Monday deadline for special election qualifying
June 9, 2025 – Monday afternoon at 5 p.m. is the deadline for candidates to file qualifying papers in the Aug. 5 special election primary. Those candidates who qualify will be placed on the ballot of their respective parties. The candidates who advance past the primary will be on the Nov. 4 general election ballot. The remaining two years of the current four-year terms will be at stake.
Parties are not required to release the names of the qualifying candidates until June 13. The Mississippi Republican party has released their candidate names, however. The state Democratic Party will not release their names until after June 13, however local Democrats have informed DeSoto County News of two who are among their candidates for the primary.
They are Theresa Gillepsie Isom, running for the now-open Senate District 2 nod, and Dianne Dodson Black, who will be vying for the Democratic nomination in Senate District 19, now held by state Sen. Kevin Blackwell.
Blackwell has filed to qualify for reelection in District 19. State Sen. Michael McLendon is running for reelection in Senate District 1 but he is facing a challenge by Hernando-area businessman Jon Stevenson. Southaven alderman Charlie Hoots has filed to qualify for the GOP nod in Senate District 2.
More information is found on the Mississippi Secretary of State’s website.