Mississippi
What to know about the election in Mississippi
Mississippi voters have until 7 p.m. Tuesday to cast their ballots for U.S. President, Congress, Senate and several judicial races.
Below is all the information you need to know before heading to the polls:
How to find your voting precinct:
Along with providing access to other information, registered voters can use the Mississippi Secretary of State’s My Election Day tool to locate their polling place. My Election Day also provides voters with a sample ballot, a list of current office holders and contact information for local election officials.
State voters also can just contact the agency’s website to find more information about polling locations and contact information of election commissioners.
Who is on the ballot?
This year’s federal elections include three contested congressional elections and one in the Senate, as well for the U.S. President. Also on the ballots will be three contested judicial races in the Mississippi Supreme Court and the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
Congressional races
As for congressional races, incumbent Republicans Trent Kelly (Dist. 1) and Mike Ezell (Dist. 3) face Dianne Black and Craig Raybon, respectively. Dist. 2 House Rep. Bennie Thompson is facing Republican challenger Ron Eller, and Dist. 3 Rep. Michael Guest, a Republican, is running unopposed.
Those races are not statewide, so only the candidates in your districts will be on the ballot. For example, only Thompson and Eller will be on the U.S. House section of the Nov. 5 ballot in District 2.
Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican, is facing challenger Ty Pinkins. The U.S. Senate race is statewide just like the presidential race, so it will be on ballots throughout the state.
Presidential race
On the presidential ticket, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat from California, is facing former Republican President Donald Trump. A few third-party candidates, including Robert F. Kennedy, who earlier this year endorsed Trump, before withdrawing from the race.
For more information, look at this year’s sample ballot.
Mississippi judicial candidates
As for the state judicial races, 10 candidates are running for seats on the state supreme court and appellate court.
Incumbents in the Supreme Court races are Central District Justice Jim Kitchens and Southern District Justice Dawn Beam. The state appellate court does not have an incumbent this year.
The court races are not statewide but districted. To check what district you are in, look at the Mississippi Secretary of State’s website.
Kitchens is facing four challengers: State Sen. Jenifer Branning, R-Philadelphia, and former Mississippi Appeals Court Judge Ceola James and private practice attorneys Byron Carter and Abby Gale Robinson.
Beam is facing off against David Sullivan, a Gulfport-based attorney who has been city prosecutor and is a municipal judge in D’Iberville.
Running in the appellate court race are Jennifer Schloegel, a chancery court judge for the 8th District, which encompasses Harrison, Hancock and Stone counties; Ian Baker, an assistant district attorney and division chief for the office in Gulfport and Amy St. Pe’, a Pascagoula attorney.
When do polls open?
Polls will open Tuesday at 7 a.m. and close Tuesday at 7 p.m. Voters who are in line by 7 p.m. can still vote as long as they stay in line.
What should you bring to the polls with you?
Mississippi voters are required to provide photo identification when voting, commonly known as Voter ID. Below are acceptable forms of Voter ID:
- A driver’s license (including a Digital ID provided by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety)
- A photo ID card issued by a branch, department, or entity of the State of Mississippi
- A United States passport
- A government employee ID card
- A firearms license
- A student photo ID issued by an accredited Mississippi university, college or community/junior college
- A United States military ID
- A tribal photo ID
- Any other photo ID issued by any branch, department, agency or entity of the United States government or any state government
- A Mississippi Voter Identification Card
A voter who does not have photo ID on election day will be asked to vote via affidavit ballot. They will then have five business days to show an acceptable form of photo ID or apply for a Mississippi Voter ID Card, at their local circuit clerk’s office.
Voters should also consider bringing water and a cell phone with them to the polls in anticipation of lines. Voters who have difficulty or questions can contact the secretary of state’s elections division at 1-800-829-6786
What if I voted absentee or by affidavit?
Absentee and affidavit voters can track the status of their ballots through the My Election Day tool as well. There is a new tracker for both absentee and affidavit ballots. All mail-in absentee ballots must be postmarked by election day to be counted.
How can I follow the election results?
Preliminary results will begin to be announced shortly after the polls close at 7 p.m. The secretary of state will not release official results on election, but preliminary statewide figures will be posted live to the Clarion Ledger’s Mississippi Election Results page at www.ClarionLedger.com.
Further absentee ballots will be tallied in the days following the election, which could determine whether a race will extend into a runoff.
Grant McLaughlin covers state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.
Mississippi
Virginia Tech Drops 15-8 To Mississippi State
ARLINGTON, Texas — Mississippi State capitalized on free passes and timely hitting to pull away from Virginia Tech late, defeating the Hokies 15-8 Saturday at Globe Life Field.
The Bulldogs (11-0) collected 15 hits and went 8-for-16 with runners in scoring position, taking control with a five-run seventh inning before tacking on three more scores in the eighth and two in the ninth.
Mississippi State struck first in the opening inning. Aidan Teel singled and later scored on Reed Stallman’s RBI double to right, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead against Virginia Tech starter Griffin Stieg.
The Hokies fell behind further in the second when Teel delivered an RBI single and Ace Reese followed with a 399-foot two-run home run to right-center, pushing the margin to 4-0.
Virginia Tech answered in the third. Hudson Lutterman tripled to right field and Ethan Gibson lifted a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 4-1. But the Bulldogs continued to manufacture offense, adding a run in the fifth after a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded made it 5-1.
The Hokies began to chip away in the sixth when Ethan Ball launched a 448-foot solo home run to center field, trimming the lead to 5-2. Virginia Tech threatened further in the inning after Owen Petrich reached and Treyson Hughes moved into scoring position following an error, but a strikeout and a caught stealing ended the rally.
The game swung decisively in the seventh.
Mississippi State loaded the bases against Aiden Robertson and Peyton Smith before James Nunnallee was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Bryce Chance followed with an RBI single, and Teel delivered a two-run single through the right side. An Ace Reese sacrifice fly capped the five-run inning, extending the Bulldogs’ lead to 10-2.
Mississippi State added three more in the eighth on Jacob Parker’s 415-foot, three-run home run to right-center, stretching the advantage to 13-2.
Virginia Tech was able to answer to aviod the run-rule decision. In the bottom half of the eighth, Nick Locurto advanced on a wild pitch before Aimon Chandler crushed a two-run homer to left-center to make it 13-5.
The Bulldogs answered again in the ninth, taking advantage of walks and another hit-by-pitch to plate two more runs and push the lead to 15-5.
The Hokies mounted one final rally in the bottom of the ninth, launching three consecutive solo home runs. Anderson French homered to open the inning, Hudson Lutterman followed with a blast of his own and Sam Gates added another to trim the deficit to 15-8. The comeback attempt stalled there, however, as Mississippi State recorded the final three outs to secure the win.
Virginia Tech finished with 11 hits and hit seven home runs in the contest, but the difference proved to be traffic. The Hokies issued 10 walks and hit four batters, allowing Mississippi State to consistently put runners on base. The Bulldogs stranded 12 but capitalized often enough to keep control.
Ball, Chandler, French, Lutterman and Gates each homered for the Hokies, while Mississippi State countered with long balls from Reese and Parker.
Despite the late power surge, Virginia Tech could not overcome Mississippi State’s sustained offensive pressure and struggled to contain innings once they began to unravel.
The Hokies will look to regroup as they finish tournament play tomorrow against Tennessee.
Mississippi
Mississippi State baseball, Brian O’Connor 10-0 after Arizona State win
Mississippi State baseball didn’t have a hit through four innings but came through with big fifth and sixth innings to reach 10-0.
The No. 5 Bulldogs defeated Arizona State 8-4 in the first game of the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series in Arlington, Texas, on Feb. 27.
Gehrig Frei jolted MSU’s offense in the fifth inning when he hit a pinch-hit, three-run home run for a 4-0 lead over the Sun Devils (8-2). MSU then added three more runs in the sixth inning for a 7-1 lead. Aidan Teel homered for a second straight game with a solo home run in the eighth inning.
Mississippi State sophomore Ryan McPherson had the longest start of his career, throwing seven innings with one run allowed, four hits, three walks and five strikeouts.
Watch Mississippi State baseball in Amegy Bank College Baseball Series
Mississippi State baseball vs Arizona State score updates
Dominic Longo and Dominic Smaldino both hit solo home runs in the ninth inning off MSU’s Maddox Miller to cut the score to 8-4.
Centerfielder Aidan Teel led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a solo home run for an 8-2 lead.
The Sun Devils scored one run in the eighth inning on a PJ Moutzouridis sacrifice fly. It cut Mississippi State’s lead to 7-2.
McPherson is done for the day as MSU’s pitcher after throwing a career long seven innings. He allowed one run with four hits, three walks and five strikeouts.
Chone James hit a two-RBI single, then Reed Stallman also hit an RBI single. Mississippi State is up 7-1 in the sixth inning.
Landon Hairston grounded into a double play to trim MSU’s lead to 4-1 in the sixth inning.
The first pitch thrown by Arizona State reliever Josh Butler was a pinch-hit, three-run home run by Gehrig Frei. MSU leads 4-0 in the fifth inning.
Arizona State starting pitcher Cole Carlon exited in the fifth inning with an apparent cramp after giving up the RBI single to Bryce Chance.
Bryce Chance hit an RBI single for a 1-0 Mississippi State lead in the fifth inning.
There were no hits by either team through four innings. ASU’s Dean Toigo hit a single and so did MSU’s Blake Bevis.
Only one batter has reached base through the first two innings, MSU’s Noah Sullivan via a walk in the first inning. MSU pitcher Ryan McPherson has three strikeouts, while Arizona State pitcher Cole Carlon has five.
The Bulldogs are 9-0 with new coach Brian O’Connor. It’s their best start since they went 13-0 in 2015. However, the Bulldogs had a poor season after that, finishing 24-30.
- 2B Drew Wyers
- 3B Ace Reese
- DH Noah Sullivan
- LF Vytas Valincius
- C Chone James
- 1B Blake Bevis
- SS Ryder Woodson
- CF Aidan Teel
- RF Bryce Chance
The Feb. 27 game between Mississippi State and Arizona State in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series is also streaming for free on YouTube at this link.
Mississippi State vs Arizona State will air on 96.1 FM. It can also be streamed for free on the Mississippi State Hail State app or on the MSU athletics website.
What time does Mississippi State baseball play today?
All games are played at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
- Feb. 27: vs. Arizona State (11 a.m. CT)
- Feb. 28: vs. Virginia Tech (3 p.m. CT)
- March 1: vs. UCLA (2:30 p.m. CT)
What channel is Mississippi State baseball on today?
All games are streaming on FloCollege. The Feb. 27 game against Arizona State is also streaming for free on YouTube.
Mississippi State starting pitchers in Amegy Bank College Baseball Series
- Feb. 27 (vs. Arizona State): RHP Ryan McPherson (2.70 ERA, 1-0) vs. LHP Cole Carlon (2-0, 1.64 ERA)
- Feb. 28: (vs. Virginia Tech): LHP Tomas Valincius (2-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. TBA
- March 1 (vs. UCLA): TBA
Mississippi State injury updates
There is no official injury report for this series, though Mississippi State pitcher William Kirk exited his Feb. 24 start with a leg injury.
Mississippi State baseball 2026 schedule
Next five games:
- March 3: at Southern Miss
- March 6-8: vs. Lipscomb
- March 10: vs. Tulane (in Biloxi)
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Mississippi
Couple sentenced for selling faulty fire extinguishers to Mississippi daycares, businesses – SuperTalk Mississippi
The Smith County couple who knowingly sold faulty fire alarms to daycares and other commercial businesses across the state will spend time behind bars.
Daniel and Sherri Finnegan, the owners of Finnegan Fire Safety Equipment, entered guilty pleas on Tuesday in connection with the fraud scheme. Daniel Finnegan will spend seven years in prison, while his spouse will be locked up for one year. Officials report that the plea agreements encompass charges filed in both Rankin and Madison counties, where 12 charges have been filed against each defendant stemming from six different cases.
The Finnegans were arrested in Aug. 2024 for selling and installing used fire suppression systems that did not work and were not tested before being placed into service, putting people at risk in the event of fire. The Mississippi Insurance Department reported that the couple targeted minority-owned businesses and owners who had a language barrier.
Originally, the duo was charged with 41 counts each of false pretense, along with 37 counts each of violations of the Mississippi Fire Prevention Code. Despite the pleas entered in Rankin and Madison Counties, the defendants still face an additional 31 fire prevention code violations and 37 false pretense charges that remain pending in 11 other counties.
“The investigation showed that more than $343,000 was paid directly to the couple by confirmed victims. It is important to note that this figure does not represent the full financial impact, as some financial documentation could not be obtained,” a statement from the Mississippi Insurance Department reads. “Furthermore, many victims incurred substantial additional costs to correct and remediate deficient installations and to bring fire protection systems into compliance.”
Restitution ordered for Daniel Finnegan totals $67,853.95, while Sherri Finnegan has to pay out $20,000.
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