Nearly two months after Mississippians last went to the polls, the qualifying period is now open for candidates interested in running for municipal government positions across the state, including in the capital city.
Cities across Mississippi will hold party primaries for municipal positions, including mayoral and city council positions, on Tuesday, April 1, with a general election following on June 3.
There are several guidelines and requirements to qualify.
“Both the mayor and members of the council shall be residents of the municipality for at least two years prior to the general election; however, this does not apply to municipalities with a population of less than 1,000,” the Secretary of State’s 2025 Candidate Qualifying Guide states.
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The qualifying deadline for all candidates for municipal offices is January 31, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.
Lumumba Running For Re-Election Despite Bribery Charges
This year, Jackson residents will head to the polls to cast votes for mayor and for City Council members for each of the city’s seven wards.
Incumbent Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba—who along with Ward 6 City Councilman Aaron Banks and Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens is currently embroiled in an ongoing federal bribery investigation—has previously indicated his intention to run for a third term.
“As it stands today, it is certainly my intent to run again,” Lumumba told reporters following a press conference last February, months before federal prosecutors announced the indictment.
Following a nearly 8 month undercover FBI operation, a grand jury indicted the mayor with an array of charges that include conspiracy, bribery, wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering with federal prosecutors alleging he accepted $50,000 in bribes to influence the direction of a commercial development project.
Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba pleaded not guilty to charges related to an ongoing federal bribery investigation. “I am not guilty, so I will not proceed as a guilty man,” he told reporters outside the Thad Cochran United States Courthouse on Nov. 7,
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