A Senate and House incumbent from the Golden Triangle are both facing primary challengers in their bids for reelection, according to the most recent qualifying information filed with the state Republican party.
Alan Sibley has qualified to challenge incumbent Bart Williams (R-Starkville) in the District 15 senator’s race. Kenneth Aasand is running against incumbent Rob Roberson (R-Starkville) for the District 43 House seat.
The qualifying deadline is Feb. 1. Party primary elections are Aug. 8, and the general election is Nov. 7.
The 15th Senate district includes all of Webster County and parts of Choctaw, Montgomery and Oktibbeha counties.
Sibley, a lifelong Ackerman resident, is a bluegrass and gospel artist and host of “Bluegrass Trail” on RFD TV.
He has been involved with political activism on the state level for a few years, he said, and is running for office to address the issues he sees at the state level.
“Some of the things that have happened here in our state in the last, I’m going to say, three years, kind of opened my eyes to the situation in Jackson and our state government, particularly our state legislature,” Sibley said. “I tell people that we have a swamp in Jackson that is just as deep and slimy as anything in Washington, D.C., it’s just not as front and center in the media.”
He is also campaigning on issues such as Second Amendment rights, medical freedom and ballot initiative reform.
“Right now, Mississippi does not have a functional ballot initiative process and we’re not going to have one until the state legislature amends the state constitution to provide for it,” he said.
The Supreme Court in 2021 overturned the results of Initiative 65, which established a medical Marijuana program in the state, claiming the state ballot initiative process was illegitimate. The legislature has yet to enact a law to re-establish it.
Williams has been serving as senator since 2020, when he won a special election to replace Gary Jackson, who resigned.
He is seeking his first full term this time around.
“I think I can be effective for District 15, and I think in a full term, I can be more effective,” he said.
He said he is proud to have been a part of passing the tax cuts, the teacher pay raise and the SEC2 program which brought state employees’ pay close to that of the private sector.
“I think that, from a conservative perspective, some great things have been done in our legislature,” he said.
Williams owns Security Solutions in Starkville.
The 43rd House district includes parts of Oktibbeha County.
Aasand, a political newcomer, is retired military, and is currently a full-time student at Mississippi State University seeking a bachelor’s of science in interdisciplinary studies. He once owned Grassroots Aviation and served a stint as fixed-base operator for the George M. Bryan Airport in Starkville.
“I view (Rob Roberson) as too busy to completely represent the people,” he told The Dispatch. “He’s doing too much other stuff. I am retired and I can devote four years, full-time, to being a good representative.”
He added that he has been studying political science and other areas he feels would be helpful in government.
“What I bring to the table is a degree, a well-rounded knowledge base that will be very useful in the House of Representatives that I don’t think any other politician would have,” he said.
Aasand’s four main focuses would be bringing expanded Medicaid to Mississippi; ensuring fiscal responsibility, especially in regards to tax cuts; bringing the House into accordance with the Open Meetings Act; and restoring the ballot initiative process.
He said he would donate his salary to charities and civic organizations as well.
Roberson, serving his second term in District 43, was a representative in another House district for five years, between 1998 and 2003.
He works as an attorney at his private practice in Starkville as well as being the board attorney for the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors.
Roberson said he is proud of the different funds and projects he has brought to Oktibbeha County, but he feels there is still work to be done.
“There are some things that we are still working on,” he said. “My downtown project, making sure that we are getting some money to fix the sewer and the roofs down Main Street. … There’s a multitude of littles issues that build up to a large impact for the community.”
Other incumbents who have qualified but do not yet have opponents include: District 38 Rep. Cheikh Taylor (D-Starkville), District 39 Rep. Dana McLean (R-Columbus), District 41 Rep. Kabir Karriem (D-Columbus), District 16 Sen. Angela Turner Ford (D-West Point) and District 17 Sen. Chuck Younger (R-Lowndes County).
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You can help your community
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 44 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
