Mississippi elections: Meet the 2 Democrats looking to unseat US Rep. Trent Kelly

This is the first of several stories previewing the U.S. Congressional races for Mississippi. Primaries in Mississippi are March 12.

Two Democrats are looking to unseat longtime Republican incumbent Trent Kelly in Mississippi's Congressional District 1.

Matthew "Bronco" Williams and Dianne Black are vying for their party's nomination in the March 12 Democratic primary. The winner will face Kelly in the Nov. 5 general election. Kelly is unopposed in the Republican primary.

Though unseating Kelly is a longshot for the Democrats, both say they bring something to the table that the Republican congressman doesn't: a fresh perspective.

Here is a closer look at the candidates.

Matthew 'Bronco' Williams

Educator Matthew “Bronco” Williams is looking to shake up the status quo. The 26-year-old Hernando native said he’s tired of regular people getting left behind while those in charge never fix the actual problems the nation is facing. He wants a government that serves people of any economic status.

“I’m passionate about helping others, that’s part of who I am,” Williams said. “The system that we have right now where everyone is representing the elites, the wealthy… it’s just not a system that works for everybody, and that’s why I’m looking to shake things up a bit.”

As a teacher, Williams views a broken education system as the root cause of many problems the country faces. Getting teachers better access to resources they need, increasing salaries and a return to not strictly following curricula that only prepare students for standardized testing, instead of the real world, are a few ways he wants to go about that.

“I’m going to work every single day with people that are underpaid, underfunded, hardworking people who are passionate about what they do,” he said. “By fixing different issues that are going on with our education system… in the long run I think we can fix a lot of these social issues that we have.”

But beyond his role as an educator, Williams said he wants to better address the wants and needs of the average person.

“The representation that we have in general, the people who have been elected to the office before just aren’t serving everyone’s needs the way that the ideal system should be.”

Other major issues Williams is passionate about and wants to see addressed include democratic backsliding, climate change and post-COVID economic recovery.

Williams sees his fresh perspective in politics as an advantage.

“What we have going on is these massive political organizations, PACs, Super PACs and such, that put up millions of dollars into the campaigns of these incumbents just to keep the status quo going,” he said. “Somebody that’s a regular person looking to serve the other regular people… I feel like that could be seen as an advantage over Mr. Kelly.”

MISSISSIPPI ELECTIONS: Your guide a Mississippi elections and voting

Dianne Black

For small-business owner and Olive Branch resident Dianne Black, interest in politics means an interest in a brighter future.

Black has owned and operated her Olive Branch business, The Hair Fashions, for more than 40 years, but a stint working for former President Barack Obama’s campaign encouraged her to take on a second job and increase her involvement in politics.

Black, 68, said the most critical issue facing both District 1 and the country at large is women’s rights and that she’ll fight harder for those rights than her Republican opponent.

Black said there are a number of issues she would want to tackle if elected, including affordable healthcare, climate change and gun laws to name a few. A full list can be found on her website.

A statement on her website reads: “I will support legislation that will help Mississippians including extending the child tax credit, raising the minimum wage, passing criminal justice reform, protecting our democracy and voting rights, requiring early voting for all federal elections, passing the Crown Act, and so much more.”

Black isn’t a newcomer to politics. In 2022 she ran for the same position, ultimately losing to Kelly, who netted 73% of the vote to her 27%. But that didn't discourage her from running again.

“It might be a difficult race to win, but it’s not a race that can’t be won,” she said. “As long as you’re on the ballot, you have a chance to win.”

Trent Kelly

Following the Democratic primary, the winner will face an uphill battle to unseat the incumbent Republican, U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly. Kelly, who has served six terms as Mississippi's District 1 representative since a special election in June 2015, has never gotten less than 66.9% of the vote. During the 2022 election, he came away with 73%.

Prior to his election, Kelly worked as a city prosecutor in Tupelo for more than 12 years before being elected district attorney in 2011. Kelly has also served in Mississippi’s Army National Guard since 1985 and holds the rank of Major General.

Kelly sits on house committees on Agriculture, Intelligence and Armed Services. A Republican, Kelly typically votes along party lines.

Kelly's campaign did not respond to requests for comment for this story.

Could an upset happen in Mississippi's Congressional District 1?

Facing and beating a representative who typically runs away with elections is no small feat. John Bruce, associate professor and chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Mississippi, characterized a win from the opposition in typically one-sided elections as "extremely uncommon."

"It's a function of the way states are drawing districts, where you see the partisan nature gerrymandering," Bruce said. "Across the entire U.S. House, the number of competitive seats is getting smaller and smaller, until you have districts where the only question is which Republican or which Democrat will win, and not really any question about who will win the general election."

While voter engagement is usually lower in one-sided districts like District 1, Bruce said giving incumbents a run for their money is good for making change and preventing policy stagnation.

"There's a lot of data out there that shows that competitive parties and elections make better policy. When the parties have to be responsive and worry about their votes, they pay attention to what the public wants."

But voter engagement is only part of the puzzle. Bruce said as a "firm believer in the institution of democracy," continuing to challenge longtime incumbents whether they be Republican or Democrat is not only commendable, but necessary for democracy to function as intended.

"If you don't run against super safe incumbents, then they never get tested," he said. " ... When incumbents have to go and explain what they've done, justify their choices, defend themselves, I think we all benefit from that."

Jacob Wilt is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him at jacob.wilt@commercialappeal.com.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Mississippi elections: 2 Democrats want to unseat US Rep. Trent Kelly