Mississippi
This week in politics: Why Democrats didn’t vote for Kamala Harris in Mississippi as they’ve done in previous years
Hyde Smith not interested in US Sec. of Ag, and US Rep. Michael Guest once again in national spotlight last week.
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Ever since Donald Trump won a lopsided victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, many have been researching how she lost by a worse margin than sitting President Joe Biden.
The answer might be as simple as this: Some Democrats simply didn’t vote, and that trend was true in Mississippi.
Analyzing election data from Mississippi and the nation, turnout was low across the board, but the GOP won by a larger percentage of ballots cast in the state than in some previous presidential elections.
According to Dallas Breen, the Stennis Institute’s executive director, many Democratic voters in swing counties did not see enough of a separation between Harris and Biden.
Not wanting to vote for Trump but also not seeing a reformer in Harris, many Mississippi Democrats just decided to stay home on Election Day, Breen said.
“From what we are seeing, you just had a lot of 50/50 counties, and there was a bigger drop off of Democrats not coming to vote than Republicans,” Breen said. “In years past, Democratic candidates were typically disconnected from that because they were senators, secretaries of state, etc.”
That theory is also illustrated by the fact that Trump won six Mississippi counties that went for Biden in 2020, including some in the Delta.
Hyde-Smith throws cold water on Sec. of Agriculture rumors
Early last week, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican, finally spoke on what state politicos had been wondering for weeks: Will she become the next U.S. Secretary of Agriculture?
Her answer may not have a huge ripple effect, but it did reaffirm her bid for reelection in 2026.
“It’s an honor to be mentioned as a potential nominee for Secretary of Agriculture, but my plans are to remain in the Senate and continue to deliver for the people of Mississippi,” Hyde-Smith wrote in a press release. “As a former state agriculture commissioner and with my current committee assignments, I remain wholeheartedly committed to the ag community, its growth, and its success.”
With Hyde-Smith out, the question remains if any Mississippi politician will get a seat at Trump’s table. Whether that comes through an appointment or semi-regular trips to the White House over the next four years remains to be seen.
Mississippi US House Rep. at center of AG pick drama
For the second time since taking office, U.S. House Rep. Michael Guest, R-Dist. 3, took the national spotlight, though it was likely unwanted.
Guest, who chairs the House Ethics Committee, told reporters Wednesday afternoon that a report on Trump’s now-former U.S. Attorney General pick Matt Gaetz’ alleged sexual misconduct and drug abuse was not going to be released.
Over the last week, many had called on the committee to release the report to the Senate so when Gaetz came before an appointment committee, it would have all the facts. Others called on the Senate not to approve of the pick altogether.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, had said since Gaetz resigned from Congress when Trump appointed him, the report could not be released. Gaetz bowed out of the appointment on Thursday.
Guest did not respond to requests for comment on the Gaetz report. Nor did Sen. Roger Wicker or Hyde-Smith respond to whether they would vote to approve Gaetz’ appointment if it came before the full Senate.
“Democrats would have never nominated a candidate like Gaetz to anything,” U.S. House Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Dist.3, said in a statement to the Clarion ledger about the former AG pick. “(Gaetz) demeans the office of Attorney General. Shame on the Republicans for embarrassing themselves.”
Branning sues election commissioners to pressure on-time ballot counting
As of the afternoon on Nov. 15, the Hinds County Election Commission had yet to send its final tally of absentee and affidavit ballots to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office.
When it appeared that the commissioners might be pushing the count to the 5 p.m. deadline to submit them to, Mississippi Supreme Court Central District candidate and State Sen. Jenifer Branning’s attorney Spencer Ritchie filed a lawsuit in Hinds County Circuit Court to pressure them into finishing on time, he said.
Branning, a Republican from Philadelphia, has been on the record saying she is a constitutional conservative and would not “legislate from the bench. She has also been endorsed by the Mississippi GOP.
MSOS Communications Director Elizabeth Jonson confirmed after 6 p.m. on Nov. 15 that Hinds County had sent in its finalized results. The lawsuit was then dismissed, Ritchie told the Clarion Ledger in a text message.
Grant McLaughlin covers the Legislature state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335
Mississippi
Governor: At least 47 homes, 50 roads damaged by Mississippi storms, flooding – SuperTalk Mississippi
Gov. Tate Reeves has released updated damage assessments following the severe weather and flooding that inundated parts of southern Mississippi last week.
According to Reeves, assessments through the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency are ongoing, and disaster aid is still being distributed through a mix of federal, state, and local agencies, along with nonprofits. But numbers as of Monday morning showed dozens of homes and businesses damaged and even more public roads affected.

Among the counties with significant impacts are Covington, Forrest, George, Greene, Hancock, Jackson, Pearl River, Perry and Stone. Across those counties and others, at least 47 homes were affected, seven of which were completely destroyed. Nine businesses sustained damaged, six of which are considered major. One farm sustained major damage.
50 public roadways were affected, including four that are considered major and four that were completely destroyed. Two bridges sustained major damage, while two public buildings sustained minor damage.
Reeves said two rivers are in the moderate flood stage – Leaf River near McClain and the Pascagoula River at Graham Ferry.
15 other waterways are in the minor flood stage: Big Black River near Bentonia, Biloxi River near Lyman, Chickasawhay River at Enterprise, Chickasawhay River at Leakesville, East Hobolochitto Creek near Caesar, Pascagoula River at Merrill, Pearl River at Jackson, Pearl River near Pearl River, Pearl River near Philadelphia, Pearl River at Rockport, Strong River at D’Lo, Tallahala Creek at Laurel, Tuscolameta Creek at Laurel, West Hobolochitto Creek near McNeill, and Wolf River around Gulfport.


Damage reports could have worsened on Monday with additional rounds of severe weather in some parts of the state. The worst of the storms and floods came with the remnants of what was Tropical Storm Arthur late last week and into the weekend.
Mississippi
Family of 1-year-old killed by police at a Walmart in Mississippi wants video released
(AP) – A Mississippi family whose 1-year-old child was killed when police fired into a moving vehicle said Monday they want authorities to release video showing whether officers were in danger of being struck when one of them opened fire.
The shooting has sparked outrage in the small city of Senatobia, where some say it’s the latest in a series of troubling encounters between police and Black residents.
Kohen Wiley was riding with his mother and another woman in a Walmart parking lot on June 14 when police responded to a shoplifting call. The family says they were driving away, while the officers say the car was heading toward them.
“I watched my baby take his first breath, and I watched my baby take his last breath,” Vellesiya Wiley said at a news conference Monday.
The other woman in the car, whose name has not been released, suffered “critical injuries,” according to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which is handling the inquiry.
Standing alongside Kohen’s parents and grandparents at a local church, civil rights attorney Ben Crump told reporters Monday that the best way to determine whether the officers were at risk is to publicly release any body camera, dash camera or Walmart security camera video.
“If that is the truth, then show us that,” Crump said. “The longer you delay releasing the video, the more distrustful we become.”
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation declined to comment on what videos investigators have or whether they would be released, agency spokesperson Bailey Martin said Monday.
“This case has been made a top priority,” Martin said in an emailed statement, “and we currently have multiple agents working tirelessly to ensure every aspect of the investigation is thoroughly examined.”
The agency says the officers weren’t hurt. Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford did not return a phone message seeking comment Monday.
State investigators gave an initial account of the shooting last week, saying that when Senatobia police arrived at the Walmart, they found two women and a child getting into a car and driving away.
“Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one. An officer then discharged their weapon and the vehicle fled the scene,” the agency statement said.
Kohen’s mother has said the shoplifting call was over a box of diapers that her friend was carrying — and that she believes her friend had paid for the diapers. State investigators declined to comment on those details.
Crump questioned why police didn’t let the car go and take down the license plate number.
“They were called over a box of diapers and a family now has to bury their baby,” Crump said Monday. “You cannot put those two things next to each other and call it reasonable policing.”
Crump also said an independent autopsy would be performed.
While there’s no question the child was shot by police, he said, details about the angles at which any bullets struck the child could yield clues as to whether the officer fired from in front of the car or off to the side — and therefore whether that officer was in any danger.
Policing expert Ian Adams, who teaches criminal justice at the University of South Carolina, told The Associated Press last week that police should know that “shooting into a moving vehicle is a very bad idea and one to be avoided at almost all costs,” noting the danger to passengers and other bystanders.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Mississippi
Mississippi Association of Coaches Inducts Six New Members
Six new members were inducted into the Mississippi Association Coaches Hall of Fame on Friday.
Five electees and one surprise honorary inductee announced at the evening’s end.
Each says the MAC HOF is a special one and this is the ultimate honor for a coach in Mississippi.
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