Young Democrat launches House campaign against incumbent Bennie Thompson

A former counsel to two prominent U.S. senators announced Wednesday that he will challenge longtime Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi.

Evan Turnage, a 33-year-old antitrust lawyer, joins the growing number of young Democrats who hope to grab the torch from the party’s veteran congressional leadership, rebranding the party in an effort to reclaim a House majority in 2026.

The Yale Law School graduate previously served as senior counsel to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Democrat, and as chief counsel to then-Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer.

He led the Senate Democratic caucus on issues that included antitrust, voting rights, judicial nominations, criminal justice, gun control and the Supreme Court, according to his company profile. He also participated in the caucus’s oversight of federal agencies’ actions on mergers and monopolization.

Mr. Turnage told reporters that his decision to run after his time on Capitol Hill ended was spurred by growing frustration over the lack of economic progress at home in Mississippi.

High grocery prices are the most common concern he hears from voters, his campaign team told The Washington Times. He also emphasizes the need for stronger oversight to ensure public dollars reach the families they are meant to help.

Mr. Turnage argues that Mr. Thompson’s current district has remained among the poorest in the nation for decades and needs more aggressive federal action to address rising costs and persistent poverty. 

He is the first Democrat this cycle to announce a primary challenge against Mr. Thompson in the majority-Black and safe Democratic district.

Another candidate, Bennie Foster, originally filed paperwork to run as a Democrat, but is now running as an independent.

Mr. Thompson is also facing two Republican challengers, including Ron Eller, who lost to him in 2024. But he won that race by 24 percentage points while President Trump was carrying the state by 23 points. Whoever wins the Democratic primary will be heavily favored in November.

The 77-year-old incumbent is among Mississippi’s longest-serving elected officials, having represented the district since 1993.

Civil rights, homeland security and congressional oversight are central to Mr. Thompson’s political profile, having formerly chaired the House select committee on the Jan. 6 riots. He is also a ranking member on the House Committee on Homeland Security..

“Elections were created to give people the ability to make a choice. I am confident that my record on behalf of the people of Mississippi’s Second Congressional District will speak for itself,” Mr. Thompson said in a statement to The Times. “I will continue to run my campaign the way I always have. I trust the voters of the district to make their choice.”

Mr. Turnage’s campaign is centered on three priorities: cleaning up government, expanding economic opportunity and strengthening voting rights, his campaign team told The Times.

He is not accepting corporate PAC donations, which contrasts with Mr. Thompson’s reliance on corporate PAC donors, his team said. Mr. Turnage believes that the incumbent’s donors undermine public trust and make him more susceptible to backing policies that shortchange Mississippi families and furthers the criminal justice crisis in Black communities.

Mr. Turnage also supports expanding early voting, ending partisan gerrymandering and restoring voting rights to people who have completed felony prison sentences. He has criticized Mr. Thompson for voting against the For the People Act of 2021 to expand voter registration and access.

Mr. Turnage said he is running for Congress to level the playing field, “so people can not only get by, but get ahead.”

“Mississippi’s 2nd was the poorest district in the poorest state when I was born. Sadly, after 33 years of the same leadership, that’s still true,” he said Wednesday in his campaign announcement. “It’s time someone fought for Mississippi. Too often, families across my community have been forced to watch their loved ones grow up online as they build lives past the state line, chasing economic opportunities that simply don’t exist at home.”