My name is Ty Pinkins, and I am running to represent our great state in the United States Senate. Two years ago, I began a journey through the heart of Mississippi, into your towns and homes. Your stories—the dreams you hold, the trials you face, and the resilience you show—have inspired me. Your dreams are my charge; your challenges, my cause; and your resilience, my motivation.

We have been engaged in a dialogue rooted in our shared aspirations for a better tomorrow. As we approach November 5, 2024, our country stands at a crossroads. This critical election offers us the chance to shape our destiny and make choices about Mississippi’s future and America’s future.

My story is a Mississippi story. Raised by parents who were my role models despite lacking formal education—my mother left school at fifteen to give birth to me, and my stepfather left in the sixth grade to work on a farm.  At 13, I worked in cotton fields from sunup to sundown to help pay the bills. Those fields taught me hard work, dedication, and perseverance.

I became the first in my family to graduate high school and attended Tougaloo College before joining the Army. I served on active duty for 21 years, including three combat tours, and was awarded the Bronze Star. While serving, I completed a degree in political science and later served in the White House under Republican and Democratic Presidents. After earning my law degrees, I returned to Mississippi to work as a lawyer and community organizer, helping single mothers facing eviction and low-income workers cheated out of equal wages by big businesses.

Over the past two years, I’ve heard from families struggling to make ends meet, people who can’t afford quality healthcare, and teachers burdened by underfunded schools. We deserve better, and we can do better. Many Mississippians are fed up with politicians who have done nothing to improve their lives.

For nearly three decades, my opponent has been in Washington, failing our community. Unemployment rates in some Mississippi counties are triple the national average, and poverty rates reach as high as 39%, compared to the national average of about 11%. I want to change that.

Jobs and the economy, healthcare, and education are the three pillars of my campaign because they are the main issues our Mississippi families face daily. We need an economy that works for all Mississippians—not just the wealthy. Our state has been near last in job creation and employment for decades.

As a lawyer and community organizer, I’ve fought to protect Mississippi workers cheated out of their pay. I testified before Congress when our elected senators did nothing, and I sued those big businesses, winning over a million dollars for Mississippi workers. But that’s not enough. We can create a better economy by ensuring the next major supply chain in America begins right here in Mississippi.

A second challenge we face is that of Quality and Affordable Healthcare. Mississippi ranks 50th in healthcare coverage. My father, once one of the healthiest people I knew, is now a double amputee, nearly blind, and suffers from kidney failure, often traveling three hours round trip for basic services. It’s personal to me when I hear that over half of our 74 rural hospitals are at risk of closing.

Our state is last in infant mortality rate and near last in maternal mortality. Women giving birth in Mississippi face higher risks than anywhere else in the country. That’s why I support Medicaid expansion. It makes no sense that while Mississippians pay into Medicaid, other states use our tax dollars to expand it while our leaders drag their feet. Medicaid expansion would ensure more people have access to affordable healthcare, help keep rural hospitals open, and allow families to receive care in their own communities.

We must also address women’s reproductive freedom. I believe that decisions about starting a family should be between a woman, her doctor, and God. As your next U.S. Senator, I will fight to keep Medicaid expansion on the table, continue lowering prescription drug costs, and work to codify Roe v. Wade.

Another area I plan to address is education.  We need a world-class education system that fosters creativity and innovation, equips our children with necessary skills, and prepares them for a global economy. Every student should have access to high-quality education, starting with adequately funding public schools. We must pay our teachers what they are worth, supporting legislation like the “Pay Teachers Act,” which sets a minimum annual salary of at least $60,000 for full-time teachers. Our children are our nation’s future, and we must invest in them wholeheartedly.

Educational priorities, alongside job growth, economic development, and healthcare, are the cornerstones for moving our state forward. I am running for the U.S. Senate because many of our elected leaders have failed us, forgotten us, and forfeited their promises. They have become more loyal to political ideologies than to improving your lives.

That’s why our campaign motto is: You Talk. I Listen. We Do! I’ve visited communities across all 82 counties to hear what’s important to you and your family so that together, we can move our state and country forward.

After 22 months of unwavering commitment, we remain resolute and ready to propel this campaign to success. I believe the people of Mississippi are ready for renewal, representation, and real change.

Our journey to victory begins now by getting off the sidelines and into the fight. Let us remember that our collective future is written by us. In a state known for its prolific writers and as the birthplace of American music, we have the power to pen a new chapter—a story of unity over division, compassion over indifference, and progress over stagnation.

From teachers and nurses to factory and farm workers, voices across Mississippi are calling for well-funded schools, better pay, quality healthcare, safer communities, and a stronger economy. This is more than a campaign; it’s a movement—a testament to what we can achieve when we stand together, anchored by shared values and driven by common dreams.

I humbly ask for your vote on November 5th. Let’s stand together to move Mississippi forward. Thank you!