Ellington

Jackie Richmond, 32, took Jackson by storm these last few months as the hip, young campaign manager for Mississippi Supreme Court Justice James Graves, who was re-elected in a run-off election on Nov. 16, defying conventional political wisdom that he could not win a run-off. As her work with Graves neared its end (yes, there's still work to be done after Election Day), Richmond took a few seconds off to chat.

You moved to Jackson from Chicago. How'd you end up here?

I'm from McComb originally, and I graduated from Belhaven College. After that, I moved to New Orleans and eventually to Chicago. Then, I was just kind of homesick. I love bold places, but I really like the people here. I wanted to get involved in politics, and to me, Mississippi politics were more interesting. I knew the background and the history of the place. It was easier to feel like I could make a difference here.

How did you get involved in the Graves campaign?

Dave McCarty was clerking for Graves, and he introduced me to him. Graves told me he had a campaign coming up and needed help, so I started helping with design and identity of the printed materials. I started doing research, too, and then Graves began giving out my cell number when people had questions. When it came time to choose a campaign manager, he was looking at other people, but he decided to give me a chance.

What's your favorite memory from the campaign?

The night of the run-off election when I got to be the one to tell him we won. I got the message five minutes before the AP called.

What's your least favorite memory from the campaign?

The run-off. We essentially had to start over—not from scratch, but we had already spent all of our money. We had used all of our mental resources. It was like running a marathon and being asked to sprint 10 more miles. We had to compress the last four months into two weeks. It was hard to keep up morale because everyone said if we went into a run-off, we would not be able to win.

So, what's next for Jackie Richmond?

(laughs) I'm going to take a long vacation. I want to clean my house, wash my dog, get my oil changed. I'm going to see my mom and pay some of those bills I've neglected.

What about politics? What's next for you there?
I haven't let myself think about that, yet. I definitely want to stay in politics, though.

You've been called a young influential around Jackson. Do you think that's an accurate description?

(laughs) I'm really flattered by that! I'd like to think I am. I would like to think I'm doing something that is worthy of influencing people in a positive way.

How can other young people in Jackson get involved in politics?

In our campaign, volunteers from Millsaps and JSU just showed up and started working. Every campaign needs volunteers, so any volunteer who has the desire to do something can move up. One of our consultants from Washington is hooking (Millsaps volunteer) Amanda Simpson up with a job. Basically, just pick your campaign or cause, show up, start working and don't go home until the job is done.

What's one thing most people don't know about you?

I might have bike-stalked the lead singer of Nine Inch Nails for a year. I pawned a handful of broken down jewelry to buy a broken-down bike so that I could ride past his house.