Election runoffs are happening Tuesday. Who’s running in your South MS city?

Six Mississippi Coast cities will hold primary runoffs Tuesday, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Democrats will hold runoffs in Gulfport and Moss Point, while Republican primary runoffs will be held in Bay St. Louis, Biloxi, Diamondhead and Pascagoula. Under Mississippi’s election system, voters must stick with the same party for runoffs, with no crossing over to the other party after initial primary votes.

Primary winners will advance to the June 3 general election in races that also feature third-party and independent candidates. Four-year terms for city offices begin July 1.

Turnout could be unusually low. No mayoral primaries necessitated runoffs. Also, each city has only one primary race left to decide for council or alderman.

Only one mayor, Republican Rusty Quave of D’Iberville, ran unopposed. First elected in 1993, Quave is Mississippi’s longest serving mayor.

Candidates who won mayor’s races in the Republican primary and face no opposition in the general election are incumbent Mike Favre of Bay St. Louis, Anna DeMarco Liese of Diamondhead, Tim Pierce of Long Beach, Robert “Bobby” Cox of Ocean Springs, incumbent Jay Willis of Pascagoula and Kenny Torgeson of Pass Christian.

Candidates headed to runoffs Tuesday are listed below:

Bay St. Louis: In the Council At-Large race, Republicans Lonnie J. Falgout and Larry Smith will meet in Tuesday’s runoff. Falgout and Smith were the front-runners in a field of four. The winner faces no general election opponent.

Biloxi: Ward 3 Republican incumbent Dixie Newman and Robert “Mike” Nail are headed to a runoff after coming out on top in a primary field of four. The winner has no general election opponent.

D’Iberville: The city will not need a primary runoff.

Diamondhead: Ward 1 Incumbent Shane Finley will face Michael J. Fandal in a Republican runoff after a primary that featured three candidates.The winner has no general election opponent.

Gautier: The city will not need any primary runoffs.

Gulfport: Ward 1 Democratic incumbent Kenneth “Truck” Casey Sr. will face Kendal Lamar Buckner in a runoff after they bested two other candidates. The winner will have no general election opponent.

Long Beach: The city will not need any primary runoffs.

Moss Point: Ward 3 Democratic incumbent Timothy M. DuBose faces Jaylon M. Johnson in the runoff after a three-person primary. The winner will have no general election opponent.

Ocean Springs: The city will not need a runoff.

Pascagoula: In Ward 3, Republicans Darcie Crew and Jamey Foster will compete in a runoff after besting a third candidate. The winner will have no general election opponent.

Pass Christian: The city will not need a runoff.

Waveland: Created under a special charter, the city is on a different municipal election cycle.

This story was originally published April 19, 2025 at 5:00 AM.