By ELIZABETH FERSZT
and KATHRYN PALON
Contributing Writers
According to the City of Jackson website, five candidates have filed to run for mayor in the 2026 election.
Jackson candidates for mayor are Christy May Davis, Derek J. Dobies, Shalanda Hunt, Dena K. Morgan, and John Wilson. They will appear on the ballot for the Aug. 4 primary. The top two vote getters will move on to the November primary election.
Hunt is a current Ward 5 Councilmember and former JPS School Board President. She resigned her position as JPS Board President last November as she transitioned into serving exclusively on Jackson City Council.
Davis is a former Ward 5 councilmember who lost her seat to Hunt in the 2025 elections.
Morgan is the executive director of the Dungytreei Heritage Foundation, a local non-profit. She challenged Arlene Robinson for Ward 1 City Council last November but lost.
Dobies previously held the executive position from 2017 to 2021, winning two back-to-back, 2-year terms. Before that Dobies served as Ward 6 City Council member for six years.
Current Jackson Mayor Daniel Mahoney is not running in 2026 so he can focus on his family.
David R. Hammontree and Nanette Muntin are running for Jackson treasurer position. Since there are only two candidates running, they will not appear on the primary ballot. They will appear during the Nov. 3 general election.
Muntin is the current treasurer after the Jackson City Council appointed her to fill the position last August after Treasurer Martin Griffin died in July following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
City races are non-partisan, so the candidates are not running under political party affiliations.
