Mississippi gubernatorial election, 2019 (August 6 Democratic primary)

Elections in Mississippi, 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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On the ballot: Governor • Lt. Gov • Attorney General • Secretary of State • State executive offices • State Senate • State House • Special state legislative • 

2023 → ← 2015
Governor of Mississippi
Democratic primary Republican primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 1, 2019
Primary: August 6, 2019 Primary runoff: August 27, 2019 General: November 5, 2019 Pre-election incumbent(s): Phil Bryant (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Mississippi
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Lean Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican Inside Elections: Lean Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2019 Impact of term limits in 2019 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2019
Mississippi executive elections
Governor Lieutenant governor Attorney general Secretary of state Public service commissioner (3 seats) Agriculture commissioner Insurance commissioner Auditor Transportation commissioner (3 seats) Treasurer

Attorney General Jim Hood defeated seven other candidates in the Democratic primary for Mississippi governor. Hood received 69.0% of the vote. Incumbent Phil Bryant (R) was term-limited. Hood had served as attorney general since 2004, and, prior to 2015, he was the only Democratic statewide officeholder in the southeastern United States. He said that political extremes are leading the country, and, in contrast, he would solve practical problems and stand up for common people. Hood said he would focus on the state economy and public education system, and he would expand Medicaid.

Alan Greenblatt of Governing wrote that Hood was one of the few Democrats who could win in Mississippi, which elected Gov. Phil Bryant (R) with more than 60 percent of the vote in 2011 and 2015 while also re-electing Hood by similar margins. The last Democratic candidate to win a Mississippi gubernatorial election was Ronnie Musgrove in 1999. In early February, a Mason-Dixon poll showed a hypothetical general election matchup between Hood and Lieutenant Gov. Tate Reeves (R). Hood took 44 percent, and Reeves had 42 percent.

However, Greenblatt also pointed to a provision in the Mississippi Constitution that he said would make it difficult for a Democrat to win. The constitution required a candidate to win a majority of the popular vote and a majority of state house districts to win the gubernatorial election outright. Otherwise, the election was decided by the Mississippi House of Representatives, which Republicans controlled 74-44 as of August 2019.

The seven other candidates on the ballot were Michael Brown, William Bond Compton, Robert Ray, Robert Shuler Smith, Gregory Wash, Velesha P. Williams, and Albert Wilson.

For more information about the August 6 Republican primary, click here. For more on the August 27 runoff, click here.
For more information about the general election, click here.

Mississippi voter? Dates you need to know.
Candidate Filing Deadline	March 1, 2019
Election Registration Deadline	October 7, 2019
Absentee Ballot Return Deadline	November 4, 2019
General Election	November 5, 2019
Voting information
Photo ID?	Yes
Polling place hours	7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

This election was a battleground race. Other 2019 battlegrounds included:

Louisiana gubernatorial election, 2019 (October 12 primary election) Minnesota State Senate District 11 special election, 2019 Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District special election, 2019

Candidates and election results

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Mississippi

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jim Hood	69.0	208,634
		Michael Brown	11.0	33,247
		Velesha P. Williams	6.9	20,844
		Robert Shuler Smith	6.7	20,395
	Submit photo	Robert Ray	1.9	5,609
	Submit photo	William Compton	1.8	5,321
		Albert Wilson	1.7	5,122
	Submit photo	Gregory Wash	1.1	3,218

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 302,390
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Phillip West (D)

Candidate profiles

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages

Top candidates were selected based on the media attention candidates had received as of March 2019.

Jim Hood, attorney general

Party: Democratic

Incumbent: No

Political office: Mississippi Attorney General (Assumed office: 2004)

Biography: Hood received his J.D. from the University of Mississippi in 1988. He served as an assistant attorney general and a district attorney for the Third Judicial District before being elected state attorney general in 2003.

Key messages

• Hood said his top priorities were growing the economy, improving the state's public education system, and improving healthcare access for impoverished persons through the expansion of Medicaid.

• Hood positioned himself as a moderate focused on solving people's practical problems. He said, "The crazies on both extremes of our parties have been driving the agenda, and people are sick of it."

• Hood emphasized his record as attorney general, saying he stood up for common people against corporations from outside the state and provided relief after natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and human-caused disasters like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Robert Shuler Smith, Hinds County district attorney

Party: Democratic

Incumbent: No

Political office: District Attorney of Hinds County, Mississippi (Assumed office: 2008)

Biography: Smith received his undergraduate degree from Tougaloo College and his J.D. from Saint Louis University. He was admitted to the Mississippi Bar in 1996 and practiced as an attorney before becoming the Hinds County district attorney.

Key messages

• Smith said he was running for a “new Mississippi, and a Mississippi for all.” He said he would address healthcare costs, allow citizen input on removing Confederate symbolism from the state flag, and increase the minimum wage.

• Smith said he challenged Jim Hood because he believed that, as Mississippi's attorney general, Hood pursued criminal cases against him that were racially motivated and meant to keep Smith from running for office in the future. He said, "There is no way Mississippi can move forward with someone who has that kind of mentality, whoever that is.” Read more about the charges against Smith here.

• Smith supported the legalization of marijuana. He said legalization would help Mississippi farmers, increase tax revenue for infrastructure projects, and allow the state to release incarcerated people arrested for marijuana possession.

Endorsements

Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Democratic candidate endorsements
Endorsement	Hood	Smith
Individuals
Former Gov. Ray Mabus (D)	✔
Former gubernatorial candidate and former state Rep. Phillip West (D)	✔

Timeline

• July 30, 2019: A periodic campaign finance filing deadline passed. As of August 2, three candidates reported raising or spending funds during July 2019. Michael Brown reported raising $100 during July 2019 and having no cash on hand. Jim Hood reported raising $280,000 during July 2019 and having $1.5 million in cash on hand. Robert Shuler Smith reported raising $3,800 during July 2019 and having $1,500 in cash on hand.

• July 28, 2019: Jim Hood began airing an ad titled Jim's World. In the ad, Hood discusses his education, healthcare, and tax policies.

• July 16, 2019: Jim Hood began airing an ad titled A Day in the Life. In the ad, Hood discusses his record as state attorney general.

• July 10, 2019: A periodic campaign finance filing deadline passed. As of July 11, three candidates reported raising or spending funds during June 2019. Jim Hood reported raising $333,000 during the month and having $1.5 million in cash on hand. Robert Shuler Smith reported raising $3,200 during the month and having $900 in cash on hand. Velesha P. Williams reported raising $2,400 during the month and having $1,300 in cash on hand.

• June 24, 2019: Former Gov. Ray Mabus (D) endorsed Hood.

• June 10, 2019: A periodic campaign finance filing deadline passed. As of June 13, four candidates reported raising or spending during May 2019. Jim Hood reported raising $210,000 during the month and having $1.2 million in cash on hand. Robert Ray reported raising $140 and ending the month $15 in debt. Robert Shuler Smith reported raising $3,400 and having $1,700 on hand. Velesha Williams reported raising $2,900 and having $220 on hand.

• May 31, 2019: Former state Rep. Phillip West (D) withdrew from the race and endorsed Hood.

• April 30, 2019: The quarterly campaign finance filing deadline passed. William Bond Compton reported raising $1,000 between January 1 and April 30 and having $0 in cash on hand. Jim Hood reported raising $755,000 between January 1 and April 30 and having $1.2 million in cash on hand. Robert Shuler Smith reported raising $11,000 between January 1 and April 30 and having $300 in cash on hand. Velesha P. Williams reported raising $18,000 between January 1 and April 30 and having $0 in cash on hand.

• March 1, 2019: Nine Democrats filed to run in the gubernatorial primary: William Bond Compton Jr., Michael Brown, Attorney General Jim Hood, Robert J. Ray, Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith, Gregory Walsh, former state Rep. Phillip West, Velesha Williams, and Albert Wilson.

Campaign themes

Candidate survey

Ballotpedia invites candidates to participate in its annual survey.
Click here to fill out the survey.

The following campaign themes came from the candidates' campaign websites, where available.

Jim Hood

Campaign website

Hood’s campaign website stated the following:

“	TO GROW OUR ECONOMY Mississippi needs to get back to swinging hammers and building bridges – that’s how we grow our economy and build stronger communities. As your governor I will: Stop the Legislature from running up our debt Create high-paying jobs Put money in Mississippian’s hands, not out-of-state corporations Support our main street merchants Put working people back to work by building highways and bridges Support workforce development programs TO IMPROVE EDUCATION Education is the building block to success. Investing in Mississippi’s public education system means investing in every Mississippian. As your governor I will: Advocate for a statewide, universal pre-kindergarten program Focus on making community colleges and universities more affordable Improve our public-school system TO MAKE HEALTH CARE AFFORDABLE & ACCESSIBLE Jim Hood for Affordable and Accessible Healthcare Jesus said to take care of the widows, orphans, the elderly, and the least among us. When it comes to health care, Mississippi has not followed His word. As your governor I will: Work to make health care affordable for everyone Fight for those who can’t fight for themselves Support law enforcement in the fight against the opioid epidemic Accept federal dollars to help our struggling rural hospitals Focus on improving rural access to health care A RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS Passionate champion of children. General Hood has worked tirelessly to prevent children from being abused and exploited, especially by internet predators. His efforts have served as a model for other states. Dedicated public servant. General Hood has served the people for 25 years as an assistant attorney general, district attorney, and attorney general. Friend of consumers. After Hurricane Katrina, General Hood worked to strengthen laws to protect consumers, while prosecuting offenders for home repair fraud, price gouging, identity theft, and financial scams. Watchdog over corporate wrong-doers. General Hood’s commitment to holding corporations accountable has recovered more than $3 billion for taxpayers. Guardian of the Gulf Coast. General Hood worked to provide relief to coastal residents and business owners after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.	”
—Jim Hood’s campaign website (2019)

Robert Shuler Smith

Campaign website

Smith’s campaign website stated the following:

“	Attorney Robert Shuler Smith is what Mississippi needs, a "Trusted Expert" who will take his years of experience as a public servant, and proud Mississippian, to properly plan the future of our great state. With your help, Robert Shuler Smith is committed to building a better state for us and our generations to come . As a highly experienced District Attorney he is dedicated to help with any and all of your future needs of economic growth, educational strength, and community improvement. When planning for Mississippi, Robert Shuler Smith will reinforce what makes us great and unique while building toward a brighter tomorrow for all of our friends and family throughout Mississippi. Our team focuses on many areas including: Criminal Justice Reform Economic Growth Business and Financial Planning/Growth Educational Improvements We are here to get to a solution....... together we work as one team. Robert Shuler Smith has been fighting crime in the tough streets of the Capital City for over 12 years. As the current Hinds County District Attorney, Atty Robert Shuler Smith has gained the experience that is needed to improve the most challenging situations. Vote For Someone Who Can back It Up: Integrity Trustworthy Strong Leader Let's not wait to get started. Help to support the vision. Donate and Vote!	”
—Robert Shuler Smith’s campaign website (2019)

Velesha Williams

Candidate Connection survey

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Velesha P. Williams completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Williams' responses.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

1. Affordable Healthcare for all. 2. Quality Education 3. Economic Stability 4. Criminal Justice Reform 5. Restore our failing infrastructure 6. Protect our Environment

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Healthcare coverage for all. MS ranks 50th in healthcare, healthcare quality, and healthcare affordability. I will ensure we expand Medicaid.

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

Love, Honesty, Integrity, Selfless Service, Compassion, and Proven Leadership

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

Love, Honesty, Integrity, Selfless Service, Compassion, Duty, and over 30 years of leadership and service to my country, state and community.

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

To provide for the health and well-being of Mississippians, attract Industries and business that are good for Mississippi and Mississppians. Ensure we have a thriving educational system and infrastructure, create a climate of livability, properly manage our resources and protected the environment.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Leadership resulting in affordable healthcare for all, quality education, economic stability, criminal justice reform, restored infrastructure, and environmental protection.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Serving as an Active Duty Army Officer in the position of Company Commander; perparing soldiers for combat and their military occupational specialty.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked for a short period of time, perhaps a month or two making pizza at a local pizza shop.

What is your favorite holiday? Why?

Christmas. It represents the birth of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

This Battle is Not Yours, it's the Lord's by Yalonda Adams.

A governor is the top executive authority in his or her state. What does that mean do you?

That I have an awesome responsibility to get it right. To manage to office effectively and efficiently as to create " A Better Mississippi for all Mississippians.

Governors have many responsibilities, which vary from state to state. Which of those do you personally consider the most important in your state?

To be a voice and advocate for the citizens of the state. Ensuring the health and wellbeing of all citizens is a priority.

Different states require governors to have different degrees of responsibility for the state budgeting process. If it were your choice, what do you believe is the appropriate degree of gubernatorial involvement with this process in your state?

The Governor should have the final approval and sign off authority on the state budget.

In most states, governors have the power to make line-item vetoes. If that is true in your state, what would be your philosophy for how and when to use this power?

I agree with this power. I would use it if the line item being proposed does not serve the needs of Mississippians.

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

A nonpartisan working relationship that puts the best interest of Mississippians at the forefront of all decisions.

What do you love most about your state?

The people and our potential to be great.

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

Resistance to change and the courage to do what is right in every situation.

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.

Policy stances

Abortion

Both candidates indicated support for restrictions on abortion, particularly a bill that would ban most abortions after a fetus' heartbeat could be detected (around six weeks). The state passed a 15-week abortion restriction law in 2018.

• Jim Hood said he would defend the heartbeat legislation. He said, “I’ve defended every bill that the Legislature has passed on abortion. That’s my duty as attorney general. I don’t personally believe that abortion is right.”

Hood added that he believed some politicians misled voters by promising to impose more restrictions on abortion than federal courts would allow. He said, “It’s awful to try to mislead good, churchgoing people who vote on one issue, to mislead them and tell them, ‘I’m going to stop it.’”

• Robert Shuler Smith said in an interview with Y'all Politics that he would likely support the heartbeat legislation if he was a legislator.

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Jim Hood

"Jim's World" - Hood campaign ad, released July 28, 2019

"A Day in the Life" - Hood campaign ad, released July 17, 2019

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

If you are aware of polls conducted in this race, please email us.

Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Mississippi Secretary of State covering all contributions and expenditures made in 2019 through July 27. Only candidates who filed campaign finance reports for that period are included.

In addition to the above figures, Hood entered 2019 with $1,044,677.21 in his campaign account.

Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

Noteworthy events

Criminal charges against Robert Shuler Smith (2016-2018)

As attorney general, Jim Hood pursued criminal charges against Robert Shuler Smith that resulted in three trials between December 2016 and September 2018. Each trial resulted in a mistrial or an acquittal. In the first two trials, Smith was charged with hindering a criminal prosecution, and in the third trial he was charged with robbery and aggravated stalking.

In December 2016, Hood's office tried Smith on charges of hindering the criminal prosecution of Christopher Butler. The prosecution alleged that Smith assisted Butler in getting drug possession charges against him dropped in exchange for bribes. An assistant district attorney from Smith's office pleaded guilty to similar charges and testified against Smith. The judge declared a mistrial after discovering one of the jurors misrepresented himself. Smith was tried on the charges again in August 2017, and the jury acquitted him.

In September 2018, Hood's office tried Smith on charges that he abused, threatened, and robbed his ex-girlfriend, Christie Edwards, in August 2015. The jury acquitted Smith on robbery charges but was undecided on aggravated stalking charges. Domestic violence charges were included in a separate indictment, giving Hood's office the option of pursuing them later on. Smith's lawyers argued that Edwards' allegations were politically motivated and that she had been attempting to derail his 2015 re-election campaign.

After announcing his run for governor, Smith said he believed the prosecutions against him were racially and politically motivated. He said, “I think they were intimidated or afraid that I might become a candidate for some office some day. It doesn’t make any sense to try to frame someone and then, thank God we found the evidence, if there was a legitimate investigation he wouldn’t even be in this race.”

If you are aware of comments Jim Hood has made related to these trials, please email us at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Social media

Twitter accounts

As of March 2019, Robert Shuler Smith did not have a Twitter account.

Tweets by Jim Hood

Facebook accounts

As of March 2019, Robert Shuler Smith did not have a Facebook account.

Click the icons below to visit the candidates' Facebook pages.

Jim Hood

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Two of 82 Mississippi counties—2.4 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County	Trump margin of victory in 2016	Obama margin of victory in 2012	Obama margin of victory in 2008
Chickasaw County, Mississippi	6.06%	4.52%	2.13%
Panola County, Mississippi	0.12%	8.62%	6.52%

State overview

Partisan control

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Mississippi heading into the 2019 elections.

Congressional delegation

• Republicans held both U.S. Senate seats in Mississippi.
• Republicans held three of four U.S. House seats in Mississippi.

State executives

• As of March 2019, Republicans held nine of 15 state executive positions, Democrats held three, and three offices were nonpartisan.
• The governor of Mississippi was Republican Phil Bryant. Bryant won election in 2011 and was re-elected in 2015.

State legislature

• Republicans controlled both chambers of the Mississippi State Legislature.

Trifecta status

• Mississippi was a Republican trifecta, meaning that the Republican Party held the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.

2019 elections

See also: Mississippi elections, 2019

Mississippi held elections for the following positions in 2019:

• Governor and eight other state executive positions
• All 122 state House seats
• All 52 state Senate seats

Demographics

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.

As of July 2016, Mississippi's three largest cities were Jackson (pop. est. 170,000), Gulfport (pop. est. 72,000), and Southaven (pop. est. 54,000).

Context of the 2019 elections

Party control in Mississippi

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Republicans in Mississippi gained a state government trifecta as a result of the 2011 elections, when they took control of the state House.

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	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

Past elections

2015

See also: Mississippi gubernatorial election, 2015

Governor of Mississippi, 2015
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Robert Gray	32.4%	234,858
	Republican	Phil Bryant Incumbent	66.2%	480,399
	Reform	Shawn O'Hara	1.4%	9,950
Total Votes				725,207
Election results via Mississippi Secretary of State

2011

See also: Mississippi gubernatorial election, 2011

Governor of Mississippi, 2011
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Phil Bryant	61%	544,851
	Democratic	Johnny DuPree	39%	348,617
Total Votes				893,468
Election results via Mississippi Secretary of State

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	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

Mississippi quick stats

• Became a state in 1817
• 20th state admitted to the United States
• The world's first lung transplant was performed in Mississippi.
• Members of the Mississippi State Senate: 52
• Members of the Mississippi House of Representatives: 122
• U.S. senators: 2
• U.S. representatives: 4

More Mississippi coverage on Ballotpedia:

• Mississippi elections, 2019
• Presidential voting trends in Mississippi
• United States congressional delegations from Mississippi
• Public policy in Mississippi
• Influencers in Mississippi
• Almanac of American Politics state profile
• More...

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

Mississippi government:

• Mississippi state executive offices
• Mississippi State Legislature
• Mississippi courts

Elections:

• State executive official elections, 2019
• State executive official elections, 2018
• State executive official elections, 2017

Ballotpedia exclusives:

• State executives compensation
• State of the state addresses
• Trifecta control of state government

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic
• Governor of Mississippi official website

Footnotes

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Tech: Matt Latourelle, Director of Technology Operations • Ryan Burch • Kirsten Corrao • Beth Dellea • Travis Eden • Tate Kamish • Margaret Kearney • Eric Lotto • Joseph Sanchez • Mary Susmitha

Contributors: Scott Rasmussen

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Editorial Content

Josh Altic, Director of Content • Daniel Anderson, Associate Director of Elections & Data • Cory Eucalitto, Associate Director of Features • Ryan Byrne, Managing Editor of Ballot Measures • Mandy McConnell, Managing Editor of News • Doug Kronaizl, Managing Editor of Local Expansion • Abbey Smith, Managing Editor of Elections • Janie Valentine, Managing Editor of Law • Joel Williams. Managing Editor of Events • Andrew Bahl • Jaclyn Beran • Marielle Bricker • Joseph Brusgard • Emma Burlingame • Kelly Coyle • Jon Dunn • Thomas Ellis • Nicole Fisher • Joseph Greaney • Thomas Grobben • Jaime Healy-Plotkin • Brianna Hosea • Molly Kehoe • Tyler King • Glorie Martinez • Norm Leahy, Senior Editor • Nathan Maxwell • Jimmy McAllister • Brandon McCauley • Ellie Mikus • Ellen Morrissey • Mackenzie Murphy • Kaley Platek • Samantha Post • Adam Powell • Annelise Reinwald • Ethan Rice • Spencer Richardson • Victoria Rose • Briana Ryan • Myj Saintyl • Maddy Salucka • Emma Soukup • Alexis Thacker • Mina Vogel • Samuel Wonacott • Trenton Woodcox