Mississippi Legislators welcomed back Sen. Terry C. Burton to the Senate Chamber with a standing ovation last Wednesday after a month-long absence.
Burton, who represents Newton, Scott and Lauderdale counties in the state Senate, suffered a stroke Jan. 24, a week before he turned 63.
Sen. Terry C. Burton has served in the Mississippi Senate since 1992, starting out as a member of the Democratic party. He then switched parties to run as a Republican in 2002.
Throughout his time in the Senate, Burton has served on multiple committees and has held multiple leadership positions, most recently serving as Senate Pro Tem, which is the second highest position in the Senate under the Lieutenant Governor.
Burton had previously announced he would not be running for reelection this year. Instead, he said it was time to let someone new represent District 31.
Three people have qualified to run for Burton’s seat representing Senate District 31. They are Hampton Gardner, Tyler McCaughn, both of whom qualified as Republicans, and Mike Marlow, who qualified as a democrat.
The primary election is scheduled for Aug. 6. The general election will be Nov. 5.
