De'Keither Stamps (born November 21, 1976) is an American politician serving as a member of the Mississippi Public Service Commission. He previously served in the

Mississippi House of Representatives The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi. According to the state constitution of 1890, it is to comprise no more than 122 members elected fo ...

from the 66th district as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

from 2020 to 2024. He ran for the 2023 election to the Mississippi Public Service Commission for the Central District, defeating Republican incumbent

Brent Bailey Brent Bailey is an American film and television actor, director, producer, and screenwriter born in Tucson, Arizona. Bailey has appeared in television series such as Criminal Minds, Rizzoli & Isles and Hart of Dixie. Bailey also played Alex Kni ...

in a rematch of their 2019 race. He assumed office in 2024.

Early life and education

Stamps was born on November 21, 1976, in

Learned, Mississippi Learned is a town in Hinds County, Mississippi, United States. Population The population was 94 at the 2010 census, up from 50 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area. Name The community has the name of one ...

, and was raised in nearby

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

. He attended

Forest Hill High School Forest Hill High School is a public high school located in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. It serves students from grades 9 12, and is part of the Jackson Public School District. The current principal is Torrey Hampton. Demographics A total ...

before transferring and graduating from Crystal Springs High School in 1995. He also attended Marine Corps University.

Career

Stamps joined the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

and was assigned to President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

's security team, serving four years in that role. Stamps was later a military security officer assigned to American embassies in

Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam (; from ar, دَار السَّلَام, Dâr es-Selâm, lit=Abode of Peace) or commonly known as Dar, is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over s ...

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. After leaving the Marine Corps in 2002, he joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

to fight in the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

after the Marines wanted to put him on embassy security. After retiring again, he returned to

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. A

, Stamps served on the Jackson City Council for Ward 4 from 2013 to 2020. As a council member, he objected to the Jackson's mayor open carry gun ban. With the resignation of Representative Jarvis Dortch, Stamps filed to fill the vacancy for the

. He greatly outraised his contender Bob Lee and won the October 16, 2020 special election. He was appointed to the Constitution, Investigate State Offices, Military Affairs, Municipalities, and Public Utilities committees. He co-sponsored a bill protecting Mississippi students’ right to free speech. He voiced opposition to an election bill that would revise voter rolls. He ran for election for the Mississippi Public Service Commission for the central district in 2019, narrowly losing to

50.3% to 49.7%. He ran again in 2023 in what was considered a competitive race. In an interview for the race, he emphasized affordability, reliability, and

return on investment Return on investment (ROI) or return on costs (ROC) is a ratio between net income (over a period) and investment (costs resulting from an investment of some resources at a point in time). A high ROI means the investment's gains compare favourably ...

of utilities in ratemaking. He supported a consumer advocate position at the commission. He narrowly flipped the seat 51.1% to 48.9%, making him the only

on the commission.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stamps, DeKeither Living people Politicians from Jackson, Mississippi Democratic Party members of the Mississippi House of Representatives United States Marine Corps officers United States Army officers 21st-century American legislators African-American state legislators in Mississippi Mississippi city council members 21st-century African-American politicians 1976 births African-American city council members in Mississippi