Independent candidate Ty Pinkins said Tuesday he will not ditch his bid for U.S. Senate in Mississippi in a social media post directed “to those calling on me to drop out” of the race.
Pinkins, a former Democrat who left the party last summer over what he views as corruption within both major political parties, is challenging incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democratic nominee Scott Colom.
Pre-election polling has generally favored Hyde-Smith and Colom, with the two major-party candidates projected to easily combine for more than 90% of the vote. Those projections have prompted some voters to call on Pinkins to withdraw from the race to avoid drawing support away from a candidate with a better chance of winning.
Pinkins, an attorney from the Mississippi Delta who now lives in Vicksburg, served 21 years on active duty in the U.S. Army. In his post, he said that his military service and the rights he defended are among the reasons he will not abandon his campaign.
“I served this country honorably in uniform for 21 years, including multiple combat tours and more than three years at war,” Pinkins said. “I nearly lost my life in combat defending the very rights that allow Americans – including both of my opponents – to participate freely in our democratic process.
“And now, some of those same Americans are asking me to surrender those rights because my candidacy doesn’t align with their political preferences? … You have every right to support the candidate of your choice, just as I have every right to run for public office. And Mississippi voters have every right to decide for themselves.”
Pinkins ended the lengthy post with an emphatic, “NO. I WILL NOT WITHDRAW.”
On the campaign trail, Pinkins has said his goals include expanding economic opportunity, making health care more affordable, and strengthening education. He has also pledged to listen to voters, arguing their current officeholders have failed to do so.
Pinkins previously ran as the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 2024, losing to Republican Roger Wicker by more than 70 percentage points. Mississippi Democratic leaders selected him as a substitute candidate in the 2023 race against Republican Secretary of State Michael Watson. Pinkins lost that contest by nearly 20 percentage points.
Pinkins, Hyde-Smith, and Colom will face off Tuesday, Nov. 3.