JACKSON, Miss. — The mayor of Mississippi’s capital city, who’s under indictment on federal bribery and conspiracy charges, is fighting to keep his job.
In a matchup Jackson voters have seen before, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, seeking a third term, faces state Sen. John Horhn in a Democratic primary runoff on Tuesday.
“People are ready for something different,” Horhn said. “They are ready for change; they’re ready for leadership; they’re ready for better streets; they’re ready for less crime; they’re ready for more opportunities.”
Lumumba defeated Horhn in the 2017 Democratic primary outright, earning 55% of the vote. This time around, Lumumba’s vote share dropped to 17% in an April 1 primary. Horhn secured 48%, short of a majority needed to avoid a runoff.
Horhn benefited from the endorsement of Mississippi U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Homeland Security, noted Eric R. Schmidt, an assistant professor of government and politics at Millsaps College.
“What’s different is that he came very close to winning the Democratic party nomination outright; and what’s different as well is the cloud that the criminal indictment against the current mayor has cast over the race,” Schmidt said.
Lumumba, Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owns and Jackson City Council member Aaron B. Banks were indicted in November. The indictment alleges the three Democrats accepted payments, including $50,000 for the mayor’s reelection campaign, from two people they thought were real estate developers looking to build a hotel near the downtown convention center. It turns out they worked for the FBI.
All three have pleaded not guilty.
“Residents have been, you know, told a narrative that should — that should give them every reason for us not to be here, right? And we’re trying to make it clear that that’s not who we are,” said Lumumba.
Schmidt said the winner of Tuesday’s runoff will almost certainly be the next mayor of Jackson, given the city’s demographic makeup. More than 80% of residents are Black, the highest percentage of any major U.S. city, and about 25% live in poverty.
The general election is set for June 3.
