MS First Congressional District candidates make last pitches

Congressional candidate Trent Kelly made one more visit to  New Albany the day before the runoff election for the First District seat in the U.S. Congress.

Both Kelly and his opponent Walter Zinn have made multiple visits to New Albany during the special election campaign to replace Congressman Alan Nunnelee, who died in February

Thirteen candidates qualified for the non-partisan election, which was held May 12th. Zinn and Kelly finished first and second respectively. While the election was non-partisan, meaning candidates did not have to declare themselves associated with a political party, Kelly was one of 12 self-described Republicans and Zinn was the only Democrat.

Walter Zinn

To the surprise of many, Zinn, who spent very little money, finished first in the May 12 vote with 15,135 votes (17%), and Kelly received 14,239 votes (16%). Although the First Congressional District is considered overwhelmingly Republican, Zinn benefited from the fact that Republican voters split 12 ways. Kelly was not among the top spenders of the Republican in the race, having spent half or less of what the top five Republicans spenders did.

Kelly made a brief visit to New Albany Monday afternoon and met with about 25 supporters at the Pilot truck stop on Highway 15. His campaign bus had come to New Albany from Pontotoc, and went from here to Ripley. He planned to visit a total of ten north Mississippi communities Monday to urge his supporters to “get out the vote.”

Zinn met with 100 or more of his supporters at a May 23rd event in New Albany.

Kelly is a Saltillo resident, and is in the fourth year of  his first term as District Attorney of Mississippi’s First Circuit Court District, which includes Lee, Alcorn, Itawamba, Monroe, Prentiss, Pontotoc, and Tishomingo counties.

Walter Zinn is a Pontotoc lawyer and was formerly an aide to now U.S. Senator Roger Wicker.

Polls for the runoff open Tuesday, June 2, at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.