ST. GEORGE — Despite publicly stating his intention to withdraw from the race, St. George mayoral candidate Jim Morgan has yet to formally submit his withdrawal to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office. That means he is still a candidate for mayor.
Morgan was set to face Dustin Yates in the race to become the first elected mayor of the newly formed City of St. George. However, revelations about a 29-year-old prostitution arrest led Morgan to reconsider his candidacy.
The now 62-year-old was arrested on Nov. 6, 1996, for prostitution. Details of the case, including the arrest warrant, were not readily available due to the length of time since the incident, as officials stated the records are in archives. After The Advocate questioned Morgan about his 1997 guilty plea for soliciting prostitution, he announced he was withdrawing, effectively leaving Yates unopposed.
“Today I’m announcing that I’m dropping out of the race for the mayor of St. George and will suspend all my campaign activities,” Jim Morgan said in a statement. “After a couple of weeks trying to mount a campaign against an extremely well funded opponent, I can see the writing on the wall. I want to continue to be a voice for solutions for St. George.”
-Morgan announced last week
However, a candidate must officially file their intent to withdraw with the Secretary of State’s office. As of Feb. 24, 2025, SOS spokesperson Joel Watson confirmed to UWK that Morgan has not submitted a withdrawal. Watson confirmed until that withdrawal, he is officially still considered a mayoral candidate. Because the deadline to remove a candidate’s name has passed, his name will still appear on the ballot, even if he officially withdraws.
“We paused the campaign last week when we saw his statement of withdrawal, but as of today, he has not withdrawn so we’re getting ready to start back up,” said Dustin Yates’ campaign advisor Lionel Rainey III. “Normally, when someone says they are withdrawing from a race, they withdraw. Based on the erratic nature of his recent Facebook posts, I’m not sure what to expect. We’re going to assume he didn’t mean what he said and run as hard as we can for this seat unless we see he actually withdraws. It’s too important of a position to take for granted.”
UWK reached out to Morgan for comment, but as of this report, he has not responded. Morgan currently serves on the St. George Fire Protection District Board of Commissioners.
The first-ever election for St. George is set for March 29, 2025. Yates was appointed by Governor Jeff Landry to serve as an interim-mayor until the election.
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One Response
I’m glad that he decided not to drop out. Let the people decide. What I want to know, is there a planned debate/forum? Voters want and deserve to know each candidates ideas on where we begin as a city. If a new school system isn’t the first item on the agenda, then we were all misled.