Mississippi House Special Elections to Fill Two Seats

Candidates in Hinds, Rankin and Simpson counties report fundraising and spending ahead of the Nov. 3 special elections.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Elections

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a simplified state capitol dome silhouette above a horizon in navy and cream with a muted red accent, evoking Mississippi's legislative special elections. — Candidates James Lott III, Marcus Cheatham, Chris Dunn and Melissa Sullivan are competing in Mississippi House special elections on Nov. 3 for seats in Hinds, Rankin and Simpson counties. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Special elections to fill two vacant Mississippi House seats, District 70 in Hinds County and District 77 in Rankin and Simpson counties, are scheduled for Nov. 3, alongside the general election. The seats opened after the April deaths of Reps. Bo Brown, D-Jackson, and Price Wallace, R-Mendenhall.

Why it matters

The winners will serve one year before facing voters again in the next regular cycle, when all Mississippi House lawmakers stand for election in November 2027. Campaign finance reports show candidates in both districts raising and spending substantial sums.

Candidate filings show Chris Dunn raised $39,150 and spent $33,140.55 in District 77, including a $35,000 self-funded investment, against a prior-year Horhn special election runoff where the two advancing candidates combined to raise over $500,000. Whether the 2026 contests will approach last year's spending levels remains unresolved until final reports are filed.

The players

Tate Reeves

Tate Reeves is the Governor of Mississippi, who called the special elections to align with the November 3 general election.

Mississippi Secretary of State

The Mississippi Secretary of State maintains the state's campaign finance database that compiles candidate fundraising and spending reports.

The details

Candidates in District 70 include James Lott III, an alderman in Clinton, and Marcus Cheatham, a Jackson businessman. In District 77, Chris Dunn of Magee received a $2,000 payment from Ten One political action committee, and Melissa Sullivan reported a $7,000 self-funded investment in her campaign.

April 2026: Reps. Bo Brown and Price Wallace died, vacating their seats.
Nov. 3, 2026: Special elections are held alongside the general election.
November 2027: All Mississippi House lawmakers face the next regular election.

Election Context

Last year's special election to replace John Horhn drew seven initial candidates and produced a runoff in which two advancing candidates raised more than half a million dollars combined. The 2026 District 70 and District 77 contests follow that same mid-term special-election pattern, with spending levels to be measured against that benchmark.

Mississippi voters in Hinds, Rankin and Simpson counties will decide these seats on Nov. 3, and the winners will serve only one year before facing voters again. Residents should confirm their district assignments before the election, as the two races cover different counties.

The takeaway

Voters in the affected districts face a short one-year term followed by a full re-election in 2027, so tracking candidate finance reports can help clarify how competitive each race becomes before polling day.