State Senator Johnny DuPree seeks special-election seat after district map reversal

State Senator Johnny DuPree, who won election last year to represent areas of Forrest and Lamar counties, filed paperwork on Monday to compete in a November special election for the Senate seat vacated by Democrat Juan Barnett of Heidlburg. The move follows Secretary of State Michael Watson's directive that local officials revert to the 2022 legislative district boundaries, a change prompted by Governor Tate Reeves' order to hold the special election under those lines.

The 2022 districts include parts of Forrest, Jasper and Jones counties, whereas the 2025 map—drawn after a federal panel found the earlier maps violated the Voting Rights Act—added majority-Black districts in several regions. The U.S. Supreme Court later overturned the panel's decision, creating uncertainty over the proper district layout. DuPree, now facing a second special election in two years because of the redistricting disputes, said the process is unfair to both the electorate and his home county.

Legal challenges by the state NAACP and other civil-rights groups to stop the reversion were rejected by federal judges Daniel Jordan, Sul Ozerden and appellate judge Leslie Southwick. Governor Reeves has indicated a possible special legislative session this fall to redraw districts, a plan opposed by Democrats.