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.

Rankin County, the state’s second-largest in the contested district, played a decisive role. With 3,009 absentee votes counted there, Branning secured 2,445, gaining a net 1,881 votes over Kitchens. Additional absentee returns from Lauderdale and Neshoba counties added more than 600 votes to Branning’s tally, pushing her lead well beyond the recount threshold according to Magnolia Tribune.

Branning’s win represents a major flip for Republicans in Mississippi’s judiciary. Kitchens, a Democrat-leaning justice known for his progressive rulings, had served on the court since winning in 2008.