Voters in central Mississippi, particularly from the Delta and Gulf Coast regions, are set to return to the polls on Tuesday for runoff elections concerning two judicial positions. These races are the result of candidates failing to secure the necessary majority in the November 5 general election.
The elections will determine who will fill seats on Mississippi’s two highest courts, namely the state Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals. Judges in these roles serve eight-year terms, which is the longest duration for any elected position in the state.
In the race for the Mississippi Supreme Court, Justice Jim Kitchens is vying for a third term representing District 1, which stretches across the state from the Alabama border to the Delta area along the Mississippi River. As the senior presiding justice on the court, Kitchens is positioned to become the chief justice if he retains his seat. He faces Jenifer Branning, a Republican state senator, who emerged as the leading candidate in the initial election with 42% of the vote, compared to Kitchens’ 36%. The remaining votes were divided among three other candidates.
While the court operates on a nonpartisan basis, there are discernible partisan divides in the Supreme Court contest, reflected in the voting patterns during the Nov 5 election. Democratic-leaning districts largely favored Kitchens, while Republican areas showed support for Branning. This pattern mirrors the results from Kitchens’ reelection campaign in 2016, where he also garnered significant backing from Democratic regions.
Branning has labeled herself a “constitutional conservative,” opposing what she terms “liberal, activist judges” and “the radical left.” She has received backing from the state Republican Party, enhancing her campaign’s visibility.
Kitchens has made headlines with dissenting opinions in several notable death row cases, including one where a crucial witness recanted their testimony. In a high-profile 2018 dissent, he expressed concern over the use of midazolam in lethal injections. His efforts have earned him the endorsement of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Action Fund.
Branning has maintained a significant financial edge over Kitchens, primarily due to a personal loan of $250,000 that she invested in her campaign, granting her a robust war chest to promote her candidacy.
In the Court of Appeals election, Amy St. Pe’ and Jennifer Schloegel emerged as the top candidates in their bid to replace outgoing Judge Joel Smith. St. Pe’ garnered 35% of the votes, edging out Schloegel, who received 33% in a competitive three-way race held on November 5. This contest will take place in the Court’s 5th District, located in the southeastern section of the state along the Gulf Coast.
As the runoff election day approaches, polls will close at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Voters registered in either Supreme Court District 1 or Appeals Court District 5, who participated in the general election, are eligible to vote in this runoff.
Despite Mississippi’s reputation as a Republican stronghold in statewide elections, the Supreme Court’s Central District includes several Democratic strongholds, notably the Jackson area and parts of the Mississippi Delta. Historically, Democratic candidates such as Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden have claimed victory in the Central District in their respective presidential elections, highlighting its more competitive political landscape.
In the general election results, Branning excelled in ten of the eleven counties heavily favored by Donald Trump, while Kitchens prevailed in ten counties that supported Democrats. The breakdown of the vote in these counties significantly influences the overall election dynamic, negating direct assumptions based on party affiliation alone.
Areas such as Madison County are considered pivotal for Kitchens’ campaign, given that it accounted for nearly 13% of the total vote in the district. However, his support has dipped since 2016, when he received 50% of the vote there, while this year he only secured 36%, with Branning closely trailing at 47%. Competing counties like Leake and Scott also showed strong majorities for Branning.
Warren County, along the Mississippi River, is anticipated to be another crucial battleground, reflecting past close contests between Trump and Biden, as well as between Kitchens and Branning.
The upcoming Court of Appeals race is situated within a district that Trump carried convincingly with around 70% of the vote, highlighting the significance of voter turnout in that region, especially in populous neighboring counties like Harrison and Jackson on the Gulf Coast.
The election reporting organization will declare winners only when it is clear that there is no possibility for trailing candidates to make a comeback. In the event of races remaining undecided, further updates on candidate concessions or victory claims will be communicated, ensuring clarity on the status of the election.
As of late September, there were approximately 609,000 active voters in Supreme Court District 1 and around 449,000 in Court of Appeals District 5. It’s important to note that Mississippi voters register without party affiliations.
In recent years, the state has seen varying turnout levels, which significantly influences election outcomes. Turnout statistics from the Nov. 5 general election indicated approximately 54% for presidential elections, about 48% for the Supreme Court race, and around 50% for the Court of Appeals.
Looking back at previous runoff elections, voter interest can fluctuate dramatically, with about 339,000 votes cast in the 2016 Supreme Court race’s general election, dwindling to approximately 38,000 for the subsequent runoff.
As the countdown to Election Day continues, expectations run high for voter turnout and engagement in these critical judicial races.
