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Though it’s a longshot, the state of Mississippi has a chance today to elect its first Black governor in Johnny DuPree.

DuPree is the first African American to win a major party nomination for governor in the Dixie state. He is also the mayor of Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Despite the historic nature of this race, DuPree is not focusing on race. He is running a low-key campaign across the state, trying to increase his name recognition.

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“The focus of my campaign is to try and move Mississippi in another direction,” DuPree said. “Mississippi [for] far too long has been a state that’s been categorized by the negative.”

DuPree served on the school board, was a county commissioner and has his own real estate company. He has been mayor of Hattiesburg — a college town and the state’s third-largest city — for 10 years. He says he turned the city around, attracting 1,000 new jobs last year alone. DuPree says jobs, health care and education are the key issues in this election.

Read more at NPR