Analysis: Defeated lawmaker questions validity of election

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A one-term state lawmaker in Mississippi is contesting her narrow loss in the general election, saying she believes voting irregularities raise questions about the fairness of the election process.

Republican Ashley Henley has filed a petition asking the House of Representatives to toss out the election results and declare the seat vacant. That declaration would lead to another election.

On Nov. 5, Henley lost by 14 votes to Democrat Hester Jackson McCray, according to certified results posted to the secretary of state's website.

The women ran in House District 40, which encompasses a portion of DeSoto County in the northwestern corner of the state. DeSoto has been Mississippi's fastest-growing county for years, and it's just a stone's throw from Memphis, Tennessee.

DeSoto is a Republican stronghold. Census figures show the county's overall population is about 68% white and 29% African American, although those percentages could be different inside District 40.

McCray is poised to make history: She will be the first African American woman to hold a state legislative seat from DeSoto County.

“I won the election fair and square,” McCray told The Associated Press on Friday.

McCray has worked as a nurse and said she is now disabled and is no longer able to do that job. She campaigned on promises to improve public education and expand access to health care.

Henley taught social studies before she was elected to the House in 2015. Because rules prohibited teachers from serving in the Legislature, she left that job just before she took office. She ran with a broad promise to watch how tax dollars are spent and a narrower pledge to ensure teachers can be paid twice a month rather than once.

The 2019 election was a rematch.

In 2015, Henley defeated...