State Sen. Jenifer Branning was in Vicksburg Wednesday ahead of next week’s runoff election for the seat on the Mississippi  Supreme Court representing the central district.

Branning will face off against incumbent Jim Kitchens in the Nov. 26 runoff after no candidate received a majority of votes in the general election in early November.

During Wednesday’s visit to the River City, Branning said she is spending her days on the extended campaign trail reiterating the message she preached in the lead-up to the general election. But she also said turnout at the polls will be crucial to her campaign’s success.

“We’re trying to get people to go back out to the polls and vote one more time,” she said. “We know the holidays are upon us and the Tuesday before Thanksgiving is a tough time to have a runoff, but we have a lot of support across the central district and it’s just getting those people to go out and vote one more time.”

In the general election, Branning won Warren County with 6,752 total votes, while Kitchens finished third with 4,390 votes.

“Being a wife and a mother of three boys gives me a unique perspective,” Branning said. “I got into public service in the beginning because, as a young lawyer, I got tired of seeing our young people leave the state for lack of opportunities. So, fast forward to this supreme court race, the overall purpose is the same thing: to make Mississippi the best it can be.”

Branning, a former attorney, is currently serving in her third term in the Mississippi Senate. 

“Two decades of legal experience, including courtroom experience, in addition to legislative experience. So, I’m the only candidate in the race with a combination of legal and legislative experience. For almost a decade I’ve made policy for Mississippi.”

As the runoff approaches, Branning said she is still working to remind voters of her platform as a constitutional conservative.

“That does not indicate a party affiliation,” she said. “This is a non-partisan race. When I say constitutional conservative, what I mean is that our justices should be following the law like it’s written, without regard for any intended outcome. If there is a law that is followed and the people don’t like the result, that goes back to the Legislature to fix that. It’s the job and the role of the court to follow the law just like it’s written.”

Branning also said voters should consider the long-term impact of next week’s runoff.

“This is an eight-year term of office and over that span there are going to be a variety of cases that present themselves to the court and they can affect the homes, the lives and the pocketbooks of all Mississippians,” she said.

Absentee voting is currently underway across the central district, including in the Warren County Circuit Clerk’s office, from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Friday and from 8 a.m. until noon Saturday.