Raise Your Hand If You’re Running For Mayor of Jackson

I know that the Jackson mayor’s race may not concern a lot of folks, but Jackson is the capital city and the largest city in this state. Therefore, the race warrants coverage and attention as we near citywide elections in Jackson.

Frank Melton, the incumbent, is one of just 18 people that qualified this past Friday to hold the top spot in Jackson for the next 4 years. Melton’s first 4 years have seen quite a few ups and downs, but we won’t get into that here. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the idea of 18 people running for mayor.

The breakdown of the race, for those of you that are interested, includes 12 Democratic candidates, 4 Independents, and 2 Republicans.

Democrats:
Dorothy Benford, Marshand K. Crisler, Eddie J. Fair, Joyce Harper, John Horhn, Harvey Johnson, Robert L. Johnson, John H. Jones Jr., Frank E. Melton (i), Faye Peterson, Brenda Scott, Jabari A. Toins,

Independents:
Robert Amos, David Archie, Charlotte Reeves, Rick Whitlow

Republicans:
George Owen Lambus and Walter Slone Sr.

Jackson voters will go to the polls with plenty of choices on May 5th and will more than likely return two weeks later for a Democratic Primary Runoff.

Disclaimer: Majority in Mississippi does not claim to be any sort of expert on Jackson mayoral election politics, but here is our shot at who we think are the big contenders. Let’s also face the fact that the winner will most likely come from the Democratic Primary.

The Contenders:
Frank Melton: He is an incumbent and he is still popular among several groups in this city despite his run-ins with the law. This could change with his upcoming retrial slated to begin May 11th.

Harvey Johnson: He was elected mayor twice before and has a citywide reach and name recognition.  Just not sure how much support is still out there.

Marshand Crisler: City Councilman giving up his seat to run for mayor. Has been posturing to run the last couple of years and will be a legitimate contender come May 5th.  A likeable guy with a great background of service to the country and city.

Eddie Fair: Has won countywide election as Hinds County Tax Collector and has name recognition citywide.

John Horhn: Serves in the Mississippi State Senate representing parts of Jackson.

The Darkhorses:
Robert Johnson: Former police chief in the city of Jackson who sure won’t be outdone by anybody when it comes to campaign signs already lining the streets.

Rick Whitlow: The lone independent who has any sort of chance, a likeable guy who most will remember as a local television sports personality. He ran 4 years ago against Melton in the general election.

The Pretenders:
The two Republicans who are running for the top spot in a heavily democratic city.