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Gov. Phil Bryant announced Monday that he had set the special election in House District 36.
The seat was left vacant by the Jan. 13 death of Democratic Rep. David Gibbs, who had served since 1993. He was 76.
Candidates have a Feb. 11 qualifying deadline. If nobody wins a majority on March 12, there will be an April 2 runoff.
The three-month legislative session is scheduled to end April 7.
Candidates in special elections run without party labels.
The winner will serve through the current four-year term, which ends in January 2016.