JACKSON, Mississippi (WLBT) – State Senator John Horhn said residents can expect an announcement “shortly” on whether he will run again for the highest elected office in Jackson.
Horhn had a tight schedule on Wednesday: In the morning he attended the ceremonial opening of a new residential development in Jackson, followed in the afternoon by a press conference announcing a new coalition of business leaders supporting a lake project on the Pearl River.
Following the latter press conference, Horhn, wearing a dark blue suit, would not say whether he was running for mayor but spoke in favor of the kind of leadership he believes the city needs now.
He says Jackson especially needs leaders who are willing to work with politicians at the state and federal levels for the good of the city.
Horhn says he has those relationships because he has served in the Mississippi Senate for more than three decades, including his current term as chairman of the Senate Housing Committee.
“We will accomplish great things in Jackson, but we need great leadership to do it.”
Horhn points to his previous accomplishments in the Senate, including his support for the development of the Jackson State University Parkway, the Jackson Convention Complex and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.
He also helped pass a bill authorizing a one percent infrastructure sales tax for the city.
“I think we can do a lot more of these types of things, but we’re in a situation where Jackson has to make a decision. Is it going to move forward or is it going to continue to deteriorate?” he asked.
The local elections are scheduled for 2025. The party primaries are scheduled for April 1 and the parliamentary elections for June 3. The qualification runs from January 2 to 31, 2025.
Horhn would join a growing list of hopefuls who have thrown their names in the ring.
Other candidates who have announced their intentions include current Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Tim Henderson, conservative radio host Kim Wade, former Edwards Mayor Marcus Wallace, former Treasury Department analyst Corinthian Sanders Sr., attorney and Jackson State University professor Delano Funches and community activist Albert Wilson.
If Horhn runs, it would be his fourth time seeking the office. He previously ran in 2009 when Harvey Johnson was elected to a third term. He also ran in the special election following the death of Chokwe Lumumba, the current mayor’s father, in 2014 and again in 2017, where he finished second in the Democratic primary behind current Mayor Lumumba.
(READ: Lumumba says he is aiming for a third term “as things stand today.”)
“We’re getting a huge amount of encouragement to try again,” he said. “We’ll make a decision shortly.”
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