State Sen. David Parker has announced plans to step down from his District 2 seat in the legislature with a special election on the horizon.

Parker’s decision follows a three-person panel of federal judges’ approval of redrawn Senate lines in DeSoto County amid litigation by the NAACP aimed at increasing majority minority legislative districts in Mississippi. The redrawn lines altered the landscape of Parker’s district, making a special election necessary for voters in the newly aligned district to elect their lawmaker of choice.

In the meantime, Parker, a Republican, has decided not to seek a fourth term in office, citing a desire to spend more time with his family and “explore new ways to continue serving” his DeSoto County community as well as the state. As things stand, Southaven War

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