However, now that Johnson is well positioned to regain his position as mayor, the money is flowing in. And who is donating to Johnson? Those same special interest that once liked Crisler, and Johnson once criticized.

From the Clarion-Ledger:

Johnson’s donor list now is chock full of lawyers, engineers and developers – the same types of people who contributed to Crisler and people likely to have an interest in how Johnson runs the city if he is elected. While they are the same types of donors, Zinn said they are not the same as Crisler supporters, who he said included “Republicans in northeast Jackson.”

Some of Johnson’s large contributors include Chicago lawyer Richard Boykin ($5,000); Baton Rouge lawyer Bernard Charbonnet Jr. ($4,000); Andrew Jenkins of the Flora engineering firm AJA Management ($5,000); and Jackson residential developer Michael Johnson ($5,000).

Johnson’s largest contributor during the period was Chicago entrepreneur Willie Wilson, who gave $15,000 during the reporting period and $24,000 total for the year.

But they are not bad guys anymore, according to Johnson’s campaign staff. Isn’t that refreshing to know.

The good people of Jackson showed once again how easily duped they can be by caving to the race baiting tactics of Mr. Harvey Johnson, who so effectively scared black people in to thinking that Marshand Crisler was in bed with the white money in northeast Jackson.  You have to give Harvey credit though he played the race card very well and used it to his advantage to get people to support him.

It is sad though that race baiting like this goes on and is seldom brought out to the public unless it is a case of a black candidate being discriminated against by whites.  What Harvey Johnson did was associate Marshand Crisler to white money in order to scare black voters into thinking they could not possibly vote for a man who associates with and takes campaign contributions from white people.  Racism.

Good luck Jackson!

Johnson challenged Crisler several times on his ability to be an independent mayor. He noted the support and donations Crisler has received from business leaders in northeast Jackson.

Also:

Johnson also questioned whether Crisler could stand up to his longtime boss and supporter, McMillin.

Then good ole Harvey resorted to saying this classic line:

“Are we letting special interests try to control who will be the next mayor of Jackson?” Johnson asked. “I say no.”

Really Harvey? Can you define special interest for me because it sure sounds like you have your own special interest that we know you will take care of if elected.  This, once again, is the kind of backwards thinking that has Jackson where it is today and Harvey Johnson appears to be the kingpin of the group leading the charge.

In a few days Jackson will have the choice of sending a race baiter like Harvey Johnson back in to office or a guy with a new perspective, Marshand Crisler, who might actually get something accomplished by bringing all of Jackson together rather than just factions of the population.

I’m not real sure what the real attraction of Harvey Johnson is to those who are endorsing him, but I have a feeling its a fear of the unknown.  The unknown is Marshand Crisler in this case.  No one knows for sure what Marshand Crisler could be as mayor.  We all know what Johnson has done as mayor and the results speak for themselves and if you don’t know what I mean just stroll through Jackson one day and witness it for yourself. 

I think it even goes deeper than that though.  These people endorsing Johnson know that he is the ”real” black candidate in this race.  It is no secret that Marshand Crisler is getting a large majority of the white vote still left in the city and I think that scares them.   They are scared of what impact that might have on Crisler and his dealings as mayor potentially.  As a result, they are lining up behind Harvey Johnson who they know will protect the black interest in Jackson.

This kind of backwards thinking has made Jackson what it is today.  I hope that if Johnson is elected he can further drill Jackson into the ground and the good people of Jackson can be proud of the man they thought so highly of to run out of office after 8 miserable years only to bring him back 4 years later.   

I’m not saying if Crisler won that he would be a great mayor, only time will tell on that.  What I do think though is that there is a strong racial undertone to this election and Crisler is being shunned because he is getting white support.  Ultimately, it should be more about the city’s best interest and not protecting ones own self interest.    

Lastly, I find quite a bit of irony in the rallying behind Johnson, who has had 8 suspect years of mayor, instead of Crisler, the potential agent of change in the city.  What happened to Change We Can All Believe In?

The Zata 3 poll was the most accurate in terms of predicting the winners and the percentage they would receive. Southern Research Group also correctly picked who would advance to the runoff, while the Jackson State poll missed the boat predicting Melton would finish in front of the Johnson and Crisler. It’s also worth pointing out that they had Horhn at around 3.5%; Horhn would go on to win over 17% of the vote.

Congratulations on Zata for their very accurate polls, and I look forward to their polling data for the runoff.

Crisler should not have much trouble going after Johnson and his 8 failed years already as mayor of Jackson.  I’m sure Johnson will continue to campaign on his stance of other people taking credit for all the “good” work he did as mayor.  If I’m a Jackson voter this is a no brainer for me.  You have one guy who has already had two shots to do the job and failed miserably and then you have another guy who seems vibrant and energetic and ready to tackle Jackson’s problems head on.  Who knows what kind of mayor Crisler would be and how his 4 years may turn out, but I think the guy deserves the chance and it is time for Harvey to just go away.

Lost in all this is the result that Frank Melton will not get a second term as mayor, but more importantly is very ill at St. Dominic’s in Jackson.  Having met Mr. Melton on a couple occasions I can tell you that the guy has a great heart and really and truly means well.  I think his undoing as mayor can be attributed to his lack of political savvy and not playing the game like most career politicians know how to do.  Mr. Melton will be in our prayers as he continues to battle his heart ailments.

Real time updates below:

10:00 p.m.: Last post of the night, congratulations to Crisler and Johnson. We will have analysis on the runoff coming soon, and here is the Clarion-Ledger story all but confirming the Crisler/ Jackson runoff.

9:40 p.m.: This isn’t going to affect the runoff, but Crisler has just taken a slight lead over Johnson who has been leading the whole night. With 93% in, Crisler is now up by about 200 votes for the honor of top vote-getter.

9:30 p.m.: With 90% reporting, I am not sure if the Jackson mayoral race has been “officially” called, but I feel pretty safe in predicting that Johnson and Crisler will advance to the runoff in a couple weeks. Johnson has 7,640 votes or 27.4%, while Crisler has 7,480 or 26.8%. Melton’s one term looks like it will end with him finishing a disappointing third in the primary.

9:00 p.m.: With 85% reporting, Harvey Johnson has 6,960 votes (27% overall), Marshand Crisler has 6,780 votes (27% overall), Frank Melton has 4,733 votes (19% overall), and John Horhn has 4,478 votes (18% overall).

In Brandon, 100% of precincts have been reported on elections throughout the city. You can see the final results here.

8:55 p.m.: Back to Jackson, Johnson and Crisler are solidly in the top two. With 76% reporting, Harvey Johnson has 5,998 votes (28% overall), Marshand Crisler has 5,681 votes (26% overall), Frank Melton has 4,153 votes (19% overall), and John Horhn has 3,913 votes (18% overall).

8:50 p.m.: From Pearl, incumbent mayor Jimmy Foster is trailing Brad Rogers 85-56 votes, with 12% reporting.

8:45 p.m.: Johnson and Crisler increase their distance as the top two, while Horhn is closing in on Melton. With 57% reporting, Harvey Johnson has 4,074 votes (26% overall), Marshand Crisler has 3,986 votes (25% overall), Frank Melton has 2,935 votes (19% overall), and John Horhn has 2,740 votes (18% overall).

8:35 p.m.: Johnson and Crisler put a little distance between themselves as the top two. With 54% reporting, Harvey Johnson has 3,563 votes (25% overall), Marshand Crisler has 3,450 votes (24% overall), Frank Melton has 2,818 votes (21% overall), and John Horhn has 2,429 votes (18% overall).

8:30 p.m.: With 51% reporting, Harvey Johnson has 3,235 votes (24% overall), Marshand Crisler has 2,937 votes (24% overall), Frank Melton has 2,599 votes (22% overall), and John Horhn has 2,153 votes (18% overall).

8:25 p.m.: With 38% reporting, Harvey Johnson has 2,115 votes (28% overall), Marshand Crisler has 1,764 votes (23% overall), Frank Melton has 1,656 votes (22% overall), and John Horhn has 1,411 votes (18% overall).

8:15 p.m.: With 24% reporting, Harvey Johnson has 1,076 votes (26% overall), Marshand Crisler has 976 votes (24% overall), Frank Melton has 972 votes (24% overall), and John Horhn has 744 votes (18% overall).

I would say you are probably going to see a combination that could include any of the following candidates: Marshand Crisler, Harvey Johnson, Frank Melton and possibly John Horhn.  The first 3 mentioned are probably the most likely, but from that you can only take two forward.  That is truly where it gets interesting from my view. 

With Harvey Johnson you get 8 years of failed leadership and an era that saw Jackson truly nosedive.  Then with Frank Melton you get 4 years of bad publicity and headline making news for all the wrong reasons.  It would seem that the only hope for Jackson would be to try something new with a candidate such as Marshand Crisler. 

It would be a sad day for the city of Jackson if they sent Harvey and Frank to the runoff knowing that one of those two would likely become mayor again.  One of them will likely make it to the runoff and may win and in my opinion that would be a further deathblow to the future of Jackson.

This is not to say that a Marshand Crisler or John Horhn or Eddie Fair or Robert Johnson would necessarily change the direction of Jackson dramatically enough to reverse the path it is on right now, but it sure can’t hurt to try something new.

Zata 3 also released their latest poll and it has Harvey Johnson and Crisler tied with 26%, with Melton in third at 18%.

From the assortment of polls, it looks like Melton, Crisler, and Harvey Johnson are the top three candidates in the race. Two will make it to the runoff, one obviously will not.

When you take the averages from those polls, it puts Harvey Johnson in the lead at 18.9%, with Crisler right behind him at 18.2%. Melton is a couple points back of the top two at 15.6%.

From WAPT:

Jackson State University released a poll on Friday that puts Mayor Frank Melton at the front of the pack of Democrats, but it’s by a small margin. Those polled were asked who they would vote for if the decision for mayor was held today.

- 17.8 percent of respondents said they would vote for Melton.
- 16.2 percent said they would vote for former Mayor Harvey Johnson.
- 13.1 percent said they would vote for Jackson City Councilman Marshand Crisler.
- 4.2 percent said they would vote for Hinds County tax collector Eddie Fair.
- 3.3 percent said the would vote for State Sen. John Horhn.

But 35 percent of respondents were undecided.

State Sen. John Horhn touted a campaign theme of “missed opportunities” with friends from the state legislature including Representatives Cecil Brown (D-Jackson) and George Flaggs (D-Vicksburg) and Senators Sampson Jackson (D-DeKalb) and Kelvin Butler (D-Magnolia).

City Councilman Marshand Crisler made his final push with 21 supporters, including Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin and state Rep. Credell Calhoun (D-Jackson).

However, the endorsement that caught my eye was Jackson Councilman Jeff Weill, a Republican who represents the predominately white Ward 1. His support of Crisler is a major signal that not only is Crisler targeting the white vote, but stands to receive a large chunk of the area’s vote on Tuesday.

However, Jones did not just exit the race for many of the usual reasons, mainly being the candidate is trailing and doesn’t stand much of a chance on Election Day. Instead, Jones said he was dropping out so Weill would be unchallenged in the GOP primary, thus leaving the door open for many Northeast Jackson residents to vote in the Democrat primary- which includes the heated race for mayor.

From the Clarion Ledger:

“We need a new mayor,” said Jones, an emergency medical physician at University of Mississippi Medical Center. “That weighs very heavily on my decision. I think Ward 1 won’t vote for (incumbent Mayor) Frank Melton.”

Essentially Jones is telling residents in Ward 1 to vote in the Democrat primary, and vote against Mayor Frank Melton. While votes from Ward 1 may have put Melton over the top last time, many think their feelings about the mayor have changed. At the same time, this is also a blow to former Mayor Harvery Johnson, who never had a good relationship with Ward 1 voters to begin with.

While Jones did not endorse a specific candidate; the biggest winner of this move appears to be Marshand Crisler, who may be coveting the white vote in order to finish in the top two in the primary. Previous to this, Crisler has been endorsed by Sheriff Malcolm McMillin who is popular in Northeast Jackson. Winning Ward 1 alone is not going to win the race for anyone, but writing it off can cost you in the end.