Rep. Bennie Thompson beat back a challenge from a younger Democrat with ties to Capitol Hill to win his primary on Tuesday night.
The 30-year House veteran is likely return to Washington for another term based on the heavily Democratic lean of Mississippi’s 2nd District.
Thompson beat Evan Turnage, according to projections from The Associated Press. Turnage is an attorney who previously served as chief counsel to then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and senior counsel to Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusett.
Turnage, 34, is part of a wave of younger Democrats seeking to turn the page on an older generation of lawmakers in Washington. But he fell short on Tuesday.
Thompson, 78, was first elected to Congress in 1993. Throughout his three-decade career, he rose through the ranks, securing the top position on the House Committee on Homeland Security. In 2021, he was also appointed as chairman of the Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 Attack. Last year, then-President Joe Biden awarded Thompson the Presidential Citizens Medal, praising his “steadfast commitment to truth.”
Thompson’s age became a flashpoint in this year’s primary race. During the campaign, Turnage said the people of Mississippi’s 2nd District deserve a representative who could navigate the modern political world.
“The same old playbook from the ‘90s isn’t going to work anymore,” he said. “We are dealing with Big Tech firms and social media and AI, and we need members of Congress who know how to navigate that terrain.”
Turnage said that despite Thompson’s long career in Washington, he has failed to deliver real economic change for the district. “This is the poorest district in the poorest state in the country. It was like that when he was elected, and it remains that way today,” he told The Clarion-Ledger in December.
The 2nd Congressional District includes Jackson, the state’s capital and most populous city. It is also a majority-Black district that leans heavily Democratic, meaning the winner of the primary often goes on to sail to victory in the general.
Allison Detzel is an editor/producer for MS NOW. She was previously a segment producer for “AYMAN” and “The Mehdi Hasan Show.”