Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) is projected to win his primary race, fending off a long-shot challenge from 34-year-old antitrust lawyer Evan Turnage, according to Decision Desk HQ.
Thompson, the 78-year-old civil rights leader, has represented Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District for more than 30 years. He is expected to prevail in November’s general election, as his district has historically backed Democrats.
Thompson is the only Democrat to represent Mississippi in Congress. The majority-Black district stretches across the western part of the state from central Mississippi to the Mississippi River.
The Mississippi Democrat serves as the ranking member on the powerful House Homeland Security Committee. He was also tapped in 2021 to chair the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack, whose 18-month probe concluded that President Trump conspired to overturn the 2020 election results, culminating in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Thompson won the NAACP Image Award’s Chairman’s Award in 2022.
Thompson faced a generational challenge in the primary, with Turnage joining a wave of Democrats seeking to oust older members of Congress. The primary challenger campaigned on a message of economic populism, focusing on holding corporations accountable, addressing the high cost of living and expanding voting rights.
Turnage served as chief counsel to then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) after previously serving as senior counsel to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). He earlier worked as an antitrust lawyer at Kirkland & Ellis.
