Lumumba Files General Election Report
Democratic nominee for the mayor's office Chokwe Lumumba has filed a general election campaign finance report, which you can read here. Councilman Lumumba has raised $71,614 since April 28, and spent $74,696 in that same period, leaving him with $15,333 in the tank headed into the June 4 general election …
Quentin Whitwell Running for Mayor 'On the Low'?
An email is circulating Jackson asking voters to write in the name of Ward 1 Councilman and lobbyist Quentin Whitwell, a Republican, for mayor in the June 4 general election. The email implores supporters to back Whitwell but to keep it on the low, meaning not to spread the news …
Regina Quinn Asks Independents to Drop Out of Mayoral Race
Former mayoral candidate and Chokwe Lumumba supporter Regina Quinn contacted two of the three independent candidates asking them to drop out of the June 4 general election to select Jackson's next mayor. Councilman Chokwe Lumumba won the Democratic runoff earlier this week, defeating businessman Jonathan Lee by more than 3,000 …
Open Letter to Jacksonians from Dorothy Triplett
Long-time Jacksonian Dorothy Triplett sent us this letter earlier today. It is reprinted verbtim: I supported Mayor Johnson in the primary, and was disappointed that the voters (only 30 percent of the eligible voters) chose not to send him into the runoff. Once I pushed that disappointment down and asked …
WAPT Poll Shows Lee's Lead Over Lumumba Down Dramatically
WAPT just released Mason-Dixon poll results that show that mayoral candidate Jonathan Lee's lead has shrunk three points since Friday, and Chokwe Lumumba's support has increased seven points. Lee leads 46 percent to 42 percent going into tomorrow's pivotal run-off face. The poll showed 12 percent still undecided. Lee led …
Clarion-Ledger and John Horhn Endorse Lee; Norwood Endorses Lumumba
Several new endorsements have happened over the weekend. Today, The Clarion-Ledger endorsed Jonathan Lee for mayor, after endorsing Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. in the primary. Sen. John Horhn, who ran for Jackson mayor, four years ago, has also endorsed Lee. Over the weekend, new Sen. Sollie Norwood, formerly a JPS …
FACTCHECK: Did Chokwe Lumumba "kill an FBI agent and get away with it"?
As we approach the mayoral runoff, which will most surely decide Jackson's next mayor, the rumors are flying fast and furious. One we heard yesterday is that Chokwe Lumumba "killed an FBI agent and got away with it." This is a false assertion. But it surely morphed out of his …
Attorney Herb Irvin's Open Letter to Jonathan Lee
This open letter to mayoral candidate Jonathan Lee just came via email. Here it is, verbatim: Jonathan Lee Candidate for Mayor of Jackson Public Letter Dear Mr. Lee: After watching one of your recent campaign commercials in which you portrayed Chokwe Lumumba as radical and racist, I was compelled to …
Bennie Thompson Backs Lumumba, Links Lee to GOP
Democratic U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson is wading into the Jackson mayor's race, and endorsing Councilman Chokwe Lumumba over political upstart and businessman Jonathan Lee. In the R-and-B-laced radio ad, Thompson refrains from naming Lee but says: "When I see Republicans from Rankin and Madison counties endorsing the other so-called Democrat, …
Lumumba's New Endorsements; Stokes to JFP: "Kiss My Ass"
The campaign to elect City Councilman Chokwe Lumumba as mayor announced several endorsements from key city leaders Friday morning in front of City Hall. Among the endorsements Lumumba received were State Representatives Earl Banks and Jim Evans and District 5 Hinds County Supervisor Kenneth Stokes and his wife, Ward 3 …
Can you vote in the May 21 runoff if you didn't vote in the primary?
A local television report apparently has people confused about whether they can vote in the Democratic runoff for Jackson mayor and city council if they didn't bother to vote in the runoff. The answer is yes. Here is a statement from Jackson City Clerk Brenda Pree: “ All registered voters …
Lumumba's Close Call with Disbarment
"Look, Judge, if we've got to pay for justice around here, I will pay for justice. I've paid other judges to try to get justice, pay you, too, if that's what is necessary." That statement, made by attorney Chokwe Lumumba to Leake County Circuit Judge Marcus D. Gordon on October …
More About Lumumba's Top Donors
Here's a list of Chokwe Lumumba's top campaign donors* this year, over the past two reporting cycles: Barry W. Howard ($10,000) - Madison, Miss. Howard has given to at least one Democratic candidate for Mississippi statewide office, Gary Anderson, who ran for insurance commissioner in 2007. Chokwe Lumumba ($6,000) - …
Lessons from Last Night's Mayoral Whatever That Was
Last night's mayoral forum/debate/"job interview" seemed to have been born of a desire to shake things up, to breathe new life into the stodgy, old question-and-answer-from-a-fixed-podium-style debates of yore. For that effort in thinking out of the box, the organizers at Leadership Jackson probably deserve a cookie. A small cookie, …
Jonathan Lee Announces More Endorsements
At a press conference near City Hall, Democratic mayoral candidate Jonathan Lee and a handful of supporters announced a key endorsement from State Representative Credell Calhoun, who represents Mississippi's 68th district here in Jackson. Lee also received endorsements from his pastor at Anderson United Methodist Church Joe May and New …
WAPT: Regina Quinn Endorses Lumumba (Or Not?); Frank Bluntson Backs Lee
WAPT reported today on what is probably the most coveted mayoral endorsement, saying that Regina Quinn has endorsed Chokwe Lumumba for mayor. In a less significant announcement, Frank Bluntson has endorsed Jonathan Lee. During the campaign, Quinn was angry at Lee for spreading around that she had voted Republican. This …
Candidates File Runoff Campaign Finance Reports
The budget for Jonathan Lee's campaign to become next mayor of Jackson has officially topped $400,000 since the start of 2013. In a report filed Tuesday, May 14, 2013, with the City Clerk's office, the treasurer for Jonathan Lee's political action committee "Friends of Jonathan Lee" says the Lee campaign …
Chokwe Lumumba: 'I AM A CHRISTIAN MAN, WITH AN AFRICAN NAME'
During the run-up to the Democratic primary, the main whisper campaign, coming from several candidates, seemed to be about who had—gasp!—voted Republican in the past. Now, it's over who is Christian enough to be mayor. Mayoral candidate Chokwe Lumumba is pounding the same drum that President Barack Obama had to …
Mayoral Race Finance Reports Due Tuesday, May 14
Under state law, a violation of any candidate's campaign-finance disclosure requirement could result in the state withholding certification of nomination, withholding salary of office, and a misdemeanor conviction that carries up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $3,000. But the city hasn't seemed interested in …
UPDATE: Two Mayoral Debates Set For This Week
Former Jackson Chamber of Commerce President Jonathan Lee and Ward 2 Councilman Chokwe Lumumba will square off in two debates this week, ahead of the May 21 runoff election that will put one of the two men into the Jackson mayors office. The first is set for 6 p.m. to …
JFP Calls Mayoral Race for Lee and Lumumba in Runoff
It looks like Jonathan Lee and Chokwe Lumumba are headed into the runoff. Share your predictions for what the next to weeks will be like!
Where the Election Night Parties At?
Here's the list of election night watch parties we've cobbled together. We'll update it as we get more information: Harvey Johnson Campaign Headquarters, 4436 North State Street Jonathan Lee The Penguin, 1100 J.R. Lynch Street Chokwe Lumumba Clarion Hotel, 5075 Interstate 55 Regina Quinn Regency Hotel, 400 Greymont Ave.
Who's Giving to Lumumba?
A week after the deadline for submitting campaign-finance reports, and on the morning of Jackson city elections, Councilman and veteran attorney Chokwe Lumumba filed his campaign-finance report. The report, dated May 6, shows that Lumumba raised $68,753 since the beginning of the year and spent $59,292, leaving the campaign fund …
Partially Filled Out Ballots Will Be Counted
Voters do not have to vote in every race on the ballot for their votes to count.
Procedure Set for Hinds Dist. 2 Special Election
The Hinds County Board of Supervisors established the procedure for replacing District 2 Supervisor Doug Anderson, who died recently. To replace Anderson on a temporary basis, board President Robert Graham said the board would accept resumes through County Administrator Carmen Davis' office until the end of May or early June. …
FACTCHECK/UPDATED: Jonathan Lee Backers Gave More Than $1.2 Million to Republicans
Note: This story has been updated with a total donation figure that Lee's backers gave to federal Republican candidates since 2008. The new paragraph is bolded down below. In the WAPT-Clarion-Ledger debate, Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. alluded to the fact that he is a real Democrat when he unloaded on …
Lumumba, 20/20 PAC End Week in Campaign Reporting Hall of Shame
Who hasn't bothered to file campaign-finance reports for the primaries?
Fact Checking the Lee Email, Part 2: The Grants
We're trying to find the context of the $294,000/grant accusation in the email the Lee campaign sent out, but wouldn't document. We found the 2008 Clarion-Ledger story that the Lee campaign cited, as well as stories in the JFP. First, the Ledger story. It was about then-Mayor Melton's abysmal financial …
Allow Me to Rant About This Campaign for a Minute ...
The turn this mayoral campaign has taken is extremely frustrating, especially between the Harvey Johnson and Jonathan Lee campaigns. And from where we sit, trying to get out as much accurate information as possible, we see it all. It is one thing to get good, solid public information from a …
Lee and Johnson At It Again
You knew we weren't going to make it through two days in a row without more sniping between Jackson's incumbent mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr. and challenger Jonathan Lee. On Wednesday, the Lee campaign circulated an e-mail declaring Jonathan the "hands-down winner" of Tuesday's night's debate, then made these charges against …
Chokwe Lumumba Talks about the 'Jackson-Kush' Plan on 'Solidarity' Site
Doing some research just now, I ran into this interview from last week with mayoral candidate Chokwe Lumumba that I think many of you will find interesting. In it, he discusses the "Jackson-Kush Plan" and where it fits into his organization's plan "for self-determination and economic democracy From the plan: …