Mississippi
High-dollar race caps off Mississippi Senate District 26 runoff. Who won?
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Kamesha Mumford defeated Jackson attorney Letitia Johnson in the Dec. 2 runoff election for Mississippi Senate District 26.
Mumford, a municipal judge from Canton, will serve the remainder of the term through 2028 after voters across parts of northwest Hinds County and Madison County hit the polls.
According to the unofficial results, Kamesha Mumford defeated Letitia Johnson in the Mississippi Senate District 26 runoff with 3,711 votes, or 55.9%, to Johnson’s 2,922 votes, or 44,1%. A total of 22 write-in votes were cast, bringing overall turnout to 6,655 votes across both counties.
In Madison County’s six precincts, Mumford received 814 votes or 69.6% to Johnson’s 356 votes or 30.4%, with five write-in votes. In Hinds County’s 19 precincts, Mumford carried 2,897 votes to Johnson’s 2,566 votes, with 17 write-ins counted.
The District 26 seat has been vacant since former Sen. John Horhn resigned earlier this year to become mayor of Jackson. Horhn represented the district for more than three decades before leaving the Legislature. Gov. Tate Reeves called the special election to fill the remainder of Horhn’s term.
The Nov. 4 special election initially featured seven candidates before narrowing to Tuesday’s runoff, with Mumford winning the race and Johnson finishing in second.
Large donations draw attention in Senate District 26 race
But the runoff didn’t just play out at the ballot box. It also unfolded on campaign finance reports, where six-figure and five-figure donations fueled an expensive legislative race.
On Johnson’s report, her campaign lists a $150,000 contribution from the national law firm Singleton Schreiber, where Johnson serves as a managing partner. The firm is listed as a limited liability company.
Johnson’s fundraising advantage was substantial. Through Nov. 25, her campaign reported $348,674.11 in total contributions, $297,971.39 in total spending and $50,702.72 in cash on hand. Much of that money went toward a full-scale media and turnout blitz, including radio advertising, mass text messaging, direct mail and consulting services. Also included were two $25,000 payments made to political consultant firm Watershed Strategy in the final weeks of the runoff.
By comparison, Mumford ran a far smaller operation, with campaign reports showing significantly lower fundraising totals. Her October campaign finance report showed $152,948.55 in total contributions and $65,499.55 cash on hand at that point in the race. A later November runoff report showed an additional $11,413.26 in new contributions and $53,401.17 in cash on hand, reflecting continued but more modest late-cycle fundraising. Mumford’s campaign spending focused largely on printing, canvassing, limited advertising and small consulting contracts.
Mumford’s report also shows two $50,000 donations on June 1 — one from Mumford and Mumford, the law firm owned and operated by the candidate and her husband, and another from Mumford Title, which the Mississippi Secretary of State lists as a limited liability company.
Mississippi law caps donations from corporations and incorporated entities at $1,000 per year. But the Mississippi Secretary of State’s 2025 Campaign Finance Guide cites state law defining LLCs as unincorporated entities that are not subject to that corporate cap. That means LLCs may legally exceed the $1,000 limit.
As a result of that definition, the six-figure and five-figure donations that initially drew scrutiny — including the $150,000 contribution from Singleton Schreiber to Johnson and the two $50,000 donations tied to Mumford’s campaign — are permitted under current Mississippi law.
The Mississippi Attorney General’s Office confirmed that interpretation to the Clarion Ledger.
Mississippi College baseball has won the series against West Florida for the first time ever
The Choctaws have been playing UWF since 2015
MC won the first two games and put on a bit of a comeback in game 3
Next: GSC at Delta St., then Conference Tournament
GEORGE COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) — A George County High School senior is dead after an SUV hit him while bicycling on Highway 26 Friday night.
Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP) officials said at 8:15 p.m. the MHP responded to a fatal crash on Highway 26 in George County.
Those officials said a Ford SUV traveling west on Highway 26 collided with 18-year-old Tyree Bradley of McLain, Mississippi, who was bicycling.
Bradley was fatally injured and died at the scene, MHP officials said.
The crash remains under investigation by the MHP.
See a spelling or grammar error in this story? Report it to our team HERE.
Copyright 2026 WLOX. All rights reserved.
Some losses feel like they drag on longer than the box score suggests, and Mississippi State’s 3-1 opener at Texas A&M fits that category.
It wasn’t a blowout. It wasn’t a game where the Bulldogs looked outmatched.
It was just one of those nights where the early mistakes stuck around and the offense never quite found the swing that could shake them loose.
The frustrating part is how quickly the hole formed. Two solo homers and a wild pitch in the first two innings put Mississippi State behind 3-0, and that was basically the ballgame.
Against a top tier SEC team on the road, spotting three runs that early is a tough ask. The Bulldogs didn’t fold, but they also didn’t cash in when the door cracked open.
“I liked our fight. I think we’re really just working through some things offensively, and trying to stay together,” Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts said. “This team still believes, and we’re going to battle and fight every chance we get, and I think I saw a lot of that. I’m encouraged for what that means for us moving forward, but, you know, they’re a good hitting team, and we’ve got to be able to shut them down early. I don’t think Peja [Goold] had her best stuff, but she continued to battle out there and find ways to get outs.”
They had chances. Two runners stranded in the fifth. Two more in the sixth. Another in the seventh. Des Rivera finally got the Bulldogs on the board with an RBI single, but the big hit that usually shows up for this lineup never arrived.
It wasn’t a lack of traffic. It was a lack of finish.
If there was a bright spot, it came from the bullpen. Delainey Everett gave Mississippi State exactly what it needed after the rocky start.
“That was just a huge relief appearance by Delaney to keep us in it,” Ricketts said. “It’s really good to have her back and healthy these last few weeks because these are the moments where we really need her and rely on her. We know that she’s going to be a big part of the remainder of the season going forward as well.”
Three hitless innings, one baserunner, and a reminder that she’s quietly putting together a strong stretch.
There were individual positives too. Nadia Barbary keeps climbing the doubles list. Kiarra Sells keeps finding ways on base.
But the bigger picture is simple. Mississippi State is now 6-10 in the SEC, and the margin for error is shrinking. Nights like this one are the difference between climbing back into the race and staying stuck in the middle.
They get another shot this morning with the schedule bumped up for weather. The formula isn’t complicated.
Clean up the early innings, keep getting quality relief, and find one or two timely swings. The Bulldogs didn’t get them Friday. They’ll need them today.
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