by Hunter Dawkins, Owner/Publisher – editor@thegazebogazette.com or hdawkins@supertalk.fm
MISSISSIPPI (GG) — According to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office, the qualifying deadline for candidates for the offices of Court of Appeals, Chancery Court Judge, Circuit Court Judge, and County Court Judge was Monday, February 2, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. These offices will appear on the November 3rd General Election Ballot.
For Harrison County, there were three county court candidates were listed. In Place 1 and Place 2, incumbent County Judges Alison Baker and Robin Alfred Midcalf will be unopposed in November. For the Place 3 seat, Harrison County Youth Court Judge Mike Dickinson is running for the seat along with Gulfport Attorney Ashley R. McKnight from The McKnight Law Firm, PLLC.
No challengers for any District 2 seat of the Mississippi Circuit Court entered. District 2 covers Harrison, Hancock, and Stone, thereby reelecting Lisa P. Dodson in Place 1, Chris Schmidt in Place 2, Larry Bourgeois in Place 3, and Randi Peresich Mueller in Place 4.
District 8 of the Chancery Court has jurisdiction over only Harrison, Hancock, and Stone Counties. The new measure of Senate Bill 2768 from the 2025 Legislative session will not be enacted into law until January 1, 2027 where Stone County will be removed from the Eighth District’s jurisdiction.
With the retirement of Place 4 Judge Carter Bise, the vacancy for this position was the only judicial seat with challengers. Municipal Judge Stephen Maggio, Assistant District Attorney Haley Necaise Broom and family lawyer Frances Yeatts have all entered in the race for the seat. Maggio and Yeatts have run for the Chancery Court position before.
Like the circuit and county courts, incumbents of Place 1 Jim Persons, Place 2 Jennifer T. Schloegel, and Place 3 Margaret Alfonso will not be challenged and re-elected after November 3, 2026.
The Secretary of State’s Office is your primary and trusted source for election information. For questions, please contact the Elections Division at 1-800-829-6786, email ElectionsAnswers@sos.ms.
