Priscilla Williams-Till, Cousin of Emmett Till, Enters U.S. Senate Race in Mississippi

Jackson, Mississippi — Priscilla Williams-Till announced at a press conference on August 28 that she is running for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat, challenging incumbent Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. Williams-Till, a relative of lynching victim Emmett Till, made her announcement in the Mississippi Capitol Rotunda wearing a shirt bearing old photographs of Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, along with the message “A Mother’s Love Never Dies.”

Williams-Till cited a number of reasons for her decision to run, including what she describes as Hyde-Smith’s poor leadership on issues connected to race. One key motivation was Hyde-Smith’s 2018 remark at a campaign event: when a supporter praised a cattle rancher who attended, Hyde-Smith said “If he invited me to a public hanging, I’d be on the front row.” That comment attracted national scrutiny at the time and continues to be a reference point in Williams-Till’s campaign.

Williams-Till, who is originally from Jackson, holds degrees from Jackson State University and Belhaven University. She is campaigning on a number of policy priorities, including healthcare expansion in Mississippi, criminal justice reform, and more oversight of police departments. She especially emphasizes the need to support rural hospitals, and she opposes cuts to Medicaid programs.

Williams-Till also seeks to address reproductive rights, stating that women should make their own decisions about their bodies, in consultation with their faith, not with government interference. On other social issues, she has expressed opposition to transgender athletes competing on teams that do not align with their gender identity, and she has said restrooms should correspond to one’s birth gender.

In addition to domestic policy matters, Williams-Till has weighed in on international affairs. She supports sending weapons to Israel in its current conflict while stopping short of endorsing Palestinian statehood. For Ukraine, she argues that the country should defend itself, but she also supports U.S. military assistance.

An important dimension of her campaign is the call for full disclosure of historical records related to Emmett Till’s murder. The U.S. Department of Justice recently made its investigative files public after conversations with the Till family. However, many state case files remain sealed. Williams-Till has asked Mississippi authorities to release those documents so that the public can see who was responsible and better understand the failure of justice in that case.