Democratic Party Intraparty Challenges

Rep. Bennie Thompson was projected by the Associated Press to win the March 10, 2026 Democratic primary in Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District, defeating 34‑year‑old challenger Evan Turnage — a former counsel to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Elizabeth Warren — who campaigned on a generational message blaming entrenched poverty on long incumbency. Turnage, who raised just over $200,000 since mid‑December (with under $40,000 cash on hand) to Thompson’s more than $1.5 million, faced long odds in a majority‑Black, heavily Democratic district where experts cite Thompson’s fundraising and incumbency advantage and Thompson said he “trusts the voters” to judge his record.