After Hinson's resignation, Republican Liles Williams won a primary nominating convention and faced multiple Democrats in the first round of the campaign.

His support of the Voting Rights Act successfully mobilized African American voters in the district and was seen as being a key factor in his victory.

[3] Thad Cochran's victory in 1972 led to longer-term Republican control of the seat and cemented GOP dominance in the district for a decade.

[8] Hinson's vote share among white voters in the district dropped precipitously from his 1978 performance, which Mississippi reporter Bill Minor felt was "probably because of the homosexual questions.

"[9] In 1981, Hinson was arrested by United States Capitol Police at the Library of Congress on the felony charge of committing oral sodomy.

[11] Hinson later changed his plea to "no contest" and received a 30-day suspended jail term along with a year's long probation, provided that he continued to seek medical treatment.

[18] Mississippi Republicans decided to hold a convention to nominate one candidate, nervous that a wide field of Democrats could lock out their party from being in a runoff.

[22] Democrat Michael Herring said, "I've learned that to be a viable candidate, you've got to have one speech and a lot of money to snow people on TV.

[a][19] Singletary tried to capitalize on his role as the Democratic nominee in the 4th congressional district from 1980, and State Senator Ed Ellington attempted to use his experience in the Mississippi Legislature as a way to make the runoff.

[25] The Clarion-Ledger noted that Williams ran up respectable numbers in African American precincts and was in a strong position to gain the votes needed to win.

[29] The Election Commission and the Circuit Clerk were inundated with phone calls from irate voters throughout the day and State Senator Henry Kirksey felt that it was a violation of the Voting Rights Act.

[29] After the first round results, Democrat Wayne Dowdy faced Republican Liles Williams in a two-week runoff campaign.

[48] Dowdy won with a coalition of African Americans who supported his stance on the Voting Rights Act, along with rural white voters.

[50] Williams ran ads attacking labor unions, which helped drive rural white voters towards Dowdy.

[51] The Clarion-Ledger noted that rural and African American turnout was up past expectations, and felt this increase was responsible for Dowdy's win.

[49] Speculation that some of Senator Ed Ellington's vote in Hinds County would shift to Williams in a runoff ended up not coming to fruition.

[48][47] Dowdy denied that his victory was a plebiscite on President Reagan's policies, saying that it was a "vote between two candidates" and pushed back on his race's national implications.

"[49] The Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Tony Coelho called the victory a repudiation of "the idea of a Solid South for Reagan.

[53] The Washington Post reported, however, that Republicans in DC were concerned about the implications of losing a conservative House seat for the 1982 midterm elections.

[54] Unlike in the special where Williams was the heavy favorite, Congressman Dowdy was viewed as the stronger contender for re-election while Reagan's numbers sagged nationally.

[56] Dowdy continued to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives until he decided to run for the open U.S. Senate seat in 1988 and lost to Congressman Trent Lott.