Lumumba in the race for Jackson Mayor at the wire

At approximately 4:59 this afternoon, embattled Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba appeared in the Municipal Clerk’s Office. The deadline to file for re-election was 5 p.m. today. Lumumba refused questions, including whether he had submitted the necessary paperwork to appear on the ballot.

Jackson City Clerk Angela Payne initially declined to supply an updated list of candidates, telling a cadre of reporters, including Magnolia Tribune’s Dan Tyson, that she would provide the list on Monday.

After considerable protest from former Hinds County Supervisor David Archie, who alleged Payne was violating state statute, she produced a list that included Lumumba’s name as a candidate. Archie is, himself, a candidate for the office. In all, 22 candidates, including 14 Democrats, 5 Independents, and 3 Republicans qualified according to the list.

What remains to be seen is whether Lumumba filed necessary campaign finance reports to remain on the ballot.

Mississippi law requires a candidate or officeholder to file annual campaign finance reports. Mayor Lumumba previously admitted he last filed a report in 2021.

In 2023, the Legislature amended campaign finance law to provide new, stronger penalties for non-compliance. Under Miss. Code Ann. 23-15-811, a candidate who willfully violates the reporting requirement is guilty of a misdemeanor and can face up to six months in jail and a $3,000 fine.

Additionally, the law prevents a candidate from being certified for election “until he or she files all reports required by this article.” It also prevents an officeholder who fails to comply with the reporting requirement from being paid.

Lumumba’s opponents will be watching to see if he complies, while federal prosecutors will be watching to see what he reports. Lumumba is currently facing a federal indictment for allegedly accepting $50,000 in campaign contributions in exchange for moving a proposal deadline for a hotel project. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Lumumba deposited those checks in his campaign account before writing himself personal checks out of the account.

How those FBI payments and the personal checks out of his campaign account get reported could become evidence in his upcoming trial. The Mayor faces up to 70 years in prison and $1.5 million in fines if convicted on all five counts of the bribery case.

One of Lumumba’s alleged co-conspirator, Ward 6 City Councilman Aaron Banks, was not on the list of qualified candidates for his current seat. Banks had played close to the vest in recent weeks whether he would seek re-election.