Evan Turnage, a 33-year-old Yale-educated antitrust lawyer who previously worked for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, has announced a Democratic primary challenge to Rep. Bennie Thompson in Mississippi's 2nd District. Turnage says the party must update its approach to issues such as Big Tech, social media and AI, while prioritizing economic opportunity and political reform. Thompson, a civil-rights leader in office for more than 30 years and former chair of the House Jan. 6 committee, said he trusts voters to decide. The Democratic primary is set for March 10, 2026.
33-Year-Old Antitrust Lawyer Evan Turnage Launches Primary Challenge to Longtime Rep. Bennie Thompson
FILE - Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., speaks as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol holds a hearing at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, June 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
JACKSON, Miss. — Evan Turnage, a 33-year-old antitrust attorney with experience working for senior Democratic leaders, announced he is mounting a Democratic primary challenge to U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson for Mississippi's 2nd Congressional District.
Turnage, a Yale-educated lawyer who served as chief counsel to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and as senior counsel to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, frames his campaign as part of a broader push by younger Democrats to modernize the party after the 2024 election cycle.
"The same old playbook from the '90s isn't going to work anymore," Turnage said. "We are dealing with Big Tech firms and social media and AI, and we need members of Congress who know how to navigate that terrain."
If elected, Turnage said his priorities would include expanding economic opportunity, addressing the influence of large technology platforms, and advancing political reforms to increase government transparency and accountability.
Bennie Thompson, a prominent civil-rights leader, has represented the district for more than three decades. Thompson previously chaired the House Jan. 6 committee and currently serves as a ranking member on the House Committee on Homeland Security. In a statement responding to the challenge, Thompson expressed confidence in his record and in voters' ability to decide the contest.
"Elections were created to give people the ability to make a choice," Thompson said. "I trust the voters of the district."
The 2nd Congressional District is a Democratic stronghold within a state that otherwise leans Republican. It stretches along the Mississippi River, covering much of the state's western side and including the capital city of Jackson.
Turnage is one of several challengers Thompson faces; the field also includes Republican Ron Eller, who ran against Thompson in 2024. The last significant Democratic primary challenge to Thompson occurred in 2012, when he faced Heather McTeer Toney.
The Democratic primary to choose the party's nominee is scheduled for March 10, 2026.
