U.S. House Rep. Bennie Thompson, the longest-serving member of Mississippi’s Congressional delegation and the state’s only Black or Democratic representative, is running for reelection on Nov. 5. His constituency in the state’s 2nd Congressional District includes the capital City, Jackson, and nearly everything west of I-55, stretching from the Delta down to Wilkinson County. It is Mississippi’s only majority-Black congressional district.
In his over 30 years as a representative, Thompson has consistently served as the top congressman on the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee. After the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., selected Thompson to head a committee to investigate the attack. The committee produced its final report at the end of 2022, issuing criminal referrals against Trump to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Mississippi Free Press sat down with Thompson ahead of what could be his thirteenth term in office to discuss his record and his positions on foreign and domestic policy. You can read our interview with his Republican opponent, Ron Eller, here.
The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.
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Nick Judin: Few people in America are as familiar with the January 6 conspiracy as you are. What, in your opinion, is the largest vulnerability from that attempt that still remains—the gap in the armor you most fear will be exploited in future attempts to undermine the peaceful transition of power?
Bennie Thompson: Well, clearly it’s the misinformation that’s put out by leaders in this country as to the conduct of our elections.
Some of that information is being put forward right now by the Trump administration, we saw happening four years ago.
The difference this time is he’s not president. But we have (U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson) who won’t support the notion that, in America, we settle our differences at the ballot box. The reason I say that is because he’s been asked that several times—and he’s only said that he will support the election if it’s free
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