Melanie Sojourner

Melanie Sojourner
Member of the Mississippi Senate
from the 37th district
In office
January 7, 2020 – January 2, 2024
Preceded byBob Dearing
Succeeded byAlbert Butler (redistricting)
In office
January 3, 2012 – January 5, 2016
Preceded byBob Dearing
Succeeded byBob Dearing
Personal details
Born (1968-01-05) January 5, 1968 (age 56)
Centreville, Mississippi, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
RelationsAlbert Boyd Sojourner (great-grandfather)
Residence(s)Natchez, Mississippi, U.S.
Alma materLouisiana State University
Websitewww.melaniesojourner.com

Melanie Sojourner (born January 5, 1968) is an American politician from the state of Mississippi.[1] She served in the Mississippi State Senate, representing the 37th district. She is a member of the Republican Party.[2]

She was born in Centreville, Mississippi, and was raised in Kingston, Mississippi.[3] She is the great-granddaughter of Albert Boyd Sojourner, who was in the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1916.[3]

She attended Adams County Christian School, which was founded as a segregation academy and uses the Confederate flag as its symbol, and has enrolled her daughter there.[4] She opposed the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the Flag of Mississippi.[5]

Sojourner graduated from Louisiana State University. She then worked for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association for eight years, and then as a 4-H associate for Mississippi State University.[6]

Sojourner defeated Bob Dearing in the 2011 elections to serve in the State Senate.[7] She served as the campaign manager for Chris McDaniel's 2014 U.S. Senate campaign.[8] Sojourner lost her reelection bid to Dearing in the 2015 elections.[9] She was elected back to the Senate in the 2019 elections.[10]

Sojourner's legislative district was effectively dismantled during 2022 redistricting and she ultimately did not seek re-election to the Senate in 2023.[11]

References

  1. ^ Reid J. Epstein. "Mississippi Senate Results to Be Certified Monday". WSJ. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  2. ^ "Mississippi's revolution may be just starting". POLITICO. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Guajardo, Rod (February 20, 2014). "Southwest Mississippi Legislators: Sojourner willing to serve Miss. citizens". The Natchez Democrat. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  4. ^ Pittman, Ashton (November 1, 2019). "Nominees Share History of Slavery, Plantations, Seg Academies in Natchez Senate Race". Jackson Free Press. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
  5. ^ Ashton Pittman. "MS Senator: Romney's call to remove Confederate flag is "what's wrong with society"". Deep South Daily. Archived from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  6. ^ "Sojourner joins Stedman Realtors as associate - Mississippi's Best Community Newspaper". July 21, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  7. ^ "All votes in, Sojourner wins - Mississippi's Best Community Newspaper". November 15, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  8. ^ "In Mississippi, Senate hopeful McDaniel embodies what GOP fears about tea party". Washington Post. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
  9. ^ Gates, Jimmie E. "Sojourner: Shy of votes to keep District 37 Senate seat". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  10. ^ "Sojourner, Mims, Cockerham win election to Legislature seats". Natchez Democrat. November 6, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  11. ^ "Republicans make few changes to legislative maps during redistricting". Clarion Ledger. Retrieved January 4, 2023.


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