Hyde-Smith and Ezell roll to big wins in MS primaries, one race too close to call
Voters went to polling places across Mississippi Tuesday for Democratic and Republican primaries.
The parties chose their candidates for November in races for one U.S. Senate seat and all four of the state’s U.S. House of Representatives seats.
A voter may vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary, not both. A voter who votes in the primary of one party may not “cross over” to vote in the run-off of another party.
No resolution
The lone remaining race with no declared winner remains undecided Thursday morning. Ron Eller continues to hold an edge of 50.9% to 49.1% over Kevin Wilson, with 95 percent of votes counted in District 2.
Still too close to call
Wednesday morning has not brought a result in the U.S. House Republican primary in District 2. With 94 percent of the vote counted, Ron Eller holds a razor-thin lead over Kevin Wilson, 12,554 to 12,120. Eller currently has 50.9% of the vote, while Wilson has 49.1%.
Ezell’s opponent is set
9:23 p.m.: The Associated Press has declared Jeffrey Hulum III the winner in the Democratic District 4 primary. Hulum moves on to the general election, where he will face U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell, an overwhelming winner in the Republican primary.
- U.S. Senate: Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith vs. Democrat Scott Colom
- U.S. House Dist. 1: Republican Trent Kelly vs. Democrat Cliff Johnson
- U.S. House Dist. 2: Republican TBD vs. Democrat Rep. Bennie Thompson
- U.S. House Dist. 3: Republican Michael Guest and Democrat Michael Chiaradio
- U.S. House Dist. 4: Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell vs. Democrat Jeffrey Hulum III
Two more winners
9:20 p.m.: The Associated Press has called two more Mississippi races: Cliff Johnson for the Democrats in District 1 and incumbent Rep. Bennie Thompson for the Democrats in District 2. The updated results are:
- U.S. Senate: Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith vs. Democrat Scott Colom
- U.S. House Dist. 1: Republican Trent Kelly vs. Democrat Cliff Johnson
- U.S. House Dist. 2: Republican TBD vs. Democrat Rep. Bennie Thompson
- U.S. House Dist. 3: Republican Michael Guest and Democrat Michael Chiaradio
- U.S. House Dist. 4: Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell vs. Democrat TBD
Updating all the races
8:30 p.m.: Taking into account the winners that have been declared Tuesday by The Associated Press, along with the candidates running unopposed, we have the following winners.
- U.S. Senate: Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith vs. Democrat Scott Colom
- U.S. House Dist. 1: Democrat TBD vs. Republican Trent Kelly
- U.S. House Dist. 2: Democrat TBD vs. Republican TBD
- U.S. House Dist. 3: Republican Michael Guest and Democrat Michael Chiaradio
- U.S. House Dist. 4: Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell vs. Democrat TBD
Ezell declared the winner in Dist. 4
8:21 p.m.: The Associated Press has declared incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell the winner in the District 4 Republican primary for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Colom vs. Hyde-Smith
8:12 p.m.: The battle for the Mississippi U.S. Senate that will be up for grabs in 2026 is set, with incumbent Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith facing Scott Colom. The Associated Press declared Colom the winner on the Democratic side at 8:10 p.m.
First District 4 votes
8:05 p.m.: The first votes have been counted in the Republican and Democratic primaries in District 4.
- Republican: Incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell has 83% of the vote, with 6% of votes counted.
- Democrat: Jeffrey Hulum III has the early lead, holding 76% of the vote, with 15% of votes counted.
Senate Democratic primary
8 p.m.: 9% of votes have been counted in the battle to see who will face Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. Scott Colom has nearly 65% of the vote, while Priscilla Till and Albert Littell are well off the pace.
Hyde-Smith declared winner
7:36 p.m.: The Associated Press has made a call in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, declaring incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith the victor.
U.S. Senate update
7:30 p.m.: The first votes are beginning to trickle in from across the state.
REPUBLICAN: With 3% of votes counted, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith leads Sarah Adlakha, 5,540 to 1,116.
DEMOCRAT: With 4% of votes counted, Scott Colom has 3,295 votes (58%), Priscilla Till has 1,701 (30%) and Albert Littell has 683 (12%).
Uncontested races
7:05 p.m.: Three candidates have advanced to the November general election, having run unopposed in their party primary.
- House Dist. 1: Republican Trent Kelly
- House Dist. 3: Republican Michael Guest and Democrat Michael Chiaradio
The polls are closed
7 p.m.: The polls have closed across Mississippi, though anyone still in line will be allowed to cast a ballot. Unofficial results should begin trickling in shortly.
Time is running out
5:30 p.m.: Voters have 90 more minutes until the 7 p.m. deadline to cast a ballot in Mississippi’s Republican or Democratic primary. Any voter in line at 7 p.m. is legally allowed to vote, even if after the deadline.
No problems
5:15 p.m.: No major election issues were reported to Circuit Clerk’s offices in the three Coast counties, representatives of those offices said late Tuesday afternoon. Some voters are confused about what precinct they vote in because city and county precincts are not the same in some cases. Elections this year are at county precincts, while voters went to their city precincts for 2025 municipal elections. Voters can check their precincts with the Circuit Clerk’s Office in their county or with the secretary of state’s office.
Adlakha on the Coast
5 p.m.: Republican Sarah Adlakha voted Tuesday in Ocean Springs. The Coast resident is challenging incumbent senator Cindy Hyde-Smith in the GOP primary. The winner of the race will be a heavy favorite to retain the seat in November for the Republicans.
Turnout ‘a shame’
4:30 p.m.: Some precincts in Gulfport are reporting low turnout. At the 19th St. Community Center, poll workers said 62 out of more than 1,000 registered voters at the precinct had appeared by 3:25 p.m.
“It’s a shame,” said Deborah Ferguson, a poll worker.
Some voters showed up in the wrong place. Ferguson said others were ineligible or had been purged from voter files. Poll workers are expecting turnout to rise around 5 p.m. as residents get off of work.
Plenty of stickers and candy
4 p.m.: Nobody was parked near the door Tuesday afternoon at Jackson County District 1 polling place in Vancleave. Voters are ‘sprinkling’ in, poll workers say. Only 21 have voted on the Democratic ballot while 258 voted on Republican ballot. Plenty of ‘I voted’ stickers and candy are left for anyone who votes.
Quiet in Hancock County
2 p.m.: It’s been a slow day of voting so far across Hancock County.
Just 245 out of more than 3,500 registered voters had turned out to Diamondhead East, the county’s largest precinct, by around 1:50 p.m.
At the Hancock County Courthouse in Bay St. Louis, poll workers said 16 out of 329 registered voters had showed up by 1 p.m.
Diamondhead East poll workers said most voters were casting ballots in the Republican primary. The precinct, at the Diamondhead Country Club, is usually busy during elections, and workers expect more turnout after school and work hours.
Worth watching
11:30 a.m.: Few, if any, upsets are expected among the races across the state, but one that’s being watched is Democrat Evan Turnage’s challenge of U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson in the 2nd Congressional District, which covers nearly all of western Mississippi.
Not much to see
10:30 a.m.: It was a quick in-and-out for voters Tuesday morning at the West Jackson County Safe Room in Ocean Springs. And the only way to know that an election was being held there was a single VOTE HERE sign at one of the two entrances. There were no candidate signs to be found.
The U.S. Senate race
REPUBLICAN: Incumbent U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is looking to retain the seat she has held since being appointed in 2018 to fill the seat being vacated by the resignation of Thad Cochran. Hyde-Smith won a 2018 special election for the remainder of Cochran’s term, and was reelected in 2020. Sara Adlakha is the only Republican challenging Hyde-Smith for her seat.
DEMOCRAT: Three Democrats are on the ballot in a bid to seize control of one of Mississippi’s U.S. Senate seat. Scott Colom, Albert R. Littell and Priscilla W. Till are looking to secure the right to face either Hyde-Smith or Adlakha in November.
The U.S. House 4th District race
REPUBLICAN: Incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell is running to retain the seat he first won in 2022 and held by a wide margin in 2024. He is being challenged only by Sawyer Walters.
DEMOCRAT: Three Democrats are on the ballot in a bid to turn South Mississippi’s U.S. House seat blue. Paul James Blackman, D. Ryan Grover and Jeffrey Hulum III are battling for the chance to face either Ezell or Walters in November.
Election Day information
The polls are open on Tuesday, March 10 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters must show photo ID at the polls or cast and affidavit ballot and return with identification. Residents who want to verify they are registered to vote can do so online through the Secretary of State website. Locations of polling places and other information also are available from the Jackson County election website.
This story was originally published March 10, 2026 at 11:12 AM.