It’s Official: Dem Shanda Yates Ousts 32-Year Republican in Mississippi House
Shanda Yates, a 38-year-old Jackson-area attorney, has ousted Billy Denny, a top Republican in the Mississippi House of Representatives who first won his seat in 1987—when Yates was just 6 years old. The Democratic political newcomer beat the longtime House District 64 incumbent by about 51% to 49%, the Hinds County Election Commission confirmed to the Jackson Free Press after finishing counting provisional ballots on Monday.
#In 2015’s legislative elections, Democrats did not even field a challenger in House District 64, which includes a precinct in Madison County. Denny’s last Democratic challenger was Jackson attorney Dorsey Carson, who lost by about 13 points in 2011.
#“It’s really exciting. It’s also a little surreal if I’m being honest. … Always in the back of my mind, I thought, ‘This is probably not going to pan out,’” Yates told the Jackson Free Press shortly after the final vote totals came in on Monday afternoon.
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