Mississippi
Mississippi Supreme court, Court of Appeals races heading to runoffs on Nov. 26
In-person absentee voting for runoffs begins Nov. 16
It’s official. The Mississippi Supreme Court Central District and the contested Mississippi Court of Appeals race is heading into runoffs on Nov. 26, just two days before Thanksgiving.
Though it became likely by mid-week, the Associated Press did not announce the runoffs until Friday afternoon.
In the Mississippi Supreme Court Central District race, State Sen. Jenifer Branning, R-Philadelphia, and sitting court justice Jim Kitchens will again face off. Other candidates in the race who will not be in the runoff were Ceola James, a former Mississippi Court of Appeals Judge, and private-practice attorneys Abby Gale Robinson and Byron Carter.
By Sunday, Branning had 41.8% of the votes (132,420), while Kitchens had 35.6% (112,935) of the votes cast in the supreme court race. Both candidates told the Clarion Ledger before Nov. 5 they were prepared for a runoff.
“There’s a clear choice in this Runoff because I’m the only candidate who will bring new energy and Constitutional conservative leadership to the Mississippi Supreme Court,” Branning said in a Facebook post Wednesday. “I’m the only candidate with legal and legislative experience, and I’m the only candidate endorsed by the Mississippi Republican Party.”
The races are supposed to be nonpartisan, meaning no candidate can run with a party affiliation. According to Kitchens, in the 30 years since the state enacted laws mostly to remove partisanship from the courts, he hasn’t seen a judge race without a political element.
Kitchens told the Clarion Ledger he had declined an official endorsement from the Mississippi Democratic Party, but several Democratic leaders in the state have donated to his campaign and been outspoken supporters.
“During the next three weeks, I’ll work harder than ever to inform the voters why I’m ready, willing and able to serve them better than any other candidate,” Kitchens said.
Mississippi Court of Appeals runoff
In the Mississippi Court of Appeals, Amy St. Pe’ will face Jennifer Schloegel. By Sunday, the AP reported St Pe’ to have 35.2% of the votes (84,399), while Schloegel had 33% (78,900).
“I cannot overstate how appreciative I am for everyone who voted for me on Tuesday and worked hard on my campaign to serve you as Judge on the Court of Appeals,” Schloegel said in a Saturday Facebook post. “As we head into the run-off, I will work just as hard to keep your support.”
Whether Schloegel would challenge St. Pe’ in the runoff had been a question mark since Tuesday, when the other candidate in the race, Ian Baker, was gaining on her slim lead. In the end, he was left with 2,909 fewer votes than Schloegel, according to AP results reported on Sunday.
Are absentee ballots still being counted in Mississippi?
Even though all of the races in Mississippi have been called, there are still a few absentee ballots left to tally. Election workers have until Wednesday to finish counting them.
Despite the remaining ballots, this election’s voter turnout will fall much lower than in previous years.
The Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office Communications Director Elizabeth Jonson told the Clarion Ledger last week voter turnout will come to about or just above 60%, meaning tens of thousands fewer of Mississippi’s electorate actually voted by the end of Election Day.
When can I start absentee voting in runoff elections?
According to the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office, people can begin in-person absentee voting on Nov. 16 and will have until Nov. 23 to do so at circuit clerk offices. Mail-in absentee ballots will need to be post-marked by Election Day to be counted.
Will judicial candidates continue campaigning?
Branning, Kitchens, St. Pe’ and Schloegel will all need to continue campaigning for the next several weeks.
Kitchens needs to make up a 6% lead that Branning has on him, but both candidates are likely to receive some of the support that James, Carter and Robinson did on Nov. 5. As for Schloegel, she has a less than a 2% margin to make up for on St. Pe’, with many of Baker’s voters also likely to go to either of them.
A November runoff historically has lower turnout than the general election, and with the stressful races such as U.S. President and Congress finished, there is likely to be some voter fatigue.
“Runoff elections generally receive lower voter turnout than general elections,” an elections study by USA Facts found. “Turnout rates depend on a variety of factors including which office is up for election, the competitiveness of the race, and media coverage of the runoff.”
Grant McLaughlin covers the Legislature state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.
Mississippi
Mississippi State baseball beats Cincinnati 10-5, moves within one win of regional title – SuperTalk Mississippi
Tomas Valincius struck out 10, Ace Reese and Kevin Milewski homered, and Reed Stallman knocked in three runs to lead Mississippi State to a 10-5 victory in the winner’s bracket game of the Starkville Regional on Saturday night.
The top-seeded Bulldogs (42-17) managed early behind another standout performance from Valincius, who allowed two runs over 7.1 innings to earn his 11th win of the season.
Valincius was supported offensively by Reese’s solo home run in the first inning, a run two-seed Cincinnati (38-21) responded to in the second to tie the game at 1-1. The Bulldogs broke open the game with three runs in the fifth inning, then followed with four more in the sixth and two more in the seventh to build a 10-1 lead.
As part of the surge, Stallman knocked in three runs on two doubles, Gehrig Frei hit a two-run single, Bryce Chance drove in one, and Milewski hit a two-run shot. Vytas Valincius, Tomas’ brother, crossed home plate on a wild pitch.
Cincinnati worked to chip away late, but the deficit was too much to overcome. The Bearcats scored two in the eighth and two in the ninth before Mississippi State reliever Ben Davis limited the damage by getting the final outs to end the ballgame.
Mississippi State is now just one win away from winning its first regional championship since 2021 – the same year the Bulldogs won the College World Series. Mississippi State will play the winner of Sunday afternoon’s elimination game between Cincinnati and Louisiana at 7 p.m. If Mississippi State drops the game, a winner-take-all final will be played Monday.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi State got a dominant performance from Tomas Valincius and a 13-hit offensive performance to defeat Cincinnati 10-5 on Saturday night at Dudy Noble Field, moving on the the Starkville Regional Championship.
The Bulldogs broke open a tight game with a three-run fifth inning before adding four more runs in the sixth and two in the seventh.
Reese gets it started
Ace Reese started the scoring with a solo home run to center field in the first inning, giving the Bulldogs an early 1-0 lead. Cincinnati answered in the second when Christian Mitchelle doubled to shallow left, scoring Enzo Infelise to tie the game at 1-1.
Bulldogs score three in the fifth
Mississippi State scored three runs in the fifth inning, beginning with an RBI infield single from Bryce Chance to shortstop that scored Jacob Parker. Gehrig Frei followed with an infield single to second, plating Reed Stallman and Kevin Milewski to push the lead to 4-1.
Four more in the sixth
Mississippi State added four more runs in the sixth. Stallman delivered an RBI double to left to score Parker before Valincius crossed the plate on a wild pitch from Cincinnati’s Alex Gonzalez. Two batters later, Milewski launched a two-run homer to right field, stretching the Bulldogs’ lead to 8-1.
Stallman extends lead in the seventh
The Bulldogs extended the lead in the seventh when Stallman ripped a double to right, scoring Noah Sullivan and Parker for a 10-1 advantage.
Cincinnati added two runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth, making the final 10-5.
Valincius dominates on the mound
Valincius worked 7 1/3 innings, allowing just three runs on five hits while striking out 10 and walking two. He threw 112 pitches and recorded his 10th strikeout before exiting in the eighth inning. Maddox Webb took over after that and walked two batter. Ben Davis closed the game for State, pitching 1 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out two.
Offensive leaders
Mississippi State finished with 13 hits.
Stallman led the way offensively, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two doubles. Chance collected three hits and drove in a run, while Frei finished with two hits and two RBIs. Reese added his first-inning homer, and Milewski’s two-run blast highlighted the sixth-inning surge. Parker scored three runs.
Up next
The Diamond Dawgs now head to the Starkville Regional Championship, where they will face the winner of the Cincinnati and Louisiana elimination game. State will only need one more win to advance to a Super Regional.
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HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) – The Mississippi Miss Hospitality Program announced Saturday that contestants competing for the title in 2026 will be eligible for the organization’s largest scholarship offerings in its 77-year history.
Contestants will be eligible for more than $105,000 in scholarships and prizes, including $32,500 in direct cash scholarships.
The winner of the competition will receive a $10,000 cash scholarship, tuition scholarships, travel opportunities and a total prize package valued at $27,000. The first alternate will receive a cash scholarship of $6,000, the second will receive $3,500, the third will receive $2,500 and the fourth will receive $2,000.
During Saturday’s announcement, the Advisory Board of the Mississippi Miss Hospitality Program also revealed that the winning cash scholarship will be named for Bonnie Warren.
Warren has spent decades supporting tourism, hospitality and economic development efforts across Mississippi. She also helped move the Miss Hospitality Program from Starkville to Hattiesburg in 1998 and has remained one of its strongest advocates.
The theme for this year’s Miss Hospitality will celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.
The competition will take place July 17-18 in Hattiesburg. Tickets will go on sale in two weeks.
The Miss Hospitality Program was founded in 1949.
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Copyright 2026 WDAM. All rights reserved.
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