State Sen. John Horhn secured the Democratic nomination and is heavily favored to become Jackson’s next mayor.
Horhn, a 30-year veteran in the Mississippi Senate, finally found victory in his fourth run for mayor and it comes at a turbulent time. The city is locked in a tense standoff with the state, one he hopes to ease using relationships built in the Senate. If he wins June’s general election — and no Democrat has lost in decades — Horhn faces the tough task of rebuilding trust with the city’s shrinking population while taking on Jackson’s well-publicized road, water and persistent crime issues.
After polls closed Tuesday night, Horhn received nearly 18,000 votes. He decisively defeated incumbent Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba by more than 10,000 votes. Lumumba received only approximately 6,000 votes as of 9 p.m. Tuesday with 78 out of 80 precincts reporting. Lumumba just barely earned more votes than he did in the April 1 primary.
Results are unofficial and still have to be certified by the Mississippi Secretary of State.
As votes trickled in around 7:51 p.m., Horhn took a decisive lead that only became more commanding as the night wore on. By around 8:30 p.m., Horhn had built a nearly unsurmountable 6,300-vote lead.
The runoff election mirrored the April 1 primaries, which saw Horhn dominate with 48.4% of the vote — just missing the 50%-plus-one needed to win outright. Speaking a few days after the primaries, Horhn told the Clarion Ledger he was “confident we will be victorious on April 22.”
Sen. John Horhn fills out his ballot at Precinct 81 in Jackson, Miss., during the Democratic mayoral runoff Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Horne faces incumbent Chokwe Antar Lumumba, with the winner moving on to the June 3 general election.
Horhn celebrated with supporters at The Rookery in Downtown Jackson.
As the race was called by media outlets, Lumumba had not arrived at his watch party at the Ice House. About 40 people enjoyed refreshments and talked with each other while instrumental versions of upbeat songs such as “Celebrate!” played and results were displayed on the TV.
For Lumumba, the runoff defeat signals the approaching end of his eight-year tenure as Jackson’s mayor, which has been marked by notable achievements but also many setbacks in recent years. Accomplishments include, aiding the Jackson Public School District from a state takeover in 2017, two pay raises for police officers and firefighters, a revamped bus system, paving 144 roads, demolition of commercial structures and securing hundreds of millions in federal funds to repair Jackson’s water system after a complete failure in 2022.
But the recent setbacks include issues with garbage collection contracts, failures to the city’s water systems and a federal indictment accusing him of participating in a wide-reaching bribery scandal he pleaded not guilty to in November 2024. For that, he will go on trial in the summer of 2026.
On the Republican ticket, candidates Kenny Gee and Wilfred Beal faced off in the runoff. Gee only had secured 97 of the 153 Republican votes as of 9 p.m. but had a commanding lead toward the nomination, but either candidate faces an uphill climb come the general election as Jackson hasn’t elected a Republican mayor in decades.
Four Independent candidates will also be on the ballot come June, including candidates Rodney DePriest, Zach Servis, Lillie Stewart-Robinson and Kim Wade. Independents do not hold primaries and move straight to the general election.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson MS mayor primary runoff election results: John Horhn, Chokwe Lumumba