The presidential election is less than a month away but there are not many significant statewide races.
Mississippi U. S. Senator Roger Wicker should easily win re-election to his fourth term. He faces a credible Democratic challenger, Ty Pinkins, but a Pinkins victory would be less likely than Vanderbilt beating Alabama.
Even so, Pinkins will probably get about 40 percent of the statewide vote, typical for Mississippi Democrats. Wicker won the Republican primary with 61.4 percent of the vote against two relatively weak challengers.
There is one special Jackson city council election runoff on Oct. 22 for Ward Two which is mainly northwest Jackson. Montyne Clay, a strong candidate, won the general special election with 1,139 votes. She faces second place finisher Marcus Cheatham who received 550 votes. Clay would strengthen the council and it’s a positive sign that she led the general. Cheatham, retired military who worked in the Pentagon and now owns rental houses in Jackson, would also be a good addition to the council.
There is one significant, competitive race of interest to Northsiders: The District One, Position Three race for state supreme court justice, currently held by incumbent Jim Kitchens, who is 81 years old.
Normally, incumbent supreme court justices don’t face opposition, but Kitchens age and his reputation as being a plaintiff's advocate may hurt his Republican support.
Judicial races are non-partisan but that doesn’t prevent the word getting spread about the underlying political views of the candidates.
Supreme Court District One cuts across the middle of the state and includes Hinds, Rankin and Madison. It’s Republican favored by just a percent or two.
Kitchens, from Crystal Springs, showed his political prowess in 2008 when he dethroned sitting Supreme Court Chief Justice Jim Smith, known as a pro-defendant conservative. Prior to that, Kitchens was a three-term district attorney representing Copiah, Lincoln, Pike and Walthall counties.
Kitchens faces three serious opponents: Neshoba County State Senator Jenifer Branning, Byron Carter from Byram and Ceola James from Vicksburg.
Carter got 22.5 percent of the vote in his race for the state appellate court 2018. An Eagle Scout and a State grad, Carter worked at Daniel Coker after getting his law degree at Mississippi College. Now he practices general law in Byram.
Carter points out that 32 states have term limits and 18 states forbid judges to serve after age 70. Carter’s campaign website advocates that Mississippi adopt such a law, a clear reference to Kitchens’ age.
Vicksburg’s Ceola James served on the state appellate court, defeating incumbent Ermea Russell in 2008. James was then defeated four years later by Latrice Westbrooks who has served ever since. (Westbrooks was narrowly defeated by Kenny Griffis in 2020 for supreme court justice.)
Earlier in her career, James was appointed by the state supreme court to serve as a special chancery judge in Warren, Scott and Rankin counties. She has practiced civil and criminal law for years.
Some interesting facts about James: She’s the author of the book, “Nine Days of Moody Weather,” a book of poetic expressions. She graduated from Horizons University in Paris, France with a master's degree in French. Thesis: “International Law and the Deterrence of Criminal Activities in France and in Other Countries.” The classes were taught in French and the thesis was written in French.
Kitchens’ biggest challenger is three-term State Senator Jenifer Branning from Neshoba County.
Sun food columnist and good friend Lisa Ireland brought Branning by the Sun offices to meet me and I was indeed impressed. Branning has the poise and demeanor of a supreme court judge with her pulled back hair, big glasses, careful words and proper posture.
Branning has been impressive in the state senate as chairman of the highways and transportation committee, finding money for roads while avoiding a gas tax hike, not an easy accomplishment.
Branning has lined up big endorsements, including BIPEC, Mississippi Medical Association, the Realtors, the Republican Party and the Mississippi Manufacturers Association.
A State business grad with an Mississippi College law degree, Branning has practiced general law for 20 years in Philadelphia. That experience, combined with her years as a lawmaker, makes Branning well qualified to be a supreme court judge.
In the midst of such a career, Branning has raised three young men with her husband Chancy. Now that’s impressive.
It will be interesting to see if Kitchens can work his political magic at the ripe old age of 81. Given the eight-year term, he would be 89 in his last year as a judge.
Kitchens is facing three strong opponents, but Branning in particular would be a competent member of the Mississippi supreme court.
