Trump & Biden win in Mississippi, U.S. Senate race set, Ezell tops GOP foes

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump clinched their parties’ presidential nominations Tuesday with decisive victories in a slate of low-profile primaries, setting up a general election rematch that many voters do not want.

The outcome of contests across Mississippi, Georgia, and Washington state was never in doubt. Neither Biden, a Democrat, nor Trump, a Republican, faced major opposition. But the magnitude of their wins gave each man the delegate majority he needed to claim his party’s nomination at the summertime national conventions.

Not even halfway through the presidential primary calendar, Tuesday marked a crystallizing moment for a nation uneasy with its choices in 2024..

Mississippians had their say in party primaries for all four of the state’s U.S. House seats, one U.S. Senate seat and president of the United States.

Across the Mississippi Coast, though, eligible voters didn’t exactly flock to polling places.

“Turnout was very low. It picked up a little this afternoon when people got off work, but was lower than usual,” said Hancock County Election Commissioner Donna Henry.

Deborah Parker said things were no different in Jackson County. “Turnout was low in all of our precincts,” said the District 5 representative on the county’s election commission.

And while turnout was low, Henry and Hancock also agreed that the election ran smoothly in their counties.

Here’s a look at Tuesday’s results.

House District 4

First-term Rep. Mike Ezell has defeated two challengers to win the Republican nomination in south Mississippi’s 4th District.

He advances to the Nov. 5 election to face Craig Elliot Raybon, who was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

Ezell is a former sheriff who was endorsed this year by former President Donald Trump. He has voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and to end U.S. military assistance to Ukraine.

Ezell defeated Carl Boyanton and Michael McGill in Tuesday’s primary.

Boyanton owned a produce distribution company. He ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for the 4th District U.S. House seat in 2020 and 2022. He said he wants to enact term limits, eliminate some federal agencies and limit spending.

McGill is a military veteran. He said he wants to improve power grids, highways and other infrastructure, as well as increase funding for mental health services and eliminate pay disparities between women and men.

Senate

Sen. Roger Wicker has defeated two challengers in the Republican primary in Mississippi — Ghannon Burton and Dan Eubanks.

Wicker will face Democrat Ty Pinkins in the Nov. 5 general election.

Pinkins was unopposed for his party’s nomination. He is an attorney and ran for Mississippi secretary of state in 2023. He said he wants to fight poverty and improve access to health care.

Wicker was appointed to the Senate in 2007 by then-Gov. Haley Barbour after fellow Republican Trent Lott stepped down. Wicker is an attorney and served in the Mississippi state Senate before winning a U.S. House seat in north Mississippi in 1994. Wicker is the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee and has pushed to expand shipbuilding for the U.S. military. He was endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

President

It took all of one minute for Joe Biden to be declared the winner of the Democratic primary for president. The current president has also clinched the Democratic presidential nomination with a decisive victories in Georgia and Mississippi. He overcame concerns about his leadership from within his own party as the 2024 presidential contest shifts to a general election rematch that many voters do not want.

It didn’t take much longer for former President Donald Trump to secure victory in Mississippi. The Associated Press called the race for the former president after 10 minutes. Trump is hoping tonight will push him over the top in his quest to clinch his party’s presidential nomination for the third election in a row.

House District 3

Republican Rep. Michael Guest is unopposed in the primary and the general election in central Mississippi’s 3rd Congressional District. Guest is a former district attorney who was first elected to the U.S. House in 2018. He is chairman of the House Ethics Committee and vice chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.

House District 2

Ron Eller and Andrew Scott Smith have advanced to an April 2 runoff for the Republican nomination in the 2nd Congressional District.

The winner will go to the Nov. 5 general election to face Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson. He has held the office since 1993, when he won a special election, and is the ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee.

The 2nd District encompasses most of the city of Jackson, plus rural areas in the Delta and along the Mississippi River.

Eller is a military veteran and physician assistant who ran unsuccessfully for the 2nd District nomination in 2022. He said he supports construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall and expansion of domestic energy production.

Smith has worked in farming and commercial real estate. He said he wants to rejuvenate agriculture, rebuild infrastructure, reinforce the southern border and require more transparency in government.

The candidate eliminated in the primary was Taylor Turcotte, who has worked in advertising.

House District 1

Business owner Dianne Dodson Black has won the Democratic nomination in north Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District. She advances to the Nov. 5 general election to face Republican Rep. Trent Kelly, who was unopposed in his primary.

This will be a rematch of the 2022 race, when Kelly defeated Black.

Kelly is a former district attorney and has been in the House since winning a 2015 special election. He is a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

In Tuesday’s Democratic primary, Black defeated Bronco Williams, who is a teacher. Black said she wants to support President Joe Biden’s economic policies, restore abortion rights and limit access to semiautomatic rifles.