July 2 runoff set in Mississippi Choctaw chief’s race

CHOCTAW, Miss. (AP) – A runoff election to become chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is set for July 2.

Official results of the Tuesday election show challenger Cyrus Ben leads two-term Chief Phyliss Anderson. Ben won 45% of nearly 3,700 votes, while Anderson won nearly 36%. Four other candidates won about 20%, meaning no one received the majority needed to win.

Anderson was first elected in 2011, defeating incumbent Beasley Denson.

The 11,000-member tribe controls three casinos and other businesses. Its reservation stretches across 35,000 acres in parts of 10 Mississippi counties.

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