1996Flipped from DemocraticFinal results
1996 election for Mississippi's 3rd District
U.S. House · Mississippi
Charles Pickering (R) won with 61.4% of the vote, defeating John Arthur Eaves Jr. (D) by 24.9 points, a seat Democrats won last time.
Charles PickeringRepublican · winner
61.4%115,443
John Arthur Eaves Jr.Democrat
36.5%68,658
Lamen ClemonsIndependent
1.3%2,502
Charles T. Scarborough Jr.Libertarian
0.8%1,541
188,144 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1996
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
John Arthur Eaves Jr.Charles Pickering
$667.8K
Raised by the campaign
$1.2M
$667.6K
Spent by the campaign
$1.2M
$211
Cash on hand
$6.1K
Campaign money: FEC, through Nov 25, 1996; FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996
The candidates
Charles Pickering (R)John Arthur Eaves Jr. (D)
Also on the ballot: Lamen Clemons (Independent), 1.3%; Charles T. Scarborough Jr. (Libertarian), 0.8%