Mississippi’s two candidates for the state’s only U.S. Senate seat up for grabs this election cycle are making final pitches to voters as the Nov. 5 general election nears.
Incumbent Republican Roger Wicker, who is seeking a third term, is being challenged by Mississippi Delta attorney and decorated Army veteran Ty Pinkins, a Democrat. Prior to being certified as the nominees for their respective parties, Wicker breezed through a contested primary, whereas Pinkins was elevated to the top of the Democratic ticket uncontested.
Looking at the bigger picture, Wicker is not only trying to win his re-election bid but also to help other GOP candidates in their pursuit to flip the congressional chamber red to keep Kamala Harris in check if the current Democratic vice president happens to become commander-in-chief. With a razor-thin Democratic Senate majority possibly in peril, Wicker is optimistic that the Republicans can capitalize on the opportunity to regain control of the chamber and maintain balance if Harris is elected president or promote a GOP agenda if Donald Trump recaptures the White House.
“We have a great opportunity. We are almost there in terms of winning West Virginia, Montana, and Ohio, and putting those the Democratic seats to bed for a Republican majority,” Wicker said. “If, God forbid, we have Kamala Harris in the White House, that would be a huge check on the leftists that she would put on the Supreme Court. Short of the presidency itself, I can’t think of anything more important that would occur on election day. We absolutely have to get Chuck Schumer out of the leadership of the United States Senate.”
As for his platform, the ranking member of the Senate’s armed forces committee is championing cutting funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) requirements in the military, fighting to halt the use of tax dollars to fund abortions, and pushing for merit-based promotions in the military, not ones based on race or gender.
On the other side of the aisle, Pinkins argues that Wicker has abandoned his responsibility to legislate in the best interests of Mississippians. While the Democratic challenger is proud to don the party’s banner, despite airing frustrations with the Democratic National Committee’s disinterest in investing in his campaign, Pinkins vows to represent his constituency with integrity.
“There’s a lack of courage, specifically around making sure that you are doing the job that you have been hired to do, which is to represent all the people of Mississippi — whether you are white, Black, young, old, Republican, or Democrat — Mississippians deserve to be represented,” Pinkins said. “I don’t think that’s happening at the federal level, particularly in this Senate seat, right now.”
The Rolling Fork native has not shied away from hot-button issues. Pinkins has vocally championed himself as an advocate for women to be able to make their own reproductive choices and a supporter of Roe v. Wade, which was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022.
Pinkins expressed support for proposals that would increase the amount of taxes the wealthy pay and plans that would serve to make groceries more affordable in Mississippi by tackling alleged price gouging by corporations — both ideas parroted by the Harris campaign.
In an attempt to highlight distinct differences between the two candidates, Pinkins challenged Wicker to a debate during the Neshoba County Fair back in July. Though the Democratic candidate appealed to prospective voters during a stump speech at Founder’s Square, the debate never came to fruition due to a scheduling conflict with the incumbent’s camp.
The general election, which will be held on Nov. 5, certainly favors Wicker as Mississippi has not put a Democratic senator on Capitol Hill since 1982.
