Mississippi State Senate

Membership, terms and elections

According to the current Mississippi Constitution, the Senate is to be composed of no more than 52 members elected for four-year terms with no term limits. Districts are reapportioned to reflect population changes, and per the 2020 census, each district has about 56,947 people. To qualify for election, candidates must be at least 25 years old, a qualified elector of the state for the past four years, and be a resident of the district or county they are running to represent for the past two years. All candidates must pay either a $250 fee to their state party executive committee or to the Mississippi Secretary of State if they are running as an independent. Independent candidates must collect 50 signatures to run. Elections to the Senate are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November during the state general elections.

If a vacancy occurs in the Senate before June 1, the governor must order an election within 30 days after the vacancy and give a 40-day notice to the appropriate counties where the seat is located. No special election occurs if the vacancy happens after June 1.

Powers and process

The state legislature is constitutionally-mandated to meet for 125 days every four years at the start of a new term and 90 days in other years. The Senate reconvenes on a yearly basis on the Tuesday after the first Monday in January. While the Mississippi House of Representatives can extend its sessions, the Senate cannot.

The Senate has the authority to determine rules of its own proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and expel a member with a two-thirds vote of its membership. A majority in the Senate establishes a quorum, though less members can adjourn, though not for more than 3 days without the House's consent. Bills can originate in the Senate and must undergo three readings in each house, unless two-thirds of the house dispenses with the rules. Amendments to bills must be approved by both houses. The Senate, in conjunction with the Mississippi House of Representatives, draws and approves both congressional and district boundaries. The congressional boundaries can be vetoed by the governor, while the district boundaries, created by a joint resolution between both houses, cannot be vetoed by the governor.

The governor has the power to veto legislation, but legislators can override the veto with a two-thirds decision. The Senate tries all impeachments referred to it by the House of Representatives. All gubernatorial appointments are subject to approval of the Senate.

Leadership

The president of the Senate is Mississippi Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann, who is Republican. The president pro tempore is Republican Dean Kirby. The minority leader is Democrat Derrick Simmons.

The lieutenant governor serves as the president of the Senate and has the sole ability to appoint the chairmanships or vice chairmanships of various Senate committees, regardless of party size. They can only cast a legislative vote if required to break a tie. In the absence of the lieutenant governor, the president pro tempore presides over the Senate. The president pro tempore is elected by a majority of senators present, with following elections for the senate secretary, seargent-at-arms, and a doorkeeper. The President Pro Tempore chairs the Senate Rules Committee, oversees the day-to-day operations of the Senate staff, and assumes the responsibilities of the president in their absence.

Party composition

History

Following the 2003 general elections, the Democratic Party retained their majority in the Senate until a party switch by Democratic Senator James "Shannon" Walley of Leakesville in January 2007 placed the chamber's party composition at 26 Republicans to 26 Democrats. However, because Lieutenant Governor Amy Tuck was a Republican, this gave Republicans control of the Senate for the first time since Reconstruction and a de facto majority. In the 2007 general elections, Democrats won back control of the chamber; however party switches from Senators Nolan Mettetal in February 2008 and Cindy Hyde-Smith in December 2010 once again gave the Republicans a de facto majority, with Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant holding the tiebreaker vote. After another party switch in February 2011 from Ezell Lee, the Republicans expanded their majority to 27–24, with one vacancy.

Republicans continued to expand this majority with the 2011 general elections, where they pushed their majority to 30–22; however a party switch from Gray Tollison in November 2011 and Nickey Browning in March 2013 further expanded this to a 32–20 majority. This gave Republicans a supermajority for tax bills and bond issuances. Republicans sought to continue to grow their majority in the 2015 general elections, and while initial assessments assumed they had expanded it, the margin remained the same. In late 2017, they picked up a seat following Bill Stone's retirement, increasing their majority to 33–19. Four years later, Republicans picked up three seats in the 2019 general elections, creating a 36–16 veto-proof supermajority.

Republicans maintained their 36–16 supermajority in the 2023 general elections. However, the map used in the 2023 elections was later overturned by a federal court because it violated Voting Rights Act by trying to dilute Black representation. As a result, a new map was eventually drawn, and special elections were ordered for November 2025. Democrats picked up two seats in the 2025 special elections and broke the Republican supermajority for the first time since 2019.

As of 2026, the Mississippi Senate has 34 Republican members and 18 Democratic members.

List of presidents pro tempore

Since 1833 the Senate has had 55 Presidents pro tempore: