In just shy of three weeks, Democratic residents in Mississippi’s capital city will once again cast their ballots for mayor, deciding whether to nominate incumbent Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba for a third term or to turn the helm over to longtime Democratic Mississippi Sen. John Horhn.
A legacy of advocacy and activism runs deep for both Horhn–son of Charlie Horhn–and Lumumba, the son of Nubia and former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba.
In recent years, both have also voiced their concerns about state-sponsored takeovers of the capital city’s assets.
Tuesday night, Jackson voters showed that years after Horhn first ran for the position, they could be ready to give him the job.
@media ( min-width: 300px ){.newspack_global_ad.scaip-1{min-height: 99px;}}@media ( min-width: 320px ){.newspack_global_ad.scaip-1{min-height: 99px;}}@media ( min-width: 728px ){.newspack_global_ad.scaip-1{min-height: 90px;}} ‘Our City is Worth Saving’
Shortly after voting precincts closed on Tuesday night, cheerful supporters of John Horhn gathered inside The Rookery, an event venue on North State Street. He took an early lead, jumping ahead of Lumumba before half of the precincts had reported results.
About an hour after the party began, Horhn made his entrance to roaring applause and cheers alongside his wife Lydia Gail Horhn, daughter Charla Horhn and father Charlie Horhn.
State lawmakers like Zakiya Summers and Justis Gibbs were in attendance as well as Jackson entrepreneur Jeff Good, whom Horhn thanked for his support.
“I’m elated that we’ve had support from all sectors of Jackson—young, old, rich, poor, Black, white,” Horhn told reporters as votes were still being counted.
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Democratic Mississippi Sen. John Horhn (center), speaks with supporters at a primary night watch party on April 1, 2025. Photo by Imani Khayyam ” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/John_Horhn_election_party2_cred_Imani_Khayyam.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/John_Horhn_election_party2_cred_Imani_Khayyam.jpg?fit=780%2C519&ssl=1″ onerror=”if (typeof newspackHandleImageError === ‘function’) newspackHandleImageError(this);” src=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/John_Horhn_election_party2_cred_Imani_Khayyam.jpg?resize=780%2C519&ssl=1″ alt=”John Horhn in blue suit speaking with supporters at election party.” class=”wp-image-332180″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/John_Horhn_election_party2_cred_Imani_Khayyam.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/John_Horhn_election_party2_cred_Imani_Khayyam.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/John_Horhn_election_party2_cred_Imani_Khayyam.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/John_Horhn_election_party2_cred_Imani_Khayyam.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/John_Horhn_election_party2_cred_Imani_Khayyam.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/John_Horhn_election_party2_cred_Imani_Khayyam.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/John_Horhn_election_party2_cred_Imani_Khayyam.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/John_Horhn_election_party2_cred_Imani_Khayyam.jpg?w=2000&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/John_Horhn_election_party2_cred_Imani_Khayyam-1024×682.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w” sizes=”(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px”>Sen. John Horhn is pictured speaking with supporters and family during his April 1, 2025, Democratic primary election watch party in
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