Bryan Caldwell and Ron Ruland go to runoff election for Gulfport City Council Ward 2

GULFPORT, Miss. (WXXV) — Gulfport City Council Ward 2 candidates Bryan Caldwell and Ron Ruland will face each other in a runoff election, after neither candidate secured 50% of the vote on Tuesday.

Four candidates were up for the position — Caldwell, Ruland, Howard Page, and Kelsea Bonds. Votes trickled in after the polls closed at 7 p.m., with unofficial results showing Caldwell in first with 570 votes across both precincts, Ruland in second with 431, Page with 260, and Bonds with 56.

The runoff between Caldwell and Ruland is expected to take place in two weeks.

The special election comes following former ward 2 councilman Ron Roland’s resignation, citing his heath and recovery as top priority after a serious fall left him hospitalized in July 2025.