United States Senate election in Mississippi (June 5, 2018 Democratic primary)

Elections in Mississippi, 2018

* General election: Nov. 6
* Voter registration deadline: Oct. 8 (in-person); Oct. 9 (postmark by mail)
* Early voting: N/A
* Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 3

* Online registration: No
* Same-day registration: No
* Voter ID: Photo ID required
* Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

* * *

On the ballot: U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Congressional special elections • Special state legislative • Supreme court • Appellate courts • Local judges • School boards • Democratic primaries • Republican primaries • U.S. Senate special election

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U.S. Senate, Mississippi

Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 1, 2018
Primary: June 5, 2018
Primary runoff: June 26, 2018 (if needed)
General: November 6, 2018

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Pre-election incumbent:
Roger Wicker (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Mississippi
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018
See also
U.S. Senate, Mississippi
U.S. Senate (regular) • U.S. Senate (special) • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th
Mississippi elections, 2018
U.S. Congress elections, 2018
U.S. Senate elections, 2018
U.S. House elections, 2018

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There were two elections for the U.S. Senate in Mississippi in 2018. The first was the regularly scheduled election on November 6, 2018, to fill the state's Class I seat held by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.). The Democratic and Republican primaries for that election were June 5, 2018. The second, a nonpartisan special election on November 6, 2018, filled the Class II seat left vacant by Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.). A runoff in this election was held on November 27, 2018. The winner of the special election served the remainder of Cochran's term until January 3, 2021.

A Democratic Party primary election took place on June 5, 2018, in Mississippi to determine which Democrat would run in the state's November 6, 2018, general election.

One Democrat ran for the seat. This page focuses on the Democratic primary. For an overview of the election in general, click here.

The last Democrat to represent Mississippi in the U.S. Senate, John Stennis, retired in 1989, and the state was rated a safe Republican seat by Cook Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and Inside Elections. For this reason, the Democratic primary was not expected to be competitive.

See also: United States Senate Democratic Party primaries, 2018

## Contents

* 1 Candidates and election results
* 2 Pivot Counties
* 3 State overview
* 3.1 Partisan control
* 3.1.1 Congressional delegation
* 3.1.2 State executives
* 3.1.3 State legislature
* 3.1.4 Trifecta status
* 3.2 2018 elections
* 3.3 Demographics
* 4 State election history
* 4.1 Historical elections
* 4.1.1 Presidential elections, 2000-2016
* 4.1.2 U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016
* 4.1.3 Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016
* 4.1.4 Congressional delegation, 2000-2016
* 4.1.5 Trifectas, 1992-2017
* 5 See also
* 6 Footnotes

## Candidates and election results[edit]

See also: Statistics on U.S. Congress candidates, 2018

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Mississippi on June 5, 2018.

Democratic primary election

#####  Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Mississippi

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| Howard Sherman |

31.8

| 27,957
✔ |

| David Baria |

31.0

| 27,244

| Omeria Scott |

24.2

| 21,278

| Victor Maurice Jr. |

5.0

| 4,361

| Jerone Garland |

4.9

| 4,266

| Jensen Bohren |

3.2

| 2,825

* * *

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

| Total votes: 87,931

|
|

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

## Pivot Counties[edit]

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Two of 82 Mississippi counties—2.4 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008

County  | Trump margin of victory in 2016  | Obama margin of victory in 2012  | Obama margin of victory in 2008
Chickasaw County, Mississippi | 6.06% | 4.52% | 2.13%
Panola County, Mississippi | 0.12% | 8.62% | 6.52%

## State overview[edit]

### Partisan control[edit]

This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Mississippi heading into the 2018 elections.

#### Congressional delegation[edit]

* Following the 2016 elections, Republicans held both U.S. Senate seats in Mississippi.
* Republicans held three of four U.S. House seats in Mississippi.

#### State executives[edit]

* As of September 2018, Republicans held eight of 11 state executive positions, with the remaining three held by Democrats.
* The governor of Mississippi was Republican Phil Bryant. Bryant won election in 2011 and was re-elected in 2015.

#### State legislature[edit]

* Republicans controlled both chambers of the Mississippi State Legislature. They had a 74-46 majority in the state House and a 33-19 majority in the state Senate.

#### Trifecta status[edit]

* Mississippi was a Republican trifecta, meaning that the Republican Party held the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.

### 2018 elections[edit]

See also: Mississippi elections, 2018

Mississippi held elections for the following positions in 2018:

* Both U.S. Senate seats (one regularly-scheduled and one special election)
* All four U.S. House seats
* One of nine state Supreme Court seats
* Five of 10 state Court of Appeals seats

### Demographics[edit]

Demographic data for Mississippi

| Mississippi| U.S.
Total population:| 2,989,390| 316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):| 46,923| 3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:| 59.2%| 73.6%
Black/African American:| 37.4%| 12.6%
Asian:| 1%| 5.1%
Native American:| 0.4%| 0.8%
Pacific Islander:| 0%| 0.2%
Two or more:| 1.2%| 3%
Hispanic/Latino:| 2.9%| 17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:| 82.3%| 86.7%
College graduation rate:| 20.7%| 29.8%
Income
Median household income:| $39,665| $53,889
Persons below poverty level:| 27%| 11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Mississippi.

* * *

**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

As of July 2016, Mississippi's three largest cities were Jackson (pop. est. 170,000), Gulfport (pop. est. 72,000), and Southaven (pop. est. 54,000).[1]

## State election history[edit]

This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Mississippi from 2000 to 2016. Data comes from the Mississippi Secretary of State.

### Historical elections[edit]

#### Presidential elections, 2000-2016[edit]

This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Mississippi every year from 2000 to 2016.

Election results (President of the United States), Mississippi 2000-2016

Year  | First-place candidate  | First-place candidate votes (%)  | Second-place candidate  | Second-place candidate votes (%)  | Margin of victory (%)
2016 |  Donald Trump | 57.9% |  Hillary Clinton | 40.1% | 17.8%
2012 |  Mitt Romney | 55.3% |  Barack Obama | 43.8% | 11.5%
2008 |  John McCain | 56.2% |  Barack Obama | 43.0% | 13.2%
2004 |  George W. Bush | 59.5% |  John Kerry | 39.8% | 19.7%
2000 |  George W. Bush | 57.6% |  Al Gore | 40.7% | 16.9%

#### U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016[edit]

This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Mississippi from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the two seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

Election results (U.S. Senator), Mississippi 2000-2016

Year  | First-place candidate  | First-place candidate votes (%)  | Second-place candidate  | Second-place candidate votes (%)  | Margin of victory (%)
2014 |  Thad Cochran | 59.9% |  Travis Childers | 37.9% | 22.0%
2012 |  Roger Wicker | 57.2% |  Albert Gore | 40.6% | 16.6%
2008 |  Thad Cochran | 61.4% |  Erik Fleming | 38.6% | 22.8%
2008 (special) |  Roger Wicker | 55.0% |  Ronnie Musgrove | 45.0% | 10.0%
2006 |  Trent Lott | 63.6% |  Erik Fleming | 34.9% | 28.7%
2002 |  Thad Cochran | 84.6% |  Shawn O'Hara | 15.4% | 69.2%
2000 |  Trent Lott | 65.9% |  Troy Brown | 31.6% | 34.3%

#### Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016[edit]

This chart shows the results of the gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Mississippi.

Election results (Governor), Mississippi 2000-2016

Year  | First-place candidate  | First-place candidate votes (%)  | Second-place candidate  | Second-place candidate votes (%)  | Margin of victory (%)
2015 |  Phil Bryant | 66.6% |  Robert Gray | 32.1% | 34.5%
2011 |  Phil Bryant | 61.0% |  Johnny DuPree | 39.0% | 22.0%
2007 |  Haley Barbour | 57.9% |  John Eaves | 42.1% | 15.8%
2003 |  Haley Barbour | 52.6% |  Ronnie Musgrove | 45.8% | 6.8%

#### Congressional delegation, 2000-2016[edit]

This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Mississippi in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

Congressional delegation, Mississippi 2000-2016

Year  | Republicans  | Republicans (%)  | Democrats  | Democrats (%)  | Balance of power
2016 |  4 | 75.0% |  1 | 25.0% | R+2
2014 |  4 | 75.0% |  1 | 25.0% | R+2
2012 |  4 | 75.0% |  1 | 25.0% | R+2
2010 |  4 | 75.0% |  1 | 25.0% | R+2
2008 |  1 | 25.0% |  3 | 75.0% | D+2
2006 |  2 | 50.0% |  2 | 50.0% | Even
2004 |  2 | 50.0% |  2 | 50.0% | Even
2002 |  2 | 50.0% |  2 | 50.0% | Even
2008 |  2 | 40.0% |  3 | 60.0% | D+1

#### Trifectas, 1992-2017[edit]

A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

Mississippi Party Control: 1992-2022
Four years of Democratic trifectas • Eleven years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year  | 92  | 93  | 94  | 95  | 96  | 97  | 98  | 99  | 00  | 01  | 02  | 03  | 04  | 05  | 06  | 07  | 08  | 09  | 10  | 11  | 12  | 13  | 14  | 15  | 16  | 17  | 18  | 19  | 20  | 21  | 22

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Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R
Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R
House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R

## See also[edit]

* United States Senate election in Mississippi, 2018
* United States Senate election in Mississippi (June 5, 2018 Republican primary)
* United States Senate elections, 2018
* United States House of Representatives elections in Mississippi, 2018

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Mississippi Demographics by Cubit, "Mississippi Cities by Population," accessed September 10, 2018

[show]

Mississippi's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Cindy Hyde-Smith (R)

Roger Wicker (R)

Representatives

District 1

Trent Kelly (R)

District 2

Bennie Thompson (D)

District 3

Michael Guest (R)

District 4

Steven Palazzo (R)

Republican Party (5)

Democratic Party (1)

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