi State Senate District 37
Incumbent Albert Butler won election in the general election for Mississippi State Senate District 37 on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Albert Butler (D) | 100.0 | 16,264 |
| Total votes: 16,264 | |||
 = 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. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Mississippi State Senate District 37
Incumbent Albert Butler defeated Shirley Sandifer in the Democratic primary for Mississippi State Senate District 37 on August 8, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Albert Butler | 69.7 | 8,471 |
| Shirley Sandifer | 30.3 | 3,678 | ||
| Total votes: 12,149 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
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2019
- See also: Mississippi State Senate elections, 2019
Elections for the Mississippi State Senate took place in 2019. The primary was on August 6, 2019, the primary runoff was on August 27, and the general election was on November 5. The filing deadline for candidates was March 1, 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. | ||||
| 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. | ||||
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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.[17] 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.[18]
On December 2, 2015, Sojourner formally challenged the outcome of the election, saying that "criminal fraud" was responsible for her defeat.[19] 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.[20] The chamber voted 47-3 to seat Dearing.[21]
| 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
Elections for the office of Mississippi State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 2, 2011 and a general election on November 8, 2011. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 1, 2011. Melanie Sojourner (R) defeated incumbent Robert Dearing (D) in the general election. Sojourner defeated Stephen Oglesby in the Republican primary. Dearing was unopposed in the Democratic primary.[22]
| 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 contributions
From 2003 to 2023, candidates for Mississippi State Senate District 37 raised a total of $535,143. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $44,595 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Mississippi State Senate District 37 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2023 | $53,859 | 2 | $26,929 |
| 2019 | $194,622 | 5 | $38,924 |
| 2011 | $157,847 | 2 | $78,924 |
| 2007 | $97,616 | 2 | $48,808 |
| 2003 | $31,200 | 1 | $31,200 |
| Total | $535,143 | 12 | $44,595 |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Mississippi Constitution, "Article 4, Section 36," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ Mississippi Constitution, "Article 4, Section 42," accessed May 22, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Justia US Law, "2020 Mississippi Code," accessed February 6, 2023 (Statute 23-15-851)
- ↑ Magnolia Tribune, "Appeal to U.S. Supreme Court coming to address “very narrow, legal issue” in court-ordered legislative redistricting," July 3, 2025
- ↑ Associated Press, "Mississippi can wait to reset legislative districts that dilute Black voting strength, judges say," July 18, 2024
- ↑ Associated Press, "New Mississippi legislative maps head to court for approval despite DeSoto lawmakers’ objections," March 6, 2025
- ↑ DeSoto Times-Tribune, "Judges order new redistricting map for DeSoto," April 16, 2025
- ↑ Mississippi Today, "Federal court approves Mississippi legislative redistricting. Special elections will proceed," May 9, 2025
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Jackson Free Press, "Mississippi House and Senate OK Each Other's Redistricting," April 1, 2022
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Jackson Free Press, "Mississippi House, Senate Pass Separate Redistricting Plans," March 30, 2022
- ↑ ‘’Mississippi legislature’’, “Joint Resolution 202-History of Actions, 03/29 (S) Adopted," accessed April 7, 2022
- ↑ ‘’Mississippi legislature’’, “Joint Resolution 202-History of Actions, 03/31 (H) Adopted," accessed April 7, 2022
- ↑ ‘’Mississippi legislature’’, “Joint Resolution 1-History of Actions, 03/29 (H) Adopted As Amended," accessed April 7, 2022
- ↑ ‘’Mississippi legislature’’, “Joint Resolution 1-History of Actions, 03/31 (S) Adopted," accessed April 7, 2022
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 All About Redistricting, "Mississippi," accessed May 4, 2015
- ↑ 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 Secretary of State, "2011 election results," accessed November 13, 2013
