What to expect from independent candidates for mayor and city council in Columbus municipal election

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – In the the 2021 municipal election for the city of Columbus, independent candidates outnumber Republicans five to three.

They include the two mayoral candidates along with three candidates for city council. Dr. Brian Pugh with the Stennis Center for Public Service says that while running as an independent can help candidates set themselves apart, they do face an uphill battle.

“People tend to vote for Democrat and Republicans because that’s what they’re accustomed to doing,” he said. “People who actually win the race either run as a Democrat or Republican.”

That’s the challenge facing independent candidates Montrell Coburn and Keith Gaskin as they look to unseat long-time Columbus mayor Robert Smith, a Democrat.

“I think it’s easier for an independent to say ‘Hey, I’m my own person. I’m not going to vote for this policy just because all the Democrats are supposed to. Or all the Republicans,'” Pugh said.

That freedom isn’t the only advantage.

“You don’t have to run in the primary, so you get to go straight to the general election,” Pugh said. “So that’s obviously a plus.”

Pugh says that while it is rare, independent candidates like Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs and mayor of Hattiesburg Toby Barker have won elections before.

“They had established careers with political parties prior to becoming an independent and becoming mayor,” Pugh explained.

While Pugh says the odds still favor candidates from the two major parties, he believes the key to changing that is getting voters to care more about the person rather than their affiliation.

“I think if you can change the narrative to get the people to think about the person [themselves] instead of the party, I think that can lead to some success,” he said.

Primaries in Mississippi are set for April 6 while the general elections will be held June 8.