Mississippi runoff election for state Supreme Court justice is too close to call

A runoff predetermination for the authorities Supreme Court in Mississippi is excessively adjacent to telephone betwixt authorities Sen. Jenifer Branning and incumbent Justice Jim Kitchens arsenic of Wednesday morning. 

Although Mississippi judicial candidates tally without enactment labels, Branning had the endorsement of the Republican Party, portion Kitchens had respective Democratic Party donors but did not person an endorsement from the party. 

Branning, who has been a authorities legislator since 2016, led Kitchens by 2,678 votes retired of 120,610 votes counted arsenic of Wednesday morning. Kitchens is seeking a 3rd word and is the much elder of the court’s two presiding justices, putting him adjacent successful enactment to service arsenic main justice. Her pb had been 518 conscionable aft midnight Wednesday.

Mississippi authorities Sen. Jenifer Branning and Justice Jim Kitchens. (Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images | Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

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Around midnight Wednesday, The Associated Press estimated determination were much than 11,000 votes inactive to beryllium counted. In the Nov. 5 election, 7% of votes were counted aft predetermination night.

Branning had a important pb successful the archetypal circular of voting with 42% compared to Kitchens' 36%. Three different candidates divided the rest.

The victor volition apt beryllium decided by absentee ballots that are allowed to beryllium counted for 5 days pursuing an predetermination successful Mississippi, arsenic good arsenic the affidavit ballots, according to the Clarion Ledger.

Voter turnout typically decreases betwixt wide elections and runoffs, and campaigns said turnout was particularly challenging 2 days earlier Thanksgiving. The Magnolia State voted emphatically for President-elect Donald Trump, who garnered 61.6% of the ballot compared to Vice President Harris’ 37.3%.

Branning and Kitchens faced disconnected successful District 1, besides known arsenic the Central District, which stretches from the Delta portion done the Jackson metro country and implicit to the Alabama border.

Mississippi Supreme Court justices including Justice Jim Kitchens, seated astatine right, 4th from top, perceive to arguments connected July 6, 2023 successful Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Branning calls herself a "constitutional conservative" and says she opposes "liberal, activists judges" and "the extremist left." The Mississippi GOP said she was the "proven conservative," and that was wherefore they endorsed her. 

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She has not antecedently held a judicial bureau but served arsenic a peculiar authoritative successful Neshoba County and arsenic a unit lawyer successful the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Division of Business Services and Regulations, per the Clarion Ledger.

Branning voted against changing the authorities emblem to region the Confederate conflict emblem and supported mandatory and accrued minimum sentences for crime, according to Mississippi Today.

Kitchens has been practicing instrumentality for 41 years and has been connected the Mississippi Supreme Court since 2008, and anterior to that, helium besides served arsenic a territory attorney, according to the outlet.

The Magnolia State voted emphatically for President-elect Donald Trump, who garnered 61.6% of the ballot compared to Vice President Kamala Harris’ 37.3%. (Getty Images)

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He is endorsed by the Southern Poverty Law Center's Action Fund, which calls itself "a catalyst for radical justness successful the South and beyond." Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., besides backed Kitchens.

In September, Kitchens sided with a antheral connected decease enactment for a execution condemnation successful which a cardinal witnesser recanted her testimony. In 2018, Kitchens dissented successful a pair of decease enactment cases dealing with the usage of the cause midazolam successful authorities executions.

Elsewhere, successful the state’s different runoff election, Amy St. Pe' won an unfastened spot connected the Mississippi Court of Appeals. She volition win Judge Joel Smith, who did not question re-election to the 10-member Court of Appeals. The territory is successful the southeastern corner of the state, including the Gulf Coast.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.