Republican Senator Advances In Major Race

Ghannon Burton and Dan Eubanks were defeated in the Republican primary by Sen. Roger Wicker.

In the run-off, Wicker’s opponent is Ty Pinkins, a Democrat.

For his party’s nomination, Pinkins faced no opposition. A lawyer who sought the office of secretary of state in Mississippi in 2023, he has declared his intention to combat poverty and expand healthcare access.

After fellow Republican Trent Lott resigned from his position in 2007, then-Gov Haley Barbour appointed Wicker to the Senate. After serving in the Mississippi Senate, the attorney ran for and won a position in the United States House of Representatives representing North Mississippi in 1994. Wicker has advocated for more shipbuilding for the United States military as the committee’s ranking member. Ex-President Donald Trump has endorsed him.

The defeated Burton attacked Wicker for his vote to certify the 2020 presidential election results and stated his belief that the election was stolen. The U.S. border should be closed, according to Burton, and he believes vaccines against COVID-19 are toxic.

Presbyterian pastor Eubanks is also a state representative. He believes that the individuals charged in the incident at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, known as “J-6ers,” have been deprived of due process and are currently “rotting away in jail.” While expressing his desire to see federal spending reduced, Eubanks criticized Wicker’s record, calling it “anything but conservative.”

Since 2007, Tupelo resident Wicker, 72, has been representing the Magnolia State in the United States Senate. He served several times in the United States House of Representatives and the Mississippi Legislature before entering the Senate, where he obtained invaluable expertise.

As the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which deals with issues pertaining to the United States military, he is currently in a prominent position. If the Republicans take over the Senate this year, Wicker might become the first Mississippian to head the committee since former U.S. Sen. John Stennis.

Campaign manager Jake Monssen released a statement expressing gratitude for President Trump’s endorsement of the candidate and his re-election bid.