Four years ago, Shuwaski Young was the Democratic nominee for Congress in Mississippi’s Third Congressional District.
Today, Young has changed parties and is seeking office as a Republican.
But for some people who remember Young asking for their votes, that transformation has been difficult to accept.
One voter from Young’s former congressional district told the Mississippi Gazette that her reaction goes considerably further.
“I resent him because he betrayed people,” she said.
“Zero respect. That’s all that needs to be said.”
Her criticism comes at a particularly sensitive moment in Mississippi.
Mississippi lawmakers are considering whether to redraw political districts across the state after a Supreme Court decision opened the door to the possibility.
But voting-rights advocates have warned that doing so could weaken Black political representation.
And the moment carries even greater weight in Mississippi, where Black citizens fought for political rights that many people alive today remember being denied.
Against that backdrop, Young’s political transformation involves more than simply changing the letter beside his name.
For the voter who spoke with the Gazette, Young’s recent rhetoric concerning Muslims pushed her frustration even further.
Last month, Young inserted himself into the backlash surrounding Assma Ali, the Muslim attorney appointed municipal judge in the small Delta town of Benoit.
“A hijab is not business attire for a Mississippi Judge,” Young wrote.
He followed that with an even broader declaration.
“Wearing a hijab on the job is not a Mississippi value.”
Young also demanded that Mississippi ban Sharia law, despite no evidence that Ali has attempted to impose it.
More recently, Young questioned why an American flag wasn’t visible behind Ali in a photograph and said he believed its absence was intentional.
After seeing Young’s recent posts, the voter told the Gazette she “never thought he’d go that far.”
But her criticism isn’t simply that a Black politician became a Republican.
In fact, she specifically distinguished Young from other Black Republicans.
She said there are Black Republicans in Mississippi and nationally whom she may disagree with but still considers valuable political voices.
Her objection is to Young specifically.
The sense of betrayal is particularly striking because Young once described himself as a “diehard Democrat.”
He served in Barack Obama’s Department of Homeland Security and was involved with Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
In 2022, he was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House in Mississippi’s Third Congressional District.
The result wasn’t close.
Young received just 54,803 votes. Republican Michael Guest received 132,481.
Then, in October 2024, Young announced he was leaving the Democratic Party.
Now look, we all understand that political beliefs can change and Young has every right to his new beliefs.
But voters have an equal right to remember.
And, although Young himself is not on the ballot to be personally rebuked, the fall of 2026 comes at a consequential moment for Mississippi.
Across the state, Mississippians are currently attending public hearings about the future of Black political representation.
If there was ever a time to vote, and help friends and family make a plan to vote, this is such a moment.
Mississippi is at another historical inflection point.
The decisions made now could shape the state for years to come.
Mississippi’s voter-registration deadline for the November 3 election is October 5.
History will remember what Mississippi does next.
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