Ty Pinkins, a civil rights lawyer and 2023 candidate for secretary of state, reiterated his intent on Monday to seek the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate against incumbent Republican Roger Wicker. 

“I am running because I am concerned about the direction in which our country is going,” Pinkins said at the Mississippi State Capitol. “Families are struggling to make ends meet because life is more expensive for Mississippians.” 

Pinkins is an attorney, Army veteran and native of Rolling Fork. He spent some of the last several years aiding Black farmer workers in the Delta who were being paid less money for their work than white visa workers from South Africa doing the same jobs — a legal case that garnered national attention and spurred congressional hearings.

Pinkins unsuccessfully ran as the Democratic nominee for Secretary of State last year against Republican incumbent Michael Watson when Democratic candidate Shuwaski Young dropped out of the race because of health reasons.  

Pinkins told reporters that his Senate campaign would center on bringing affordable health care solutions to Mississippi, ensuring children have equitable access to K-12 education, and working to provide economic development to all parts of the state. 

“We need an economy that works for all Mississippians,” Pinkins said. 

The Democratic candidate also declared his support for women to receive reproductive health care, including abortion, a procedure that is mostly banned in Mississippi since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

“That is a decision between a woman, her doctor and her religious leader,” Pinkins said. 

Pinkins is so far the only Democratic candidate to qualify for U.S. Senate. If Pinkins wins the Democratic primary, he will compete against the Republican nominee. Wicker faces at least two GOP challengers: state Rep. Dan Eubanks and Ghannon Burton. 

The last day for candidates to qualify for the Senate race is Jan. 12. Party primaries occur on March 12, and the general election will occur on Nov. 5. 

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