The November midterm elections will pit five of Mississippi's six federal legislators against the challengers angling to unseat them.
The results, particularly if any seats are flipped, will play into the national struggle for control of the U.S. House and Senate. The Republican Party controls both, but the Democratic Party and its affiliated committees have invested millions into legislative races throughout the nation, including in Mississippi.
The outcome of the Senate race in particular will also signal the strength of the state's Democratic Party, which has yet to announce its slate for the rapidly approaching statewide elections in November 2027. Three Mississippi Republicans have entered the race and as many as half a dozen more wait in the wings.
Mississippi is not a swing state, and it will almost certainly not serve as the deciding factor in the battle for control of Congress. In fact, Trump two years ago had the best performance in the state since Ronald Reagan's 1984 campaign.
But maybe it is exactly that history that makes Mississippi an important case study. Through soaring inflation, a war with Iran and record low approval numbers, does a Trump endorsement carry the same weight in 2026 as it did in 2024?
Mississippi is about as dark red as states get, but the national Democratic Party has taken notice of Scott Colom, a Democrat vying to oust incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.
Colom works as a district attorney in Mississippi's Golden Triangle region. He's no stranger to an uphill election battle; he earned his seat in 2015 after beating out a nearly 30-year incumbent.
Colom has had an extensive legal career. Prior to his district attorney election, he worked at the Mississippi Center for Justice, operated his own law firm and served as Lowndes County's youngest justice court judge, among other positions.
The 2026 general election will be the first electoral confrontation between Colom and Hyde-Smith, but the pair have been at odds before. Then-President Joe Biden nominated Colom in November 2022 to serve as a U.S. District Court judge, prompted in part by a letter of support from U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, Mississippi's lone federal Democrat.
Colom received bipartisan support, including from Hyde-Smith's colleague U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, but Hyde-Smith withheld her seal of approval. The process stalled, and Colom's nomination was returned to Biden nearly a year later.
Hyde-Smith has panned Colom in the 2026 election cycle for the same reasons she blocked his nomination a few years ago, branding him in interviews as a "radical" socialist in lockstep with the likes of New York's Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Colom has marketed himself as a more moderate Democrat, emphasizing some of his more conservative beliefs and his dad's longtime work with Republicans.
In return, Colom has taken shots at what he describes as Hyde-Smith's lack of presence in Mississippi and lack of impact on Capitol Hill. He told the Clarion Ledger in a July 24 interview that he had more town halls planned for that weekend than Hyde-Smith had done in the previous six years.
Hyde-Smith began her career in politics as a lobbyist before being elected as a Democrat to the Mississippi Senate in 2000, beating out a 20-year incumbent in the primary. She served for 12 years, flipping parties toward the end of her tenure, then became the state's Agriculture Commissioner.
A few years later, then-Gov. Phil Bryant elevated her to the U.S. Senate to replace retiring Sen. Thad Cochran. She retained the seat in a 2018 special election and again in 2020.
Hyde-Smith carries the enthusiastic support of President Donald Trump, who has dubbed her "100% MAGA." Her work in the U.S. Senate has largely revolved around agriculture, and she has pushed for harsher immigration enforcement and voting policies.
In stressing his more moderate beliefs and willingness to work across the aisle, Colom has put border security, inflation control and expanded health care access, particularly in rural areas, at the top of his priority list.
All four of Mississippi's U.S. House of Representatives seats are on the ballot in November, likely the last election residents will see under the current voting district map. Republican leaders, including Gov. Tate Reeves, have pushed congressional redistricting to redraw the state's only Democratic district, which encompasses the Delta and Jackson.
U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly occupies the seat in District 1, tucked into the northeast corner of the state. Kelly, a Republican, has been in Congress for just over 10 years, having earned the seat in a 2015 special election.
Kelly worked as a lawyer in private practice and as a district attorney before running for federal office. He retired from the Mississippi National Guard in 2025 after attaining the rank of major general.
Challenging Kelly is Cliff Johnson, the director of the MacArthur Justice Center at the Ole Miss Law School. Johnson, a Democrat, has focused on health care expansion and criminal justice reform in his campaign, as well as opposing Republican-led redistricting in the state.
Johnny Baucom is running to represent the district as a Libertarian. A veteran and mechanic, Baucom's platform is built on deregulation and eliminating income and property taxes.
Kelly and Johnson have the highest fundraising totals of any incumbent and challenger, respectively, in the four races. They lead the pack as of the end of the August, making the District 1 race the most expensive of the House races in Mississippi.
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson represents District 2, along the western edge of the state, Mississippi's lone Democratic, majority-Black district in the U.S. House. Thompson is the state's longest tenured federal delegate, having held the seat since 1993.
He is a ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee and chaired the select committee that investigated the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, a role for which he was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2025. Thompson has been the main target of calls for redistricting by Republican Mississippi politicians.
Vying to replace Thompson is Republican Ron Eller, a physician assistant based in Raymond who spent 20 years in the military. He forged a difficult path to the general election after winning his March primary with 2% of the vote, or just under 550 votes.
Eller finished his primary with approximately 12,800 votes, while Thompson took more than 64,300 votes on the Democratic side.
Rounding out the race is Independent Bennie Foster, who has campaigned on increasing access to health care in the Delta and expanding workforce opportunities using federal grants.
U.S. Rep. Michael Guest, a conservative Republican who has held his seat since 2019, is facing two challengers. Guest is the chair of the House Ethics Committee and has faced discipline from the body for failing to disclose his stock trades in a timely manner.
On the Democratic side is Michael Chiaradio, a farmer and entrepreneur running his first campaign for office. His run is centered on more efficient investments into agriculture and education, according to his website.
Erik Kiehle, a property manager and volunteer firefighter based in Meridian, is running as a Libertarian. He has emphasized his "America first" stance through his campaign, according to his website.
U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell is angling to retain his seat representing District 4 on Mississippi's coast. Ezell is the newest member of the state's federal delegation, taking office in 2023 after nearly eight years as the sheriff in Jackson County.
The incumbent Republican has voted in lockstep with Trump's priorities in the House, focusing on increased military spending and stricter border control, and he dominated his last reelection bid in 2024.
Jeffrey Hulum III, a state representative from Harrison County, is making his first bid for federal office after joining the state Legislature in 2022. He served more than two decades in the military before shifting to politics, and he said he would work to raise the federal minimum wage if elected.
Carl Boyanton, a Republican-turned-Independent, is making his fourth attempt to represent the district in Congress. The produce business owner wrote on his website that he supports term limits and cutting back on what he described as the federal government's "runaway spending."
Bea Anhuci is the state government reporter for the Clarion Ledger. She has covered Mississippi politics since the start of 2026. Email her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Statewide voter guide for Mississippi midterm elections