Lobby watch
mississippi
Who owns your rep?
“Together, by staying true to our fiscally conservative principles, we’ve sent a message to America – and to the world – that Mississippi is open for business.”
– Gov. Tate Reeves, 2025 State-of-the-State Address
LobbyWatch Mississippi is a catalog of public data about who really runs Mississippi. Below are maps and profiles of every state and federal politician elected to represent Mississippians, alongside key campaign contributions and lobbying records from influential think tanks and corporations.
When we started this project in 2024, our goal was to understand how pro-Israel interests influence Mississippi politics. What we uncovered reaches far beyond the anti-democratic intervention of a single foreign state. In the research below, you’ll read about Israeli prime ministers and Israeli agencies with a hand in Mississippi. But more, you’ll see how military contractors, corporate interests, and a national network of ultra-conservative think tanks tied to the billionaire-funded policy group ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council) have purchased the political will of Mississippi’s elected representatives. You’ll see a record of their donations, their lunch meetings and happy hours, and the lineage between greased palms and the corrupted legislation that followed. Before you sit back and leave politics to the politicians, ask yourself whose interests your electeds are really serving. Ask yourself, who owns your rep?
Power Maps
These maps display Mississippi’s state-level House and Senate districts, and the politicians elected to represent them. Click on a district or type in an address to see who represents that area and which non-governmental players their politics are influenced by.
- Senate Map
- House Map
Public Players
Here we spotlight 40 Mississippi politicians–all six congresspeople and 34 state leaders. The state-level leaders are those who stand out for their links to ALEC, its affiliated think-tanks, military contractors, or for their sponsorship of pro-Israel bills. These individuals are simply a starting point to dig deeper into all of our electeds.
Jonathan Tate Reeves
Current Governor of Mississippi
Rep. Shane Aguirre (R-17):
A member of the House of Representatives since 2016, Aguirre co-sponsored two aggressively pro-Israel bills: one, urging the federal government to relocate the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and the other, in 2024, extending the repeal date of the 2019 anti-BDS bill.
Rep. Lee Yancey (R-74):
Yancey was a member of the Mississippi Senate from 2008-12 and became a state representative in 2020. As a senator, he co-sponsored SC653, a resolution recognizing the “special friendship” between Mississippi and Israel;
Rep. Jerry R. Turner (R-18):
Turner has been a member of the House since 2004 and has co-sponsored multiple bills in support of Israel: in 2013, he co-sponsored a resolution commending Israel’s mutually-beneficial relationship with Mississippi (HC1);
Rep. Becky Currie (R-92):
Currie has been a House representative since 2008. She co-sponsored one pro-Israel bill, in 2013. She has received financing from Koch Industries and Baker Donelson.
Sen. Chris Johnson (R-45):
Johnson has been a senator in Mississippi since 2020. He has not sponsored any pro-Israel bills, but…
Rep. Carolyn Crawford (R-121):
Crawford has been a member of Mississippi’s House of Representatives since 2012. She co-sponsored HR1 in 2013. Besides meeting with Koch Industries, Chevron, the Mississippi Manufacturers Association and other industry chamber lobbyists, Crawford has met multiple times throughout the years with Empower MS…
Rep. Jody Steverson (R-4):
Steverson has been a state representative since 2012 and a member of ALEC since at least 2018. In 2013, he co-sponsored House Resolution 1 (HR1) commending Israel’s relationship with Mississippi and, in 2017, he co-sponsored the resolution urging…
Sen. Briggs Hopson (R-23):
Hopson has been a senator since 2008. Although he does not seem to have recent ties to ALEC – only attending a 2011 Annual Meeting, receiving a 1,000 “scholarship” in 2012, and meeting with MCPP lobbyists in 2015 – Hopson has been a recipient of large donations from pro-Israel corporate donors, especially Huntington Ingalls and Chevron.
Sen. Kathy L. Chism (R-3):
Kathy L. Chism has been a state senator since 2020. In 2024, she co-sponsored SB2226, a bill extending the repeal date of the 2019 anti-BDS bill.
Private Players
Below is a list of organizations with an active interest in promoting relations between Mississippi and Israel. Notice that the more active and pro-Israel an organization, the stronger its ties to ALEC.
Pro-Israel Bills
This chart catalogs pro-Israel bills introduced in Mississippi Capitol since 2008. The sponsors named in bold are those with ties to ALEC. Search these politicians in the maps above and consider how their policy choices may have been influenced by campaign financiers and lobbyists.
HB768
SB2226
Date: 2024
Sponsors: Josh Harkins, Robin Robinson, Kathy Chism, Joey Fillingane, Jeremy England, Angela Burks Hills, Jennifer Branning, Michael McLendon, Tyler McCaughn
Status: Signed by Governor
ReadHB1212
SC571
Date: 2023
Sponsors: Dean Kirby, Juan Barnett, Jeremy England, Hilman Frazier, Tyler McCaughn
Status: Adopted
ReadHC53
HB761
Date: 2019
Sponsors: Donnie Bell, Greg Snowden, Henry Zuber, William Arnold, Larry Byrd, Thomas Reynolds, Patricia Willis
Status: Signed by Governor
ReadSB2051
HB747
Date: 2018
Sponsors: Henry Zuber, Greg Snowden, Jeffrey Smith, Lester Carpenter
Status: Died in committee
ReadHB837
HB651
SB2467
SB2807
SC653
Date: 2008
Sponsors: Ezell Lee, Billy Hewes, Joey Fillingane, Merle Flowers, Nolan Mettetal, Doug Davis, Videt Carmichael, Eugene Clarke, Thomas King, Tommy Moffatt, Lee Yancey, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Terry Burton, Bob Dearing, Hillman Terome Frazier
Status: Adopted
ReadHC12
Date: 2017
Sponsors: Donnie Bell, Lester Carpenter, Rob Roberson, Jerry Turner, William Arnold, Mark Formby, Greg Snowden, Shane Aguirre, Andy Gipson, Jody Steverson, Nick Bain, Steve Massengill, Mark Tullos
Status: Died in committee
ReadSC562
Date: 2013
Sponsors: Terry Brown, Angela Burks Hill, William Longwitz, David Parker, Rita Potts Parks, Nancy Adams Collins, Phillip Gandy, Kelvin Butler, Derrick Simmons, Eugene Clarke, Michael Watson, Videt Carmichael, Sampson Jackson, Terry Burton, Sally Doty, Robert Jackson, Chris Massey
Status: Adopted
ReadHR1
Date: 2013
Sponsors: Gary Chism, Manly Barton, Randy Boyd, Lester Carpenter, Scott DeLano, Mark Formby, Bobby Howell…
Status: Adopted
ReadAmendment to SC562
HB1127
Take Action
The research above is a basis to map power and strategize towards a more democratic Mississippi. Below are ideas of how organizers, community leaders, and everyday Mississippians can translate the knowledge on this webpage into power for you and your people.
Talk to your neighbors.
Activism starts at the interpersonal level. Talk to your neighbors, family members, local shopkeepers and business owners about LobbyWatch MS. Did you learn anything new about the people who represent you? Did any of the information here surprise you? Outrage you? Share those thoughts and feelings with people in your network and consider what changes you want to see as a community.
Express public opinion.
Find out how your state or federal politicians receive public comment and express your concerns to them directly. Most politicians have a contact form, email address, or phone number on their official websites. Check their social media pages for future events where you could voice your concerns to them in person, too.
Boycott and divest.
Use the research above to create a power map for your area. Which individuals and/or companies influence political decision-making against the will of the people, and how are they financially vulnerable to the will of consumers? Identify key targets (an energy franchise, a local politician’s real estate business, etc.), rally your neighbors, and announce a public boycott until your community’s needs are met.
Vote (or, better yet, run for office).
Look up the next time your electeds are on the ballot. If they have a record of putting profits over people, show up to the polls and vote them out. If there’s an alternative candidate with a convincing commitment to represent the people of your district, campaign for that person and help them win. If there isn’t, consider running yourself.
Contribute to this database.
If you notice something missing on this webpage, have a well-sourced correction, or want to drop us a tip, let us know. Your message will be kept anonymous and confidential.
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Sources and Credit
All of the information on this webpage comes from public records. We encourage everyone to explore the sources below and learn more about your politicians.
Credit
Credit for LobbyWatch MS goes to Mississippi for a Just World (Project Lead), Empower LLC (Collaborating Researchers), and the 2024 MSJW Summer Internship cohort (Research Interns)
State Sources:
- Statement of Economic Interest (Mississippi Ethics Commission)
- Corporate Business Search (Mississippi Secretary of State)
- Lobbying Disclosure (Mississippi Secretary of State)
- Campaign Finance Reports (Mississippi Secretary of State)
Federal Sources:
- U.S. Senate Financial Disclosures
- U.S. Senate Lobbying Disclosures
- U.S. House Financial Disclosures
- U.S. House Lobbying Disclosures
- Campaign Finance Reports (U.S. Federal Election Commission)
Other Sources: