Columnist Sid Salter says kitchen-table issues have historically impacted what appear to be “safe” races in the most unpredictable ways. The 2026 midterms may well prove to be one of those elections.

Attala County Circuit Clerk Tim Pinkard is encouraging residents to register to vote and to pay close attention to upcoming election deadlines as qualifying continues for several judicial offices that will appear on ballots later this year.

In her last election in 2020, she defeated Democrat Mike Espy 54% to 44%. When the pair ran against each other in a special election in 2018 months after Hyde-Smith had been appointed to temporarily fill the Senate seat, Espy garnered 46.4% of the vote.