Mississippi voters overwhelmingly return Sen. Roger Wicker, Rep. Mike Ezell to Washington
In the races for U.S. Senate and U.S. House seats in Mississippi, both Republican incumbents, Roger Wicker and Mike Ezell respectively, won re-election, unofficial election show.
In the U.S. senate race, with 98% of precincts reporting, Wicker had 668,802 votes, or 63.0%, to 393,330 votes, or 37.0%, for Democratic challenger Ty Pinkins.
The Associated Press declared Wicker the winner shortly after polls closed at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
“Gayle and I are humbled and grateful for the strong support we’ve received from our fellow Mississippians,” said Sen. Wicker. “It is a blessing to serve in the U.S. Senate, and I look forward to returning to Washington and relentlessly working on the behalf of the great state of Mississippi.”
Prior to serving on the U.S. Senate, Wicker won seven bids to serve in the U.S. House, beginning in 1994. In 2007, then Gov. Haley Barbour appointed him to fill Trent Lott’s unexpired term in the U.S. Senate.
Pinkins, a veteran of the U.S. Army who served in Iraq, ran in 2023 for secretary of state, bringing in a little over 40% of the vote against Republican incumbent Michael Watson, who won with 59.5% of the votes.
In his bid to unseat Wicker, Pinkins campaigned for criminal justice and education reform, investing in sustainable energy and economic development and access to affordable healthcare and housing.
Since first coming to Washington, Wicker has become a ranking Armed Services Committee member and consistently backed efforts to expand military shipbuilding. Former President Donald Trump endorsed Wicker.
During the campaign, Wicker praised the Supreme Court for overturning its 1973 ruling that legalized abortion access nationwide, while Pinkins has consistently criticized the high court’s 2022 decision.
Ezell dominates in House race
Republican incumbent Mike Ezell won the congressional race for the U.S. House seat and is now headed into his second term in office, the AP declared just before 9 p.m. Tuesday.
With 97% of precincts reporting by Wednesday morning, Ezell had 189,103 votes, or 74.6%, to 64,334 votes, or 25.4%, for Democrat Craig Elliiot Raybon.
Voters first elected Ezell to the congressional seat in 2022, when he defeated incumbent Republican Steven Palazzo.
Ezell also backed the protection of U.S. borders and Second Amendment gun rights and supported the anti-abortion movement, increased military spending, and continued support for first responders..
Prior to serving in the Senate, Ezell previously served as Jackson County sheriff and spent 40 years in law enforcement. According to Ballotpedia, Raybon has worked as a nonprofit direct and professional truck driver.
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 9:04 PM.
