Republican Ron Eller chosen in Mississippi 2nd District runoff, to face Democratic Rep. Thompson in November

Ron Eller won the Republican primary runoff for Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District on Tuesday and will face longtime Democrat Bennie Thompson in the Nov. 5 general election.

Eller, a military veteran and physician assistant, defeated Andrew Scott Smith, who has worked in agriculture and commercial real estate. They had advanced to the Republican runoff as the top candidates in the March 12 three-way primary.

Thompson has represented the majority-Black district since winning a special election in 1993, which President Joe Biden won by a 27-point margin in 2020.

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Thompson is a Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee and was unopposed for the party’s nomination in the district this year. Thompson said he wants to reduce the cost of prescription drugs, invest in historically black colleges and universities, reduce student loan debt and build a middle class “by making sure the wealthy pay their fair share.” Stated.

Eller, who ran unsuccessfully for the 2022 Republican nomination for the 2nd District, said he supports building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and expanding domestic energy production.

After winning Tuesday’s runoff, Eller told The Associated Press that he believes all Americans want a good place to raise a family, with strong schools and clean air and water. Ta.

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“It’s time to forget the party nonsense,” Eller said. “We need to work together as people and as a nation.”

The district stretches along the Mississippi River on the west side of the state, through the flatlands of the delta, all the way to the state capital, Jackson.

In the 2020 presidential election, voters in the 2nd District favored Democrat Joe Biden over Republican Donald Trump, 63% to 36%.