Tupelo Mayor Enters Race for U.S. Senator

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI)- Tupelo Mayor Jason Shelton is running to fill the remaining three years of U.S. Senator Thad Cochran’s term.

Shelton said he has met with Democratic party leaders statewide and believes the time is right for a run for the seat vacated by Cochran, who retired April first.

Although he is running for a seat held for decades by a Republican, Shelton believes his record as mayor shows that he is fiscally conservative and is not afraid to tackle controversial issues.

Shelton believes voters of Mississippi want a U.S. Senator who will hold the line on spending and also look out for the interests of the Magnolia State.

“It’s a big day, very excited to start this campaign for the United States senate for the state of Mississippi.The citizens of our state deserve real, practical leadership, when you get past the talking points and rhetoric, there’s a real job to be done as United States Senator, someone has to be attentive to the concerns of the people, work for the betterment of the state of Mississippi, economic development, quality of life and I think I have a proven track record of doing those things,” Shelton said.

Shelton stated the campaign will not impact his role as mayor of Tupelo. He said he can still run the city, while campaigning for the senate seat through November.