Special election runoffs held Tuesday determined who will represent parts of Jackson and the Delta in two state Senate seats as well as who will serve as Hinds County Coroner.

The runoffs Tuesday were necessitated when none of the candidates received at least 50% plus one vote in special elections in November. The special elections were held to fill vacancies due to officials leaving in the middle of their terms.

In the runoff for Senate District 26, a seat representing areas of north Jackson and rural Hinds and Madison Counties, Canton municipal judge Kamesha Mumford bested attorney Letitia Johnson in a race that saw more than a half-a-million dollars in campaign fundraising, WLBT reported. Mumford secured roughly 56% of the vote to Johnson’s 44% in the unofficial count Tuesday night, not including absentee ballots. The seat was left open when former longtime state senator John Horhn was elected mayor of Jackson in July.

Johnson, wife of NAACP President Derrick Johnson, had received an endorsement from Mississippi’s Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson. But it didn’t appear to draw votes from Mumford, who received endorsements from the mayors of two Jackson suburbs, Mayor Will Purdie of Clinton and Mayor Gene McGee of Ridgeland, as well as former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy.

Mumford touted her 18 years of legal experience during the campaign.

“When I get to the Capitol, my focus is going to be on measures that improve the quality of life for our residents: strong infrastructure, good roads and bridges, a solid quality education for our children, and public safety so we have safe neighborhoods,” Mumford told Mississippi Today in an interview during the campaign.

In Senate District 24, an area encompassing parts of Leflore, Panola and Tallahatchie Counties, Justin Pope on Tuesday night appeared to defeat Curressia Brown.

Pope, a corporate deputy with Progressive Health Group, reported he received 1,944 votes, or 54%, while Brown, a retired college educator, received 1,659 votes.

The seat was vacated when longtime Sen. David Jordan of Greenwood retired earlier this year.

In the countywide runoff for Hinds County coroner, Jeramiah Howard appeared victorious over opponent Stephanie Meachum, head of the death division at the state Department of Health’s vital statistics office. Howard has been serving as interim Hinds County coroner since his predecessor, Sharon Grisham-Stewart, retired in 2024. He received about 58% of the unofficial vote to Meachum’s 42%. Turnout in the race hovered under 7% countywide.

Howard, who received Grisham-Stewart’s endorsement, had dominated in the November election with 41% of the vote out of six candidates after placing signs in most precincts across the county. He thanked his nearly thirty volunteers ahead of the Tuesday runoff.

“Running for office is a noble deed,” he said. “My fellow candidates ran good races and deserve credit for putting their name on the ballot and reaching people in the community.”