AP news guide: Mississippi reps win; Espy to face Hyde-Smith
Emily Wagster Pettus | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 4 years, 8 months AGO
Voters work on their ballots in the kiosks in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Mississippi is one of several states holding presidential party primaries today. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Bernell Jeuitt uses a special ballot reading machine for visually or hearing impaired or handicapped voters in a Jackson, Miss., precinct, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Mississippi is one of several states holding party primaries today. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
A voter walks into a Jackson, Miss., precinct, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Mississippi is one of several states holding presidential party primaries today. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Amour Fowler, a Jackson, Miss., precinct poll manager delivers a ballot to a curbside voter in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Mississippi is one of several states holding presidential party primaries today. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
A roll of "I Voted" stickers rests next to ballots as poll workers wait for voters at a Jackson, Miss., precinct, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Mississippi is one of several states holding presidential party primaries today. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
A voter takes advantage of the hand sanitizer to "clean up" after voting in the presidential party primary in Ridgeland, Miss., Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Polling locations are providing hand sanitizers for voters to use as a cautionary measure in light of the coronavirus health concern nationwide. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
A Democratic presidential primary ballot sits next to a roll of "I Voted" stickers in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Mississippi is one of several states holding presidential party primaries today. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
A voter accepts an "I Voted" sticker from Ridgeland, Miss., precinct worker Cliff Smith, right, as she exits after voting in the party presidential primary, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
File - In this Oct. 5, 2018, file photo, Mike Espy, a former congressman and former U.S. agriculture secretary, is photographed in Jackson, Miss., and the Democrat will again try to beat incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, after losing a competitive race to her in the 2018 special election. However, he must first beat two opponents in his party's primary on Tuesday, March 10. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 1, 2018 file photo, Tobey Bernard Bartee, a Democrat and candidate for the party's nomination for the U.S. Senate, speaks before an audience at the Neshoba County Fair in Philadelphia, Miss. Bartee, a former military intelligence officer, again faces Mike Espy, a fellow Democrat who is a former congressman and was President Bill Clinton's first agriculture secretary and another candidate in the primary, Tuesday, March 10. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Jensen Bohren, photographed in Jackson, Miss., Friday, March 6, 2020, has been a teacher, and is a candidate for the Mississippi's Democratic party's nomination for the U.S. Senate. Bohren faces Mike Espy, a fellow Democrat who is a former congressman and was President Bill Clinton's first agriculture secretary and Tobey Bernard Bartee, a former military intelligence officer in the primary, Tuesday, March 10. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., speaks during the Sen. Thad Cochran Mississippi Center for Innovation & Technology (MCITy) dedication ceremony in Vicksburg, Miss., Friday, Feb. 21, 2020. (Courtland Wells/The Vicksburg Post via AP)
File - In this Oct. 18, 2018 file photograph, Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi's Second Congressional District, speaks in Tougaloo, Miss. Thompson faces one challenger in his party primary, Sonia Rathburn. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
This is a Friday, March 6, 2020 photograph taken in Clinton, Miss., of Sonia Rathburn, a Democratic primary candidate for Mississippi's Second Congressional District seat, occupied by incumbent U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
This is a Saturday, March 7, 2020 photograph of Brian Flowers, taken in Clinton, Miss. Flowers, a military veteran who works at Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, faces two opponents in the Republican primary for Mississippi's Second Congressional District seat. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
File - This is a April 19, 2018 file photo taken in Jackson, Miss., of the Republican U.S. Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi's Third Congressional District, who faces one challenger in his party's primary, James Tulp. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
James Tulp, photographed at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, March 5, 2020, hosts a daily conservative talk radio show, and is the Republican primary challenger to U.S. Rep. Michael Guest of the Third Congressional District. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Katelyn Lee, a Democratic Party primary candidate for Mississippi's 3rd Congressional District, poses for a photo in Meridian, Miss., Friday, March 6, 2020. Lee faces Dorothy "Dot" Benford for the nomination. (Erin Kelly/The Meridian Star via AP)
In this Sept. 15, 2010, file photograph, civil rights Democratic activist Dorothy "Dot" Benford of Jackson, waves a sign during a rally at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss. Benford faces one opponent, Katelyn Lee in the party primary. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
File - In this May 13, 2014 file photograph, U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., addresses an audience in Waveland, Miss. Palazzo, the incumbent for Mississippi's Fourth Congressional District seat, faces two opponents in the Republican party primary. (Tim Isbell/The Sun Herald via AP, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 24, 2018 file photo, Biloxi Councilman Robert L. Deming poses along Howard Avenue in Biloxi, Miss. Deming one of two candidates challenging U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo in the Republican party primary for the south Mississippi's 4th Congressional District seat. (Amanda McCoy/The Sun Herald via AP, File)
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi held party primaries Tuesday to choose nominees for a U.S. Senate seat and four congressional seats:
U.S. SENATE
Mike Espy won the Democratic nomination, easily defeating two challengers. He will face Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Libertarian candidate Jimmy Edwards in November.
Hyde-Smith is an ally of President Donald Trump. She was appointed to serve temporarily when Republican Sen. Thad Cochran retired in early 2018. In November 2018, Hyde-Smith defeated Espy in a hard-fought special election to occupy Cochran's seat for the remaining two years of the six-year term.
Espy is a former congressman who served as U.S. agriculture secretary in the 1990s. In the primary Tuesday, he defeated Tobey Bernard Bartee and Jensen Bohren.
Bartee is a former military intelligence officer who was eliminated in the first round of voting in the 2018 special election for Senate. Bohren is a former teacher who unsuccessfully challenged Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker in 2018.
U.S. HOUSE — 1ST DISTRICT
Republican U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly will face Democratic challenger Antonia Eliason in November in north Mississippi's 1st Congressional District. Neither had opposition in the primary. Kelly is a former district attorney and has been in the House since he won a 2015 special election. Eliason is a law professor at the University of Mississippi.
U.S. HOUSE — 2ND DISTRICT
U.S. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson easily won the Democratic primary in Mississippi's 2nd Congressional District, which stretches along the Mississippi River, through the Delta and into Jackson.
Thompson defeated Sonia Rathburn, who owns a chiropractic business.
Thompson has been in Washington since winning a special election in 1993. He is the longest-serving member of Mississippi's current congressional delegation. He is also the only Democrat and the only African American representing the state on Capitol Hill.
In November's general election, Thompson will face either Thomas L. Carey or Brian Flowers, who are going to a March 31 runoff after neither won Tuesday's Republican primary.
Carey is a retired real estate agent who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2014. Flowers is a military veteran who works at Grand Gulf Nuclear Station. The candidate eliminated Tuesday was B.C. Hammond. He is a volunteer firefighter and has run unsuccessfully for the Mississippi Legislature.
U.S. HOUSE — 3RD DISTRICT
Republican U.S. Rep. Michael Guest won his party primary in central Mississippi's 3rd Congressional District.
He defeated radio talk show host James Tulp. Guest is a former district attorney who was first elected to the House in 2018.
Guest will face Dorothy “Dot” Benford, who won the Democratic primary after defeating first-time candidate Katelyn Lee. Benford has run unsuccessfully for several offices.
U.S. HOUSE — 4TH DISTRICT
Republican U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo defeated three party primary challengers in south Mississippi's 4th Congressional District.
Palazzo is reelected because he faces no opponent in the November general election. He is a military veteran and former state legislator who was first elected to the House in 2010.
On Tuesday, Palazzo defeated Carl Boyanton, Robert L. Deming III and Samuel Hickman. Boyanton is the former owner of a produce business. Deming is a Biloxi City Council member. Hickman worked for U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly in north Mississippi's 1st District.