The 2023 Mississippi State Senate Elections: A Review

In the off-year elections of 2023, one state that saw elections was Mississippi. In 2023, the Mississippi State Senate was up for election, in which there were thought to be very few competitive elections due to the way the election maps were drawn and how Mississippi is as a state: very uncompetitive due to lack of political swings.

In the 2019 State Senate elections, the Republican Party won 36 seats while the Democratic Party won 16. The Republican supermajority was not though to be in danger, there were only a couple competitive districts in 2023. Both parties ended up flipping a district, which resulted in the status quo split of 36-16 holding. This article will explore the districts decided by 15% or less.

Mississippi State Senate OVR Table and Election Maps

Mississippi State Senate District 2

The 2^nd State Senate District of Mississippi is in the northern portion of the state and is a strongly Republican leaning district. It was on by former President Trump in his re-election bid in 2020 by 13.1%, and a Republican would be expected to win here in most elections. Mississippi does not register voters by party, so the party registration will not be included here.

In the 2023 election for Mississippi’s 2^nd State Senate district, incumbent Republican State Senator David Parker, who won his first election in a special election in 2012, ran for re-election, running unopposed in the Republican primary and garnering 5,408 votes, while in the Democratic primary, Pam McKelvy Hamner ran unopposed, earning 1,052 votes. Both candidates advanced to the general election in November.

2^nd District Election Data (In November Election)

In the general election, Republican incumbent Parker won the 2^nd State Senate District 6,169 – 4,727 votes (56.62% – 43.38%), with a margin of 1,442 votes or by 13.24%. This was one of the most competitive State Senate districts in Mississippi and will be again when the State Senate is up for re-election again, barring a legislative redraw.

Mississippi State Senate District 7

The 7^th State Senate District of Mississippi is in the state’s northeast section and is a moderately Republican leaning district, as it was won by former President Trump by 12.2% in his re-election bid in 2020. This is a district where Republicans would be expected to perform well but is open to electing conservative to moderate Democrats.

In the 2023 election for Mississippi’s 7^th State Senate district, Democratic incumbent Hob Bryan, who was first elected in 1983, ran for re-election, winning the Democratic primary unopposed with 3,541 votes. In the Republican primary, Robert Mitchell ran unopposed, garnering 5,614 votes. Both candidates and a Libertarian, Lesley Smith, advanced to the general election, which was seen as a pickup for Republicans.

7^th District Election Data (In November Election)

In the general election, Bryan secured a victory by a margin of 1,863 votes, or 11.54%. In a state as inelastic as Mississippi, Bryan’s ability to continue to win red districts is impressive.

Mississippi State Senate District 38

The 38^th State Senate District of Mississippi is in the southwestern most portion of the state and is a strongly Democratic leaning district overall. The district was won by President Biden by 22.3% points in 2020, signifying an uphill climb for any non-Democratic candidate.

In the 2023 election for Mississippi’s 38^th State Senate District, incumbent independent candidate Kelvin Butler, who was elected as a Democrat in a special election in 2021, ran for re-election. In the Democratic primary, Gary Brumfield won unopposed with 7,227 votes. Another two candidates advanced to the November election with Butler and Brumfield: Independent Willye Powell and Libertarian Trischell Veal.

38^th District Election Data (In November Election)

In the general election, Brumfield defeated Butler by outrunning him in Adams, Pike, Walthall, and Wilkinson counties, where he amassed a 2,509-vote margin, far outrunning Butler’s 419 vote margin in Amite County. This large margin gave Brumfield a margin of victory of 11.29%, or 2,090 votes.