Steve Eaton

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Steve Eaton

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2019

Steve Eaton (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Mississippi State Senate to represent District 5. Eaton lost in the general election on November 5, 2019.

Eaton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.

Elections

2019

See also: Mississippi State Senate elections, 2019

General election

General election for Mississippi State Senate District 5

Daniel Sparks defeated Steve Eaton in the general election for Mississippi State Senate District 5 on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Daniel Sparks (R)	72.1	14,109
		Steve Eaton (D)	27.9	5,450

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,559
= 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 5

Steve Eaton advanced from the Democratic primary for Mississippi State Senate District 5 on August 6, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Steve Eaton	100.0	3,687

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,687
= 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 5

Daniel Sparks defeated Patrick Eaton, Mario Barnes, and Mel Greenhaw in the Republican primary for Mississippi State Senate District 5 on August 6, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Daniel Sparks	53.0	5,724
		Patrick Eaton	34.2	3,687
		Mario Barnes	10.7	1,150
	Submit photo	Mel Greenhaw	2.2	235

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,796
= 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.

Campaign themes

2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Steve Eaton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Eaton's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

Education Reform

Infrastructure Reform

Healthcare Reform

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about veteran’s services. I believe anyone that is willing to fight selflessly for our country should have the best care when they return from service. I am passionate, too, about education, as I would not be here today without the dedication and service of the teachers in my life.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to the people in my community. They show me truly the love for people, community, and how to always persevere even when times get tough.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The film Karate Kid (1984) happens to be one of my favorites because not only did I teach karate for many years, I feel it has a valuable lesson in which I bring to my political career: the way you handle every situation is a show of character. I believe in learning from every decision I make and improving myself each time.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

I believe an elected official should be trustworthy and have integrity.

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

I am a listener. Above all things, I want to hear from my constituents. I will always listen to my constituents. I will work day in and out for the people that I serve.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

I believe an elected official is responsible for upholding the oath they took to office and being honest with the people they serve.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to be remembered as the guy that did everything he did for the betterment of people.

What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?

I love my sofa because it is where my family and I spend most of our time at home together. Many long talks and happy memories have been made in our living room.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I struggle with not doing enough for others. If I ever feel like I have not done enough in a situation, it bothers me deeply.

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

I believe the major difference would be the amount of people you are serving and the challenges facing larger districts.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe it does help to have previous experience.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

I believe we have to save our infrastructure, reform our education system to keep teachers and new technologies in the classroom, and expand healthcare to better cover our citizens and save our rural hospitals.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

I believe there should be a formal, working relationship at all times, even if it is a split party system. I believe Congress and the office of Governor have a separate job for a reason.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

I do completely. Good working relationships amongst elected officials only help the citizens more.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

For now, I believe I will best serve in the office for which I am running.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I have learned of families in my districts that barely can even provide food and shelter with the wages they are making now. These stories break my heart, and that is why I am advocating heavily for education. I believe if we provide a quality education and promote skills / trades, we can better the lives of Mississippians.

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

2019 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

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Newsletters

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External links

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Footnotes

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Current members of the Mississippi State Senate

Leadership

Senators

District 1

Michael McLendon (R)

District 2

David Parker (R)

District 3

Kathy Chism (R)

District 4

Rita Parks (R)

District 5

Daniel Sparks (R)

District 6

Chad McMahan (R)

District 7

Hob Bryan (D)

District 8

Benjamin Suber (R)

District 9

Nicole Boyd (R)

District 10

Neil Whaley (R)

District 11

Reginald Jackson (D)

District 12

Derrick Simmons (D)

District 13

Sarita Simmons (D)

District 14

Lydia Chassaniol (R)

District 15

Bart Williams (R)

District 16

Angela Turner-Ford (D)

District 17

Charles Younger (R)

District 18

Lane Taylor (R)

District 19

Kevin Blackwell (R)

District 20

Josh Harkins (R)

District 21

Bradford Blackmon (D)

District 22

Joseph Thomas (D)

District 23

Briggs Hopson (R)

District 24

Vacant

District 25

Walter Michel (R)

District 26

Vacant

District 27

Hillman Frazier (D)

District 28

Sollie Norwood (D)

District 29

David Blount (D)

District 30

Dean Kirby (R)

District 31

Tyler McCaughn (R)

District 32

Rod Hickman (D)

District 33

Jeff Tate (R)

District 34

Juan Barnett (D)

District 35

Andy Berry (R)

District 36

Brian Rhodes (R)

District 37

Albert Butler (D)

District 38

Gary Brumfield (D)

District 39

Jason Barrett (R)

District 40

Angela Hill (R)

District 41

Joey Fillingane (R)

District 42

Robin Robinson (R)

District 43

Dennis DeBar (R)

District 44

John Polk (R)

District 45

Chris Johnson (R)

District 46

Philman Ladner (R)

District 47

Joseph Seymour (R)

District 48

Mike Thompson (R)

District 49

Joel Carter (R)

District 50

Scott DeLano (R)

District 51

Jeremy England (R)

District 52

Brice Wiggins (R)

Republican Party (36)

Democratic Party (14)

Vacancies (2)