The Central District Supreme Court race will be decided by a runoff election between the two top candidates, incumbent Justice Jim Kitchens and State Senator Jennifer Branning.
Late Tuesday night, after most had left his election night event in Jackson and the race's outcome was clear, Kitchens and his staff were preparing for another three weeks of campaigning.
"That's the hand that's been dealt to us and we will play it,” Kitchens said.
A five person race for the seat made it nearly impossible for any candidate to receive a majority of the vote. But Branning maintained a steady lead over Kitchens throughout Tuesday night, with 41.8% to Kitchens 35.6% after 90% of the votes had been counted.
In a Facebook post, Branning said her team had been planning for a runoff, and promised to work to earn the support of voters so she can bring "new energy and conservative principles" to the court.
Runoff elections are known to draw low turnouts. The key to victory for Branning and Kitchens is getting their supporters to vote again and courting those who voted for the other three candidates. Branning has a significant campaign cash advantage over Kitchens as they resume campaigning.
“I will be very busy,” Kitchens said. “My staff will be very busy and we will be reaching out to those who voted for us this time. And I think that it is not going to be as difficult as one might think to get them back to the polls.”
The Southern District Supreme Court race delivered a surprise upset, with attorney and municipal judge David Sullivan defeating Incumbent Justice Dawn Beam. As of early Wednesday morning, Sullivan led Beam 54.8% to 45.2%. With 93% of the votes counted, Beam had no path to make up that ground with the remaining votes.
When asked about his colleague's likely defeat, Kitchens praised Beam as a person dedicated to helping others.
“I think that Justice Beam has rendered a great service to the people of Mississippi, and I'm sure she will find some way to continue doing that,” Kitchens said.
Judicial runoff elections will be held on November 26, just two days before Thanksgiving.
