by Shaunicy MuhammadJune 4, 2024
Mississippi Delta native and military veteran Tim Henderson has joined the 2025 Jackson mayoral race after launching his campaign during a speech at the Jackson Medical Mall on May 30, 2024. Photo by Shaunicy Muhammad
JACKSON, MISS.—Delta native and military veteran Tim Henderson is seeking to become the next mayor of Mississippi’s capital city after launching his campaign during a speech at the Jackson Medical Mall on May 30.
The Democratic candidate, who is challenging incumbent Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba in the party’s primaries, promised to prioritize public safety and economic development, to invest in Jackson’s young people and to maintain a clean city.
“My vision for this city is a safe, clean, vibrant city where all Jacksonians are partakers in a new economy,” Henderson said during the speech on Thursday, May 30. “It doesn’t matter if you’re in South Jackson, north, east, west or downtown. All Jacksonians are going to be included.”
The candidate, who is from Cleveland, Miss., said he would “restore integrity, standards and principle to the office of the mayor.”
“I will restore people’s trust in leadership,” he said. Though he did not name the current mayor specifically, Henderson said he wants to establish a good relationship with Ted Henifin, the interim third-party manager who has been in charge of Jackson’s water system since the 2022 water crisis. Lumumba has recently been critical of JXN Water, the organization Henifin leads, arguing for more community engagement.
Henderson, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, graduated from Mississippi Valley State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. He is currently a doctoral candidate at Jackson State University in Public Policy and Administration and the CEO of Henderson Strategic, LLC, which provides subject matter expertise in space and military operations to the United States Space Force.
A Tim Henderson campaign sign adorns the stage during his campaign launch for the 2025 mayoral election at the Jackson Medical Mall in Jackson, Miss., on May 30, 2024. Photo by Shaunicy Muhammad
About two dozen onlookers gathered to hear the speech, often cheering as he spoke.
“We deserve to be proud of where we live, work and play,” Henderson said.
He said he intends to work collaboratively with local, state and federal entities to “garner the resources that we need to move this city forward.”
In a post-speech conversation with reporters, Henderson explained why he decided to run for office.
“I have been quietly supporting nonprofits, churches throughout the city. … People are struggling, people are suffering,” he said. We can do better. This is about a human tragedy that’s occurring beyond the crime and the infrastructure issues. Those are all exasperating issues that are much deeper that we’re not seeing. For me, this is about the human element, our human infrastructure. If we get that right, (the) economy is going to grow. Jackson is going to be open for business like we’ve never seen.”
Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba told reporters during a press conference at City Hall on Feb. 12, 2024, that he will run for re-election in 2025. Photo courtesy of City of Jackson
Lumumba, who has led the capital city since 2017, already announced his plans to run for a third term during a press conference at Jackson City Hall on Feb. 12.
https://www.mississippifreepress.org/delta-native-tim-henderson-launches-campaign-for-jackson-mayor/“As it stands today, it is certainly my intent to run again,” the mayor said.
Henderson joins talk radio show host Kim Wade, Corinthian Sanders Sr., and Marcus Wallace, a former mayor for the City of Edwards, who have all also announced intentions to run in Jackson’s upcoming mayoral race.
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