Geoff Pender

Both Republicans and voter-access advocates say that despite roadblocks at the federal level, the Trump administration is still reshaping how elections will be carried out.

Cooperation has been in short supply for the last three years, as the Republican leadership of the two chambers has sparred over nearly every major issue, including the budget.

Sen. David Blount, chairman of the Gaming Committee in the Senate, says a proposal to legalize online sports betting lacks support in the Senate, and could harm the state's casino tourism industry, which provides thousands of jobs and millions in state revenue. Blount also discusses proposed, and recently enacted, changes to the Public Employee Retirement System, and proposals to increase tax credits for private schools.

House Speaker Jason White has vowed to end the college-student-who-put-off-writing-a-paper method of setting most of a multi-billion dollar state budget late on a Saturday night.

Jarvis Dortch, executive director of the ACLU of Mississippi and a former state lawmaker, warns of a pending Supreme Court decision from a Louisiana case and efforts in Congress that would undermine the Voting Rights Act and potentially turn back the clock on voting rights and redistricting in Mississippi and elsewhere.

Mississippi Today health reporters Gwen Dilworth and Sophia Paffenroth review what the Legislature did (or didn't) accomplish with PBMs, Medicaid, abortion drugs and other health policy issues this session.

Philip Gunn, who in 2012 became the first Republican since Reconstruction to serve as speaker of the Mississippi House, says the state accomplished much during his 12 years leading the House and that record should set him apart in the 2027 race for governor. Gunn last week became the second person to announce a gubernatorial run, but many expect a crowded field, especially in the Republican primary, with an open seat in 2027.

The policy is in line with the Trump administration’s broader efforts to roll back vaccine requirements, which include pushes from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reduce the number of recommended vaccines, especially for children.

House Democratic Leader Robert Johnson of Natchez says that as states across the nation become embroiled over racial and partisan gerrymandering of voting districts, he believes now they'll know “what it's like to be in Mississippi” with its long struggles with voting rights and drawing district lines. What other states see as unprecedented political battle, Johnson said, “We call Tuesday.”

Mississippi Today's politics team gives a rundown on a monumental week in the Magnolia State that saw thousands of people marching and rallying in Jackson over voting rights and the gerrymandering battle embroiling much of the nation.