Mississippi's twenty-second state senate district is represented by Republican Senator Eugene Clarke.

Mississippi state senators represent an average of 57,063 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 54,705 residents.

About the office

Members of the Mississippi State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Mississippi legislators assume office the first day of the regular session of the year following election. The Constitution requires the Legislature to convene yearly on the Tuesday after the first Monday in January.

Qualifications

In order to run for the Mississippi State Senate, a candidate must:

• Be 25 years of age or older.
• Be a qualified elector and resident of the State of Mississippi for four years.
• Be a resident of the county or district a candidate plans to represent for two years.
• If running as a Republican or Democrat, pay a $15 filing fee to the State Executive Committee of the party with which the candidate is affiliated.
• If running as an independent, submit 50 signatures to the Circuit Clerk or the Secretary of State.

Salaries

Vacancies

If there is a vacancy in the senate, a special election is required to fill the vacant seat. The Governor must call for an election no later than 30 days after the vacancy happened. After the governor sets the election date, the counties conducting the election must be given at least 40 days notice before the election. All qualifying deadlines are 30 days before the election.

No special election is held if the vacancy happens after June 1st in an election year.

Elections

2019

Elections for the Mississippi State Senate took place in 2019. The primary was on August 6, 2019, the primary runoff was on August 27, and the general election was on November 5. The filing deadline for candidates was March 1, 2019.

2015

Elections for the Mississippi State Senate took place in 2015. A primary election was held on August 4, 2015, and the general election was held on November 3, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 27, 2015. Joseph Thomas was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Eugene Clarke was unopposed in the Republican primary. Clarke defeated Thomas in the general election.

Mississippi State Senate, District 22 General Election, 2015

2011

Elections for the office of Mississippi State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 2, 2011 and a general election on November 8, 2011. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 1, 2011. Incumbent Eugene Clarke (R) defeated George Hollowell (D) in the general election. Clark was unopposed in the Republican primary. Hollowell defeated Mala Brooks in the Democratic primary.

Mississippi State Senate, District 22 General Election, 2011

Mississippi State Senate, District 22 Democratic Primary, 2011

Campaign contributions

From 2003 to 2011, candidates for Mississippi State Senate District 22 raised a total of $422,526. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $42,253 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Mississippi State Senate District 22

Noteworthy events

2019

On February 13, 2019, Judge Carlton W. Reeves, of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, issued an order striking down the map for Mississippi State Senate District 22, finding that it constituted a violation of the Voting Rights Act by denying racial minorities in the district "an equal opportunity to participate in the political processes and to elect candidates of their choice." In the two-page order, Reeves advised the legislature of its right to the first opportunity to draft new maps for District 22 and any adjoining districts that might be impacted. Reeves also suggested that the legislature might extend the March 1 qualification deadline for candidates in District 22 and any other districts affected by the redistricting process. Reeves was appointed in 2010 by Pres. Barack Obama (2013).

Mississippi Republicans appealed this decision and filed an emergency motion for stay of judgment. The appeals court found that the state was not likely to succeed in overturning the district court's judgment. The appeals court also found that the legislature should be granted the opportunity to implement a remedial map. The appeals court stayed the district court's decision until April 3, 2019, and extended the candidate filing deadline for affected districts to April 12, 2019. The legislature enacted a remedial map on March 26, 2019. Opponents of the original map informed the district court that they would not challenge the remedial map. As to the merits of the district court's original judgment, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit heard oral arguments on June 11, 2019. On September 2, 2019, the appellate panel issued its ruling, upholding the district court's finding and dismissing the state's appeal as moot.