Two Mississippi lawmakers are now running for mayor of their respective cities.
House Rules Committee Chairman Fred Shanks, a Republican, qualified Thursday to run for mayor of Brandon, less than 20 miles from Jackson, the state capital.
According to the Brandon City Clerk’s Office on Friday, only Shanks and Mayor Butch Lee qualified for the race. Lee is currently serving his third term.
Shanks has been a member of the House since 2018.
“I’m going to take my statewide rolodex and legislative skills and apply them to the mayor’s position,” Shanks said in a Facebook post Friday morning. “My plan is to immediately work on the public works department, thoroughly reviewing the list of current projects as well as current contracts.”
In 2024, Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, announced he would run for mayor of Jackson. He himself will have to face several opponents, including outgoing mayor Choke Antar Lumumba, a Democrat.
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Wicker officially named head of US Senate Armed Services Committee
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican from Tupelo, was formally nominated in late December by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, to lead the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee. On December 21, Thune published his list of committee assignments.
As the highest-ranking member of the majority party committee, Wicker is a candidate for party leadership. By officially putting his name on the committee nominations, it all but seals the deal for Wicker’s ascension.
Wicker will also continue to serve on the Commerce, Environment and Public Works, and Rules committees. Wicker has been a member of the Senate since 2007 and recently won a re-election bid against Democratic challenger Ty Pinkins.
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Her Senate counterpart, Cindy Hyde Smith, R-Miss., will serve on the Senate Rules, Appropriations, Agriculture and Energy committees.
Grant McLaughlin covers the Legislature and state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.