Five candidates are vying to fill the vacancy in the Hinds County District Attorney’s Office.
Gov. Tate Reeves set a Nov. 3 special election to determine who will serve the remainder of former DA Jody Owens’ term. Owens resigned and was subsequently disbarred in Mississippi after pleading guilty to accepting bribes in a scandal involving former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, former City Councilman Aaron Banks, and others.
Since Owens’ resignation, former First Assistant District Attorney Brad McCullouch has led the office on an interim basis. McCullouch, however, is not seeking the permanent position.
Below is a full list of candidates running to become the next district attorney in Hinds County.
Gwen Agho is one of five people seeking the position of district attorney in Mississippi’s 7th Judicial District. (Photo from Gwen Agho’s campaign website) Greta Mack Harris is one of five people seeking the position of district attorney in Mississippi’s 7th Judicial District. (Greta Mack Harris/Facebook) Darla Palmer is one of five people seeking the position of district attorney in Mississippi’s 7th Judicial District. (Darla Palmer/Facebook) Marvin Sanders is one of five people seeking the position of district attorney in Mississippi’s 7th Judicial District. (Marvin Sanders/Facebook) Wendy Wilson White is one of five people seeking the position of district attorney in Mississippi’s 7th Judicial District. (Wendy Wilson White/Facebook)
Gwen Agho
Agho is a lifelong Hinds County resident who grew up in Clinton and now lives in Jackson. She joined the Hinds County District Attorney’s Office in 2016 and has prosecuted murders, violent crimes, firearms offenses, narcotics cases, and crimes against children. She currently serves as chief deputy district attorney in Hinds County. Agho notably helped as a special prosecutor for the state in the case against Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington Jr., the man who admitted to killing Ole Miss student Jimmie “Jay” Lee.
The district attorney candidate is a graduate of Millsaps College and earned her law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law, where she served on the Trial Advocacy Board and competed on the National Trial Team in Criminal Law. She is running on the platform that she will lead the district attorney’s office with transparency, integrity, and an emphasis on justice.
Greta Mack Harris
A native of rural Hinds County, Mack Harris grew up in Edwards. She has served as an attorney for three decades and boasts a resume that includes time as an assistant public defender in Hinds County, a special assistant attorney general for the state, and a prosecutor in her home county, along with Rankin and Madison counties. She was also a U.S. Army Reserve servicemember.
Mack Harris earned her law degree from Mississippi Christian University School of Law, formerly Mississippi College School of Law. She is running on the platform of reforming the district attorney’s office’s administration, protecting local families and the community, restoring public trust through a pursuit of justice, and renewing community partnerships.
Darla Palmer
Palmer is a lifelong Jacksonian who has spent nearly three decades as a criminal trial courtroom lawyer. Her service includes time in Edwards and in Jackson’s civil service commission as a prosecutor. She also worked for the state, where she handled child support cases and has spent time as a private defense attorney and public defender in neighboring Rankin County.
A Jackson State University graduate who received her law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law, Palmer is running on the platform of enhancing public safety and running the district attorney’s office with integrity.
Marvin Sanders
A native of the Mississippi Delta, Sanders grew up in Leland. Sanders worked in the Hinds County District Attorney’s Office and as an assistant district attorney in Leflore County, while also practicing law privately in Sunflower County. At the statewide level, he was a special assistant attorney general with the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, where he held the titles of deputy director of the Public Integrity Division and director of the Vulnerable Persons Division.
Sanders is a graduate of Alcorn State University and earned his law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law. He is running on the platform of serving the community, leading with honesty, bringing order to the district attorney’s office, working with local law enforcement, making neighborhoods safer, and reviewing cases efficiently.
Wendy Wilson White
White is a lifelong resident of Jackson and has 12 years of criminal prosecutorial experience. She is currently an assistant district attorney in Hinds County, with former roles as deputy inspector general with the Mississippi Department of Human Services and chief prosecutor for the city of Jackson. Her career also includes advocating for disability rights in Mississippi, private law practice, and teaching criminal justice courses to students at Strayer University.
White is a graduate of Tougaloo College and Clark Atlanta University. She received her law degree from Mississippi Christian University School of Law, formerly Mississippi College School of Law, and is running on the platform of building trust in the community by being accountable to constituents and prosecuting cases fairly.
It is worth noting that whoever is elected district attorney in November will likely have to continue hitting the campaign trail, as the 7th Judicial District is expanding to accommodate Jefferson and Claiborne counties beginning New Year’s Day in 2027. Another election will be held in November 2027 to elect a DA for the tri-county district.