Mississippi State Senate elections, 2019
- Primary: Aug. 6
- General election: Nov. 5
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 7
- Early voting: N/A
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 4
- Online registration: No
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: Photo ID required
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
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| 2019 Mississippi Senate Elections | |
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| General | November 5, 2019 |
| Past Election Results |
| 2015・2011・2007 |
| 2019 Elections | |
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Elections for all 52 seats in 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.[1]
The Mississippi State Senate was one of seven state legislative chambers with elections in 2019. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. In 2017, three out of 99 legislative chambers held elections.
Candidates
General election
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate ConnectionPrimary runoff election
Mississippi State Senate primary runoff election |
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| Office |  Democratic |
 Republican |
Other |
| District 1 |
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| District 3 |
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| District 8 |
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| District 10 |
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| District 13 |
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| District 22 |
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| District 37 |
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| District 51 |
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Primary election
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Candidate survey
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Ballotpedia invites candidates to participate in its annual survey. |
The following state legislative candidates responded to Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click candidate names to read their answers.
District 5
District 22
District 37
District 48
Incumbents retiring
A total of 12 incumbents did not file to run for re-election in 2019.[2] Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Current Office |
|---|---|---|
| Nickey Browning |  Republican |
Senate District 3 |
| J.P. Wilemon |  Democratic |
Senate District 5 |
| Russell Jolly | Democratic |
Senate District 8 |
| Gray Tollison | Republican |
Senate District 9 |
| Willie Simmons | Democratic |
Senate District 13 |
| Eugene Clarke | Republican |
Senate District 22 |
| Terry Burton | Republican |
Senate District 31 |
| Videt Carmichael | Republican |
Senate District 33 |
| Robert Dearing | Democratic |
Senate District 37 |
| Billy Hudson | Republican |
Senate District 45 |
| Tommy Gollott | Republican |
Senate District 50 |
| Michael Watson | Republican |
Senate District 51 |
Process to become a candidate
For party candidates
See statutes: Title 23, Chapter 15, Article 11, Section 297 of the Mississippi Code
A candidate seeking the nomination of his or her party for federal or state office (including seats in the Mississippi State Legislature) must submit a statement of intent to his or her party and pay a filing fee, also to be submitted to the party. The statement of intent is a form prescribed by the Mississippi Secretary of State that must include the name and address of the candidate, the party with which the candidate is affiliated, and the office being sought. The deadline for receipt of these materials by the state executive committee of the party is set by state statutes as 5:00 p.m. on March 1 in the year of the election.[3]
Mississippi law directly sets filing fees for some elected offices, while authorizing political party committees to determine fees for other offices within statutory limits:[4][5][6]
| Filing fees | |
|---|---|
| Office | Fee |
| Governor, United States Senator | Political party state executive committees determine the fee between $1,000 and $5,000. |
| Lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, insurance commissioner, commissioner of agriculture and commerce, public service commissioner, state highway commissioner, United States Representative | Political party state executive committees determine the fee between $500 and $2,500. |
| State senator, state representative | $250 |
For independent candidates
See statutes: Title 23, Chapter 15, Article 13, Part B of the Mississippi Code
Independent candidates for federal or state office (including seats in the Mississippi State Legislature) must petition to appear on the general election ballot. The form of petitions is prescribed by the Mississippi Secretary of State, and completed petitions must be submitted to the Mississippi Secretary of State by 5:00 p.m. on March 1 in the year of the election. Signature requirements are as follows:[4]
| Petition signature requirements | |
|---|---|
| Office | Required signatures |
| For offices elected by the state at large (e.g., United States Senator, governor, attorney general, etc.) | At least 1,000 signatures |
| For an office elected by congressional district (e.g., United States Representative) | At least 200 signatures |
| For an office elected by state senatorial or representative district (e.g., State senator, state representative) | At least 50 signatures |
The petition must be accompanied by a qualifying statement of intent (a form prescribed by the Mississippi Secretary of State similar to the statement of intent filed by party candidates). Petition signatures must be verified by the appropriate circuit clerk in the county in which signatures were collected before being submitted to the Mississippi Secretary of State for final approval. Independent candidates must also pay filing fees as follows:[4][7]
| Filing fees | |
|---|---|
| Office | Fee |
| Governor, United States Senator | $1,000 |
| Lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, insurance commissioner, commissioner of agriculture and commerce, public service commissioner, state highway commissioner, United States Representative | $500 |
| State senator, state representative | $250 |
For write-in candidates
The relevant statutes do not indicate that write-in candidates must file any special paperwork or pay any filing fees in order to have their votes tallied.
Qualifications
In order to run for the Mississippi State Senate, a candidate must:[8]
- Be 25 years of age or older.
- Be a qualified elector and resident of the State of Mississippi for four years.
- Be a resident of the county or district a candidate plans to represent for two years.
- If running as a Republican or Democrat, pay a $15 filing fee to the State Executive Committee of the party with which the candidate is affiliated.
- If running as an independent, submit 50 signatures to the Circuit Clerk or the Secretary of State.
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[9] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $23,500/year | For senators: $166/day. For representatives: $157/day. |
When sworn in
Mississippi legislators assume office the Tuesday after the first Monday of January.[10]
Potential impact on trifecta status
Heading into the 2019 elections, Mississippi had been a Republican trifecta since the beginning of the 2012 legislative session. Mississippi held elections for governor, all 52 state Senate seats, and all 122 state House seats in 2019. In order to maintain their trifecta, Republicans needed to hold the governor's office and maintain their legislative majorities. In order to gain a trifecta, Democrats needed to take the governor's office and win majorities in both legislative chambers.
Election forecasters rated the governor's race Leans Republican. Democrats needed to either win that election, flip seven out of 52 state Senate seats (13.5%), or flip 15 out of 122 state House seats (12.3%) in order to break the Republican trifecta. Ballotpedia assessed Mississippi's Republican trifecta as moderately vulnerable.
Republicans won 75 seats in the state House to Democrats' 46 and independents' one. Democrats gained a net two seats and Republicans gained a net one seat. In the state Senate, Republicans won 36 seats to Democrats' 16, meaning that Republicans gained a net five seats while Democrats lost two. At the time of the election, two seats were vacant in the House and three were vacant in the Senate.
Mississippi political history
Party control
| Mississippi State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 5, 2019 | After November 6, 2019 | |
| Democratic Party | 18 | 16 | |
| Republican Party | 31 | 36 | |
| Vacancies | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 52 | 52 | |
Presidential politics in Mississippi
2016 Presidential election results
| U.S. presidential election, Mississippi, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine | 40.1% | 485,131 | 0 | |
| Republican |  Donald Trump/Mike Pence |
57.9% | 700,714 | 6 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 1.2% | 14,435 | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka | 0.3% | 3,731 | 0 | |
| Constitution | Darrell Lane Castle/Scott Bradley | 0.3% | 3,987 | 0 | |
| American Delta | Rocky De La Fuente/Michael Steinberg | 0.1% | 644 | 0 | |
| Prohibition | Jim Hedges/Bill Bayes | 0.1% | 715 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 1,209,357 | 6 | |||
| Election results via: Mississippi Secretary of State | |||||
Voter information
How the primary works
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."[11]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Poll times
All polling places in Mississippi are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[12]
Registration requirements
- Check your voter registration status here.
To register in Mississippi, prospective voters must be United States citizens, residents of their county in Mississippi for at least 30 days, and at least 18 years old by Election Day.[13][14]
Registration applicants must postmark or submit an application in person to the local circuit clerk’s office at least 30 days before an election. Mailed applications must be postmarked by this date.[14]
Automatic registration
- See also: Automatic voter registration
Mississippi does not practice automatic voter registration.
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Mississippi does not permit online voter registration.
Same-day registration
- See also: Same-day voter registration
Mississippi does not allow same-day voter registration.
Residency requirements
To register to vote in Mississippi, you must be a resident of the state for at least 30 days.[14]
Verification of citizenship
Mississippi does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.[14]
All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[15] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.
Verifying your registration
The site Y’all Vote, run by the Mississippi Secretary of State office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.
Voter ID requirements
Mississippi requires voters to present photo identification while voting.[16]
The following list of accepted ID was current as of July 2025.[17]
| “ |
1. A valid Mississippi driver’s license (includes Mississippi Mobile ID, issued by Department of Public Safety]) |
” |
To view Mississippi state law pertaining to voter identification, click here.
Voters can obtain a Mississippi Voter Identification Card for free at any circuit clerk’s office in Mississippi. Voters can apply for a card during normal business hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). Voters who need transportation to a circuit clerk’s office can call the secretary of state’s voter ID toll-free hotline at 1-844-678-6837, visit www.MSVoterID.ms.gov, or email MSVoterID@sos.ms.gov to schedule a ride. Transportation is free of charge.[19]
Early voting
Mississippi does not permit early voting. In-person absentee voting is permitted, but a voter must qualify. The following types of voters are eligible to cast an in-person absentee ballot:[20]
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Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.
Absentee voting
Mississippi requires a voter to have an excuse to cast an absentee ballot by mail. The following types of Mississippi voters are eligible to vote by absentee/mail-in ballot:[21][12]
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There is no specific deadline for applying for an absentee ballot. Voters can contact their local circuit or municipal clerk’s office to request an absentee ballot beginning 45 days before an election. Completed ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received within five business days of the election in order to be counted.[12][21]
- Note: Per an October 2024 decision from a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, ballots must be received by the close of polls on Election Day to be counted. Litigation in this case is ongoing, see here for more information.
State profile
- See also: Mississippi and Mississippi elections, 2019
Partisan data
The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019
Presidential voting pattern
- Mississippi voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2018 elections, both U.S. Senators from Mississippi were Republicans.
- Mississippi had one Democratic and three Republican U.S. Representatives.
State executives
- Democrats held three and Republicans held 9 of Mississippi's 15 state executive offices. Elections for the other offices are nonpartisan.
- Mississippi's governor was Republican Phil Bryant.
State legislature
- Republicans controlled the Mississippi State Senate with a 33-19 majority.
- Republicans controlled the Mississippi House of Representatives with a 74-46 majority.
Mississippi Party Control: 1992-2025
Four years of Democratic trifectas • Fourteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R[22] | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
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| Demographic data for Mississippi | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 2,989,390 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 46,923 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 59.2% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 37.4% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.4% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 1.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 2.9% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 82.3% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 20.7% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $39,665 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 27% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Mississippi. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "Candidate Qualifying List," accessed April 2, 2019
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
- ↑ Mississippi Code of 1972, "Title 23, Chapter 15, Article 11, Section 299," accessed March 7, 2025
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Mississippi Code of 1972, "Title 23, Chapter 15, Article 11, Section 297," accessed March 7, 2025
- ↑ Mississippi Legislature, "Senate Bill No. 2358," accessed March 7, 2025
- ↑ Mississippi 2025 Candidate Qualifying Guide," March 7, 2025
- ↑ Misssissippi Legislature Bill Status, "Senate Bill 2167," March 13, 2025
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "Filing Fees and Qualifications," accessed December 17, 2013
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Mississippi Constitution, "Article 4, Section 36," accessed November 1, 2021
- ↑ LexisNexis, "Miss. Code Ann. § 23–15–575," accessed September 3, 2025
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Mississippi Secretary of State, "Voter Information Guide," accessed September 17, 2025
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "Voter Registration Information," accessed September 17, 2025
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Mississippi Secretary of State, "Voter Registration Application," accessed September 17, 2025
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "Mississippi Voter ID," accessed September 17, 2025
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "Acceptable Photo IDs," accessed September 17, 2025
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "How to get a MS Voter ID Card." accessed September 17, 2025
- ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "Absentee Voting Information," accessed September 17, 2025
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Mississippi Secretary of State, "Absentee Voting Information," accessed September 17, 2025
- ↑ Republicans gained a majority in 2007 when two Democratic state senators switched their party affiliation. Democrats regained the majority as a result of the 2007 elections.
