Gains Unlikely for Mississippi Women in November

Primary elections were held yesterday in Mississippi, and the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, is tracking results for women candidates in these races. Full results are available on the Election Analysis page on the CAWP website; four races featuring women candidates remain too close to call, so this post will update as results are finalized. Complete context about women in the 2023 elections, including candidate lists, summaries, and historical comparisons, is available via CAWP's Election Watch.

Among the most notable results for women:

• Incumbent Attorney General Lynn Fitch (R) – who is currently the only woman holding statewide elective executive office in Mississippi – won the Republican nomination for re-election in November. She will be challenged by Democratic nominee Greta Martin (D) in a woman v. woman general election contest.
• Addie Lee Green (D) won the Democratic nomination for treasurer. She will challenge incumbent State Treasurer David McRae (R) in November. If successful, Green would be the first Black woman elected statewide in Mississippi.
• With some contests still too close to call or advancing to the runoff election on August 29, women are already 11 of 58 (19%) major-party nominees for state Senate and 21 of 122 (17.2%) major-party nominees for the state House in Mississippi. Women are not poised to break records for total major-party nominations for either chamber in 2023.
• Mississippi ranks 48th in the nation for women’s state legislative representation. Given the results of the primary election, it is unlikely that the state will see an increase in the number of women serving. 

For more information, see the full analysis of how women fared in yesterday's contests on our Election Analysis page. Complete context about women in the 2023 elections can be found on CAWP's Election Watch.