The 2023 Mississippi State House Elections: A Review

In the election year of 2023, multiple states saw off-year elections for their statewide elections and state legislative chambers. One such state was Mississippi, where elections were held for the State House. The State House was thought to be uncompetitive, as the Mississippi Republican Party was in no danger of losing their majority.

In the 2023 elections for Mississippi State House, Mississippi Republicans picked up two seats to put their total at 79, while Democrats lost one seat to put their total at 41. One incumbent independent also lost a seat, contributing to the Republican Party’s gains. This article will look at the pickups that an incumbent lost in (Republicans picked up two seats with no opposition due to redistricting; however, this article will examine the competitive pickups).

Mississippi Overall Map and Results Table

Mississippi State House District 45

The 45^th State House district of Mississippi is in the state’s central western portion, on the border with Alabama, and is contained within multiple counties: Kemper, Lauderdale, Neshoba, and Winston counties. It is a Biden won district, as President Biden won it by 11.6%, so a Democrat would be expected to win here in most election years.

In the 2023 election for Mississippi’s 45^th State House District, incumbent independent candidate Michael Evans, who was first elected in 2011, chose not to run for re-election, making this an open seat race. In the Democratic primary, Keith Jackson defeated Kenny Rush with 958 votes to Rush’s 395, while in the Republican primary, Michael Cassidy ran unopposed and earned 1,794 votes. This was one of the elections in the state in which a Republicans had outpaced the Democrats in raw votes in the primary in a district held by Democrats. Both Jackson and Cassidy advanced to the general election alongside another independent candidate, Trent Rickles.

45^th District Election Data (In November Election)

In the general election, Jackson defeated Cassidy in a strong fashion, building up a lead in the district’s population base of Kemper and wining Neshoba County by a combined 2,590 – 1,167 votes, earning Jackson a net margin of 1,423 votes, which was enough to overpower Cassidy’s edge in Lauderdale and Winston Counties, where he only earned a 1,348 – 1,133 vote victory, or with a net margin of 215 votes. This enabled Jackson to win the district 3,723 – 2,515 votes (55.61% -37.57%), or with a margin of 1,208 votes (18.04%). The district was a Democratic pickup from an independent.

Mississippi State House District 75

The 75^th State House district of Mississippi is in the Jackson metro area, located in Madison, Rankin, and Scott Counties. It is a strongly Republican leaning district, as former President Trump won it by 41.6% in 2020. The district was a strong candidate for a Republican pickup from the Democrat incumbent.

In the 2023 election for Mississippi’s 75^th State House District, Democrat incumbent Tom Miles did not run for re-election, making this an open seat election. In the Republican primary, Celeste Hurst ran unopposed, garnering 3,860 votes. An independent candidate, Ryshonda Beechem, advanced to the general election alongside Hurst. There was no Democratic candidate in this strongly Republican leaning district.

-75^th District Election Data (In November Election)

In the general election, Hurst won all three counties in the district by a combined 5,547 – 2,010 votes (73.40%-26.60%), winning the district overall by a margin of 3,537 votes, or by 46.80%. This resulted in a Republican pickup from a retiring Democratic incumbent.

Note: There are two districts that Republicans picked up that were new seats that were not be discussed in this article, as there was no competition in those districts (Republicans won them with 100% of the vote).