The final race from Mississippi’s primary election on March 10 has been called with Ron Eller winning the Republican nomination for U.S. House in the state’s 2nd Congressional District.
The Associated Press called the race Friday night – almost exactly 10 days after the polls closed – with Eller at 51% (12,772 votes) and Kevin Wilson at 49% (12,247 votes) with 97% of ballots counted. Although some absentee ballots still need to be tallied, the AP believes it to be mathematically impossible for Wilson to come back.
Eller, who publicly declared victory on March 13, is a military veteran, small business owner, and licensed physician assistant working at St. Dominic’s Hospital in Jackson. Wilson is the state’s largest independent oilman and president of the Adams County Board of Supervisors.
“I am deeply humbled and honored by the trust of the voters of the 2nd District have placed in me again to be their Republican nominee,” Eller said upon declaring victory. “Kevin Wilson ran an honorable race and is a good public servant for the people of Adams County. Our district is better for his participation in this process.”
Eller will again look to pull off an upset in a historically Democratic district. He will go up against longtime U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson in the Nov. 3 general election. The two faced off in 2024 with Thompson securing 62% of the vote. Independent Bennie Foster, the chief operating officer at New Vineyard Church in Jackson, will also be on this year’s ballot.
Other primary results
Arguably the most watched primary races came in Mississippi’s lone U.S. Senate election in this year’s cycle. Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith had no problem with Ocean Springs doctor Sarah Adlakha, seeing her name bolded around 30 minutes after the polls closed on March 10. It wasn’t long after when Lowndes County District Attorney Scott Colom was announced the winner of the Democratic primary over Priscilla Till and Albert Littell. Independent Ty Pinkins will meet Hyde-Smith and Colom in November’s general.
RELATED: Colom tops Q4 fundraising, Hyde-Smith still ahead overall
In the 1st Congressional District, Republican Rep. Trent Kelly ran unopposed, while civil rights attorney and University of Mississippi School of Law professor Cliff Johnson beat former state lawmaker Kelvin Buck in the Democratic primary. Libertarian challenger Johnny Baucom awaits Kelly and Johnson in the general.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, who was being challenged by Yale-educated Capitol Hill attorney Evan Turnage and Pertis Williams, won the 2nd Congressional District’s Democratic primary in dominant fashion. Thompson, seeking an 18th term with stronger name recognition than ever after recently chairing the Jan. 6 Committee, secured over 86% of the vote. He will face Republican Ron Eller and independent Bennie Foster in the general.
In the 3rd Congressional District, both Republican Rep. Michael Guest and Democrat Michael Chiaradio ran unopposed. They will meet Libertarian Erik Kiehle in the general.
In the 4th Congressional District, Republican Rep. Mike Ezell had over 80% of the vote when his race was called against former Mississippi Department of Marine Resources officer and political staffer Sawyer Walters. State Rep. Jeffrey Hulum easily won the Democratic primary over Paul Blackman and D. Ryan Grover. Ezell and Hulum will face independent Carl Boyanton in the general.