Current:Home > ScamsMississippi Republican Sen. Roger Wicker is challenged by Democrat Ty Pinkins -GrowthInsight
Mississippi Republican Sen. Roger Wicker is challenged by Democrat Ty Pinkins
View
Date:2025-04-15 17:46:58
Follow live: Updates from AP’s coverage of the presidential election.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi is trying to extend his 30-year career on Capitol Hill as he faces Democrat Ty Pinkins, a challenger who received little financial support from his own party in a heavily Republican state.
Wicker, now 73, was first elected to the U.S. House in a northern Mississippi district in 1994 and was appointed to the Senate in 2007 by then-Gov. Haley Barbour after Republican Trent Lott resigned.
Wicker is an attorney and served in the Mississippi state Senate before going to Washington. He is the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee and has pushed to expand shipbuilding for the military. He was endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
Pinkins, 50, is an attorney and ran for Mississippi secretary of state in 2023. He said he wants to fight poverty and improve access to health care.
Pinkins and Wicker expressed sharp differences about abortion rights. Wicker has praised the Supreme Court for overturning its 1973 ruling that legalized abortion access nationwide, while Pinkins has criticized the court’s 2022 decision.
“While the Biden administration continues pursuing its pro-abortion agenda, pro-life advocates will continue doing what we have always done: working through our legislative and legal systems to promote a culture of life,” Wicker said.
Pinkins said that because it’s “impossible biologically” for him to become pregnant, “I am not qualified to tell a woman what to do with her body.”
“That is between her, her God and her doctor — and if she chooses, she allows me or a man to be a part of that decision-making process,” Pinkins said. “Whether you are a pro-life or a pro-choice woman, I support you — to make that pro-life choice for yourself and that pro-choice decision for yourself.”
Mississippi’s last Democrat in the U.S. Senate was John C. Stennis, whose final term ended in January 1989.
Republicans control all of Mississippi’s statewide offices, three of the state’s four U.S. House seats and a majority of state legislative seats.
veryGood! (559)
Related
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- Kobe Bryant's widow, Vanessa, gifts sneakers to Los Angeles Dodgers
- Bayer Leverkusen wins its first Bundesliga title, ending Bayern Munich's 11-year reign
- 1 killed, several injured when big rig plows into Texas Department of Public Safety office in apparent intentional act, officials say
- Why Sean "Diddy" Combs Is Being Given a Laptop in Jail Amid Witness Intimidation Fears
- Retail sales up a strong 0.7% in March from February, underscoring the resiliency of the US consumer
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, 'Amazing to see you!'
- After finishing last at Masters, Tiger Woods looks ahead to three remaining majors
- The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
- Loretta Lynn's granddaughter Emmy Russell stuns 'American Idol' judges: 'That is a hit record'
Ranking
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- Four people charged in the case of 2 women missing from Oklahoma
- Judge refuses to dismiss federal gun case against Hunter Biden
- 'Fortieth means I'm old:' Verne Lundquist reflects on final Masters call after 40 years
- 2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self
- Military marchers set out from Hopkinton to start the 128th Boston Marathon
- Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce dance to Bleachers, Ice Spice at Coachella
- See the fans of Coachella Weekend 1 in photos including Taylor Swift and Paris Hilton
Recommendation
Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
Wife of ex-Harvard morgue manager pleads guilty to transporting stolen human remains
Bald eagle eats 2 of its hatchlings in West Virginia out of 'confusion', officials say
Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright Reunite at Their Son Cruz's 3rd Birthday Party Amid Separation
The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
Banks, Target, schools, what's open and closed on Patriots' Day?
Golden retriever nicknamed 'The Dogfather' retires after fathering more than 300 guide dogs
Judge refuses to dismiss federal gun case against Hunter Biden