What's on the Ballot in Starkville: November 3, 2026 Election

The races below are read from Oktibbeha County, the state election office and Ballotpedia. What each candidate says is quoted from their own campaign site or a questionnaire they answered, with the link beside it. This page does not recommend anyone.

Election day is November 3, 2026. Last updated October 4, 2026. For polling places, hours and ID rules, see voting in Starkville.

Federal

U.S. Senate

Candidate list from Mississippi Secretary of State — 2026 sample ballot

Scott Colom(Democrat)

Campaign website

Colom is a seventh-generation Mississippian who was born and raised in Columbus, where he still lives. He earned degrees from Mississippi College and the University of Wisconsin Law School, and has served as district attorney for Mississippi’s 16th District since his 2015 election. (Mississippi Free Press)

In their own words

Costs and jobs: He says he is running to lower costs for families, save Mississippi hospitals and bring good jobs home. Scott Colom for Senate
Taxes and prices: Colom called for lower tariffs to reduce prices and proposed eliminating income tax for teachers and police officers earning under $75,000 a year. WLOX
Wages and hospitals: He supports raising the federal minimum wage and said he would work to lower costs and save rural hospitals. Mississippi Free Press

Cindy Hyde-Smith(Republican)Incumbent

Hyde-Smith is a Brookhaven native who served in the Mississippi Senate and as the state’s agriculture and commerce commissioner before joining the U.S. Senate in 2018. She serves on the Senate committees for Appropriations; Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; Energy and Natural Resources; and Rules and Administration. (About Cindy — U.S. Senate website)

In their own words

Jobs and infrastructure: She supports federal policies intended to encourage job growth and says rebuilding infrastructure is important to Mississippi and the nation. Official U.S. Senate website — Issues
Health care: She supports patient-centered health-care reforms to help families afford coverage without expanding the government’s role in providing health care. Official U.S. Senate website — Issues
Health-care costs: Hyde-Smith said she would fight scams and fraud, which she said contribute to higher health-care costs. WLBT

Ty Pinkins(Independent)

Campaign website

Pinkins is an Army veteran and the son of Mississippi Delta farmers from Rolling Fork. He earned a law degree from Georgetown University and worked as a public-interest lawyer for the Mississippi Center for Justice, representing people in underserved Delta communities. (Ty Pinkins for US Senate — About, Mississippi Free Press)

In their own words

Health care: Pinkins’s platform calls for affordable health care and housing, among other issues. Ty Pinkins for Mississippi — Issues
Government reform: He says he supports economic investment in rural towns, affordable health care, veterans’ justice, voting rights, and a clean government; he also calls for bans on lawmakers’ stock trading and repeal of Citizens United. Ty Pinkins for Mississippi — Why I’m Leaving the Democratic Party and Running as an Independent
Rural investment: Pinkins says Congress should deliver affordable health care, strong rural hospitals, good jobs with livable wages, resilient infrastructure, reliable broadband, and disaster recovery for small towns. Mississippi Free Press — Candidate questionnaire

U.S. House, 1st Congressional District

Candidate list from Mississippi Secretary of State — 2026 sample ballot

Johnny Baucom(Libertarian)

Baucom was born in West Point, Mississippi, and says he returned to Mississippi about three years before his candidate profile was published. He describes working as an environmental health and safety technician at a chicken-processing plant and as a weekend millwright at a lumber mill; his Libertarian Party profile also describes him as a father and Army National Guard veteran. (Libertarian Party candidate profile, The Ballot Brief)

In their own words

Marijuana policy: On marijuana policy, Baucom said he would go as far as decriminalization, overturning old cases, and removing marijuana from the list of scheduled drugs, with legal purchase limited to people aged 21 and older. Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association — Candidate questionnaire

Cliff Johnson(Democrat)

Campaign website

Johnson is a civil-rights attorney and directs the Mississippi office of the Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center at the University of Mississippi School of Law. His campaign describes him as a fifth-generation Mississippian; a candidate profile also identifies him as a graduate of Mississippi College and Columbia University School of Law. (SmarterVote, The Ballot Brief)

In their own words

Costs and health care: Johnson says he wants to combat inflation and policies that increase costs, and to protect and expand affordable health care. Cliff Johnson for Congress
Federal investment: He says North Mississippi should receive its fair share of federal funding for economic development, infrastructure, and struggling schools. Cliff Johnson for Congress
Voting rights: He says he wants to preserve Americans’ core rights, especially the right to have their votes count. Cliff Johnson for Congress

Trent Kelly(Republican)Incumbent

Campaign website

Kelly has represented Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House since 2015. Before Congress, he served as a district attorney; he also served 39 years in the Mississippi Army National Guard, retiring as a major general in 2025. He lives in Saltillo. (Biography: Congressman Trent Kelly)

In their own words

Agriculture: Kelly says he will support policies that encourage rural development and help the agriculture industry innovate and succeed. Congressman Trent Kelly — Agriculture
Healthcare: Kelly says people should control their healthcare decisions and be able to choose their doctors; he also calls for reforms to lower drug prices and insurance premiums. Congressman Trent Kelly — Healthcare
Rural broadband: Kelly said expanding broadband in rural communities is a critical need and described broadband access as a potential driver of investment and broader infrastructure improvements. Mississippi Today — Where do the Mississippi U.S. House candidates stand on the issues?