Elected and Appointed Government Officials

Bennie Thompson has had one of the more interesting careers in Mississippi politics that has uniquely positioned him as a long tenured congressman.  After graduating with a Masters degree from Jackson State in 1975, he was one of the original plaintiffs in the landmark Ayers case.  He’s served as an Alderman and Mayor in his hometown of Bolton.  He then went on to serve on the Hinds County Board of Supervisors.  In 1993, when then Mike Espy resigned his congressional seat to go serve in Bill Clinton’s administration as Secretary of Agriculture, Thompson ran for and won the seat as 2nd District Congressman and has handily beat all comers and never looked back.

He is the longest tenured Mississippi congressman and plays an outsized role in DC politics.  As former Chair and now Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, his influence is felt throughout the nation in terms of national security.  He is also an active and visible member of the Congressional Black Caucus.  His politics are decidedly progressive, probably even a little more progressive than that of his district, but one thing he’s done exceptionally well is constituent service.  He was a leader during Hurricane Katrina in working with Mississippi’s delegation to secure resources for recovery.

By all accounts, Thompson will hold the Second Congressional District seat as long as he wants.