In a pivotal victory for Mississippi Republicans, GOP State Senator Jenifer Branning has unseated longtime Democrat Supreme Court Justice Jim Kitchens in their tightly contested race. The Magnolia Tribune first projected Branning’s win on Wednesday morning after late absentee ballots and unreported county results tipped the scales decisively in her favor.

When counting stopped Tuesday night, the race remained too close to call. Early results showed Branning leading Kitchens by a razor-thin margin of just 518 votes, with significant absentee ballots and one unreported county still outstanding. By morning, the numbers had shifted dramatically.