U.S. House of Representatives (D-MS 2nd District)

• Bennie Gordon Thompson has represented Mississippi’s second congressional district since 1993, and has been the only Democrat in the Mississippi delegation since 2011. Before that, Thompson held multiple positions in the state government of Mississippi, serving on the Board of Aldermen of Bolton City, as Mayor of Bolton City, and on the Hinds County Board of Supervisors.

• Although Thompson has been a supporter of progressive causes such as Medicare for All, affordable housing, and, especially, racial equity, since October of 2023, he has made multiple statements supporting Israel and has co-sponsored four resolutions expressing support for Israel. Before 2023, Thompson had largely abstained from positioning himself on the topic. In July 2024, he was also one of the 96 lawmakers that did not attend Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress.

• Thompson’s campaigns have received significant financing from labor unions, including the Seafarers International Union, the Aerospace Workers Union, and the Laborers Union. Thompson does not stand out as a major recipient of contributions from the Israel lobby, but has received nearly 200,000 USD from military contractors since 2019.

• He has also met frequently with pro-Israel entities and received lobbying contributions from them, especially defense contractors such as Huntington Ingalls and Vista Outdoors. As a member of the Committee on Homeland Security, Thompson also meets frequently with private operators of immigration detention centers and manufacturers of screening systems, such as Rapsican Systems, a supplier to the government of Israel.

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