Pinkins qualifies for 2026 U.S. Senate ballot as independent

VICKSBURG, Miss. – Ty Pinkins has officially secured a spot on Mississippi’s 2026 U.S. Senate ballot as an Independent after completing a months‑long, statewide petition effort that gathered more than 1,000 certified voter signatures.

Pinkins, a Rolling Fork native and U.S. Army veteran who served three combat tours, spent recent months traveling across Mississippi to meet voters face‑to‑face. His campaign said he visited communities large and small, collecting signatures on porches, in parking lots, at festivals and inside church foyers.

“I didn’t buy my way onto the ballot — I walked my way there,” Pinkins said. “Signature by signature, conversation by conversation, Mississippians showed me that they’re ready for something different. They want leaders who listen, who serve and who never forget who they work for.”

Unlike major‑party candidates, who can qualify by paying a filing fee, Independent candidates in Mississippi must submit at least 1,000 certified signatures from registered voters statewide. Pinkins described the requirement as both “rigorous and reaffirming.”

“Every name on that petition represents a handshake, a story, a moment of trust,” he said. “This campaign isn’t powered by consultants and party insiders — it’s powered by the people.”

The campaign reported support from voters across the political spectrum, citing interest in Pinkins’ message of accountability, access and people‑first leadership.

Pinkins, a Georgetown University Law Center graduate and the first Black city attorney of Rolling Fork, will appear on the November 2026 general election ballot as an Independent candidate for the U.S. Senate.

“This is about more than getting my name on the ballot,” he said. “It’s about restoring faith in a democracy of the people, by the people and for the people. And we’re just getting started.”

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