Who Will McMillin Endorse?

We now know that Sheriff Malcolm McMillin will endorse someone other than incumbent Frank Melton in the May mayoral race in Jackson. This was the reasoning behind McMillin’s resignation today:

“I believe if you work for a man, if he puts bread on your table, you should speak well of him and support him. I got to the point I couldn’t do that,” McMillin said, while seated behind his desk in the Sheriff’s Department. “I don’t think (Mayor Frank) Melton should have run again. His administration has not been what we hoped it would be.”

The smart bet is that McMillin will endorse Marshand Crisler, who works in the Sheriff’s Department McMillin runs.

But for now, all we can do is speculate. McMillin said he will make a formal announcement in the next few days.

It should be noted that McMillin doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to endorsements. Just ask former District Attorney Faye Peterson. She lost her re-election shortly after his endorsement. Interestingly, she is in the crowded field of challengers to the mayor.

Despite lack of success in the past, I will say this about the endorsement: it will bring a lot of attention to whoever gets it. Maybe because the incumbent’s legal troubles have taken up a lot of space, or maybe because it is hard to stand out in such a large crowd, it seems like no one had garnered a lot of attention- that will change when McMillin makes his endorsement.