Mississippi
Overview
In 2019, The States Project stepped up to invest in winning state legislative elections in Mississippi.
Representative Hester Jackson-McCray became the first Black woman in her county to be elected to the Mississippi state legislature. Senator Joseph Thomas, who fought against racial gerrymandering in the Mississippi courts, won a newly-created, majority-Black district.
Candidates we supported won by as few as 14 votes, but their victories, two in the House and one in the Senate, were critical to creating lasting change.
Their votes made it possible for the legislature to remove symbols of the Confederacy from the Mississippi state flag for the first time since 1861.
FUEL OUR WORK
Power our ability to select and invest in majority-making districts that can help build and defend governing power for state lawmakers committed to safeguarding our democracy, protecting personal freedoms, and improving lives across the country.
2019
- In 2015, Hester Jackson McCray raised $839 for her campaign. In 2019, we drove over $80K into her district for canvassing, digital, and more. Turnout doubled, and she won by 14 votes.
- Three of the candidates we supported won by fewer than 800 votes; two by fewer than 150 votes.
- The turnout surge in districts TSP invested in was 25 percent higher than in non-TSP districts.
