Cliff Johnson (Mississippi)
Cliff Johnson (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Mississippi's 1st Congressional District. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. He advanced from the Democratic primary on March 10, 2026.
Johnson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Cliff Johnson earned a bachelor's degree from the Mississippi College and a law degree from the Columbia University School of Law. His career experience includes working as a director.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Mississippi's 1st Congressional District election, 2026
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for U.S. House Mississippi District 1
Incumbent Trent Kelly and Cliff Johnson are running in the general election for U.S. House Mississippi District 1 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Trent Kelly (R) | |
 | Cliff Johnson (D)  | |
| ||||
| = 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 U.S. House Mississippi District 1
Cliff Johnson defeated Kelvin Buck in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Mississippi District 1 on March 10, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Cliff Johnson | 66.0 | 16,577 |
 | Kelvin Buck | 34.0 | 8,536 | |
| Total votes: 25,113 | |||
| = 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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Montravius Hall (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Mississippi District 1
Incumbent Trent Kelly advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Mississippi District 1 on March 10, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Trent Kelly |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Cliff Johnson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Johnson's responses.
| Collapse all
- Working People Matter! Too many people in North Mississippi are struggling to make ends meet, and politicians aren't doing enough to make things easier. While wages remain flat, prices for everything from groceries to housing to health care are soaring. To make things worse, the Trump Administration and politicians who support it are focused on giving tax cuts to the super-rich and making sure corporations continue to enjoy record profits. As a civil rights lawyer who has practiced law in Mississippi for 33 years, I have ended debtors' prisons across Mississippi, successfully fought to make sure poor defendants have access to counsel, and consistently stood up for the most vulnerable when they are under attack. I fight bullies!
- Democracy Matters! The Trump Administration's assault on America's institutions must be stopped. The politicization of our military, assault on our judiciary, and dismantling of government agencies destabilize our country and make us less safe and less secure. Federal employees at places like the VA aren't villains. Our government relies on the separation of powers and a system of checks and balances that has been eroded by those now in power. As a law professor who understands what our Constitution demands, I am committed to the fight for a political system that considers all voices and does not concentrate power in one person or one branch of government. America will remain great only if we address threats to our freedom.
- Independence Matters! I'm a lifelong Democrat, but I'm dedicated to Mississippians - not to a political party. We have to elect candidates who understand the challenges faced by those who elect them and know how to fight to protect local voters. I'm committed to the idea that we don't have to agree on everything in order to agree on the most important things - giving everyone a fair shot in life, protecting our freedoms, respecting the views of others, and supporting the most vulnerable in our communities. I love Mississippi, and I believe we can do better. But that won't happen unless we have leaders we trust to have our backs and move forward united rather than divided. People are tired of the constant fights.
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.
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.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
|
Candidate U.S. House Mississippi District 1 |
Personal |
Footnotes
