The 2024 elections ended on Nov. 5 for many Americans, but for central Mississippi, a key outstanding race remains: the runoff between Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Jim Kitchens and challenger Jenifer Branning. Kitchens, running for his third term in office at 81, is widely considered a judicial centrist. His opponent, a Republican Mississippi state senator, describes herself as a “Christian conservative.”
Kitchens raised a total of $91,931 in the final stretch of the campaign, for a total of $535,818 since the beginning of 2024. Trial lawyers made up the lion’s share of Kitchens’ contributions this year. Employees of Morgan & Morgan, one of the nation’s largest personal injury firms, contributed a total of $66,550 alone—the most significant of any organization among Kitchens’ hundreds of donors.
Other lawyers donating the $5,000 maximum to Kitchens’ campaign this year include Richard Schwartz, both Dennis Sweet III and Dennis Sweet IV, Rogen Chhabra and Darryl Gibbs, as well as attorneys from Davis & Crump, Liston & Deas, Reeves & Mestayer, among others.
Though they represent a smaller portion of his contributions than for his opponent, political figures are among Kitchens’ donors. David Baria, a Democrat and the former Mississippi House minority leader who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2018, contributed $2,500. The Senate Campaign Committee for Mike Espy contributed $1,000; Espy is a former U.S. House representative and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in Mississippi in 2018 and 2020. Blackmon & Blackmon, PLLC—the law firm of former Mississippi Sens. Edward Blackmon, Jr., former Mississippi Sen. Barbara Blackmon and current Mississippi Sen. Bradford Blackmon—contributed $1,000.
Jenifer Branning’s campaign finance reports are significantly lighter on contributions from trial lawyers, but Branning has brought in a more significant haul overall. As of Nov. 22, Branning’s campaign boasted $899,471 in total contributions, bolstered by a $250,000 loan from Branning herself.
Among Branning’s top individual contributors are a number of political action committees, including the Mississippi Bankers Association, Mississippi Agents and Employees (MAE-PAC), Mississippi Realtors Political Action Committee, Mississippi Poultry Association, MS Asphalt Contractor Political Action Committee, the Mississippi Medical Political Action Committee and numerous others.
In total, more than 40 political-action committees donated to the Branning campaign. So too did many significant Republican political figures. Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann, Mississippi Sen. Nicole Boyd, Mississippi Sen. Rita Parks, and Mississippi House Rep. Gene Newman were all among Branning’s donors. So were political action committees associated with Gov. Tate Reeves, Mississippi Sen. Dean Kirby, Mississippi Sen. Josh Harkins, and Mississippi House Speaker Jason White.
Branning’s donors also include many business owners, from across the state. Thomas Duff, the wealthiest man in the state who has often contributed to numerous Republican political campaigns, gave $5,000 in total.
Use the two tables below to browse and search the candidates’ reported campaign donations.
