10 days after Election Day in a runoff for the Mississippi Supreme Court District 1, Position 3 seat, the race has been called. On the last possible day to certify the election result, the challenger, Republican state Senator Jenifer Branning, defeated two-term Justice Jim Kitchens.
The voting total showed a thin margin during the duration of the 10 days following the runoff. A Thanksgiving holiday break for county poll workers in the central district likely delayed the process, but the lack of separation also meant that officials were not able to officially declare Branning the winner until after absentee and affidavit ballots were received and counted.
In the end, Branning clipped Kitchens by a mere 1.2% of the 126,610 total votes.
A historically contentious presidential election took some of the spotlight off the Supreme Court race, though a quieter statewide election cycle meant the busy battle for the judicial seat became one of the most closely watched in Mississippi. The general election included three other challengers, but heavy statewide support for Branning and the judicial veteran Kitchens pushed the two to a tumultuous runoff.
Throughout the campaign, Kitchens, 81, stood on a platform based on his track record through two terms on the Supreme Court. Other experience touted by the incumbent included 40 years of private practice and nine years as a district attorney in Copiah, Lincoln, Pike, and Walthall counties.
Branning, 45, used the campaign trail to categorize herself as a “constitutional conservative” and accuse Kitchens of being a “liberal judge,” raising questions about the nonpartisan status candidates are supposed to carry. However, the Republican senator who also has experience as a private attorney promised to be an impartial judge if elected.
“People are getting on board with the concept of wanting a new generation of constitutional conservative leadership on the court,” Branning said ahead of the runoff election. “Certainly, we tell people we feel like Mississippians need justices that are fair and impartial and will simply call balls and strikes on the bench. And that’s what I’m running to do.”
After public defender David Sullivan defeated incumbent Justice Dawn Beam for the other contested Supreme Court seat in District 2, Position 2 during the general election, Branning will be the only female serving on the state’s court of last resort come January.
