The special election for House District 54 will be a three-candidate race following the close of qualifying for the election Wednesday.

The winner of the special nonpartisan election will fill the unexpired term of former District 54 State Rep. Alex Monsour, who was elected the city’s South Ward alderman in June.

The election is Nov. 7. If needed, a runoff will be held Nov. 28.

According to the Secretary of State’s office, Vicksburg contractor Joe Bonelli, family practitioner and addiction medicine specialist Dr. Randy Easterling, and Kevin Ford, owner of the Ford Insurance Agency, had filed papers by the deadline.

Their applications must be qualified by the state Election Commission to be on the Nov. 7 ballot.

Monsour, a Republican, resigned his seat in the Mississippi House July 5, about a month after defeating then-incumbent South Ward Alderman Willis Thompson in the June 6 municipal general elections.

His resignation came after a state Attorney General’s opinion said he could no longer serve as District 54 representative because under the city’s special charter the aldermen had administrative as well as legislative responsibilities.

Prior to winning the alderman’s seat, he had served in the Legislature for 10 years.