Two state House districts in the Golden Triangle will hold special elections this fall as part of a court-ordered redistricting effort to ensure Black voters are fairly represented.
A panel of federal judges ordered the Mississippi Election Commission – which consists of Speaker of the House Jason White, Attorney General Lynn Fitch and Secretary of State Michael Watson – to redraw certain districts after ruling the 2022 maps diluted Black voting power in DeSoto and Chickasaw counties.
The commission had to redraw the Senate map after the panel rejected the proposed plan for redistricting in April. In the same ruling, judges accepted the redrawn House district map and ordered more than a dozen special elections to take place in November.
Among them are House Districts 41 and 39, which both include parts of the Golden Triangle. While the Secretary of State’s Office has not yet confirmed the candidates for each race, two incumbents confirmed their bids for re-election to The Dispatch. The office will release a full list of certified candidates by Friday – the deadline for state executive committees to submit qualified candidates.
Incumbent Republican Dana McLean submitted qualifying papers to reclaim her seat in District 39, which she said gained more territory in Monroe County and all but one of the Amory precincts. McLean and other lawmakers were unsure how much redistricting would impact their districts until late in the session, she said.
“We just weren’t sure which districts were going to be affected,” McLean told The Dispatch. “We knew which districts that the court had indicated as the problem districts, but as far as those of us surrounding those districts, we didn’t know until later on in the session.”
Before the qualifying period ended Monday, McLean was set to face former Caledonia mayor Mitch Wiggins in the Republican primary. However, Wiggins told The Dispatch he decided to withdraw from the race on Thursday due to personal reasons.
McLean said she will continue focusing on policy that affects women and families as well as other issues she has prioritized since she was first elected in 2020.
“I’ve always been advocating for issues that touch women and children as well as others in my district, but we have a lot more work to do,” she said. “I have more work to do that didn’t make it all the way through last session. We have a lot of other issues to address next session with PERS, with education (and) health care – a lot of very important issues that I’m very happy that I’ll still be able to be a part of.”
In District 41, Incumbent Democrat Kabir Karriem confirmed he submitted qualifying papers to seek re-election. He said his district saw few changes in redistricting, with about two precincts moving into House District 36 to create a special district in Chickasaw County.
“I welcome the new residents into House District 41, and I look forward to continuing the work that I have been doing for the three consecutive terms that I’ve been elected,” Karriem told The Dispatch.
Karriem said he sees the revised maps as an opportunity to expand equitable representation in the state.
“Black people are underrepresented at the Capitol, and I’m happy that House District 41 will play a part in securing more minority representation in the state of Mississippi,” he said. “Hopefully we will reach our proper representation in the legislature.”
Karriem said he plans to rely on his nearly 10-year record in his bid for re-election.
“I’ve been doing the work, and I want to continue to do the work for the people of House District 41,” he said. “I feel like we’ve been making some very good progress not only in the district, but as we represent people across Mississippi. I look forward to continuing to represent them.”
Absentee voting for the Aug. 5 primaries will begin June 21. Absentee voting for the Nov. 4 general election will begin Sept. 20.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 30 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
