FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, February 12, 2026

Contact: Rodericka Applewhaite; press@evanturnage.com

JACKSON, MS — Last night at ‘Sippsi Good Tea, antitrust lawyer and Democratic congressional candidate Evan Turnage unveiled his first comprehensive policy platform, “A Fair Deal for Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District,” and formally called for a Democratic primary debate with incumbent Rep. Bennie Thompson and fellow challenger Pertis Williams III.

The well-attended event covered on TV by both FOX 40 and WLBT 3 drew supporters from across Mississippi’s Second District, underscoring a growing appetite for new leadership and a proactive agenda after more than three decades of the same representation in Washington. Turnage’s remarks centered on a simple but urgent message: Mississippi deserves more than broken promises and ribbon-cuttings that never reach its communities in the poorest district in the poorest state in the country.

Turnage’s policy plan lays out a district-specific agenda focused on keeping families in Mississippi, lowering the cost of living, expanding access to healthcare, and creating good-paying jobs rooted in local communities. The platform includes a “Come Home” agenda to reverse brain drain through student debt relief, housing support, and remote federal work; a universal broadband plan treating high-speed internet as essential infrastructure; a maternal health initiative to address Mississippi’s deadly gaps in care; a working families tax credit to put cash directly in people’s pockets; and a job creation strategy that invests in Mississippians rather than out-of-state corporations.

Turnage also highlighted a sharp contrast of priorities in the race, noting that he has pledged to not take a dime of corporate PAC money and calling on Rep. Thompson to return the millions of dollars he has accepted from corporate interests over his three decades in office.

“This is the poorest congressional district in the poorest state in the nation, and for 33 years our communities have been told to settle for less. I refuse to accept that,” said Evan Turnage, congressional candidate for Mississippi’s Second District. “That’s why I’ve put forward a real, district-built plan to lower costs, create good jobs, expand healthcare, and give families more reasons to stay and grow here in Mississippi. I’m also calling for a primary debate, because voters deserve an honest, side-by-side comparison of our visions for the future. And I’ve pledged not to take a dime of corporate PAC money, because you cannot represent the poorest district in America while cashing checks from private prisons, price-gouging energy providers, and insurance companies that profit off our pain. Mississippi deserves a fair deal, and I’m ready to fight for it.”

The Turnage campaign will continue rolling out district-focused policy proposals as the primary approaches.

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