By Billy Davis
Hernando attorney Stan Little has spent $47,900 to seek a circuit judge’s seat, easily leading other candidates who are spending money for campaign materials and advertising.

Little is among three candidates who are seeking a newly created seat, known as “Place Four,” in Mississippi’s 17th District.  The other candidates are David Burns of Water Valley and Gerald Chatham Sr., also of Hernando.

The 17th District includes counties Panola, DeSoto, Tallahatchie, Tate and Yalobusha.

Burns has spent $6,939 and Chatham has spent $10,350, according to financial reports filed with Delbert Hosemann, Mississippi’s secretary of state.

Hosemann’s office oversees Mississippi elections, including campaign finances, so candidates submit contributions to their campaign, and disbursements of the money, to the state office.

The reports are filed periodically to meet mandatory deadlines. The three Place Four judicial candidates were meeting an October 10 deadline.

A second reporting deadline, for the judicial candidates and all others, falls today, October 26.

Little said he owed his spending to canvassing the five-county district, where he’s tried to “reach and meet” as many of the 247,000 residents as possible.    

“I’ve spent a considerable amount of time in all five counties,” he said. “There are a lot of expenses.”

Little also acknowledged that most of his campaign is self-funded. He had given his campaign $31,011, spread out over eight payments, by mid-September, his financial report shows.  

“I said at the beginning (of the campaign) that I would match contributions two-for-one,” Little told The Panolian. “I said I would put my own money on the line and I’ve fulfilled that.”  

Little’s campaign report also shows he had $314 on hand by the latest filing deadline. Burns had barely more than that, $323, while Chatham had $5,386.

The Place Four election will be on the Nov. 2 ballot along with a judicial race for a second seat, now occupied by retiring Judge Andrew C. Baker.

Baker’s up-for-grabs seat, also in District 17, is known as 17-2, Place One.

Rhonda Amis, Adam Pittman, Smith Murphey and William Sanders are seeking to win the Place One seat. In that contest, Murphey has spent the most money, $15,032, his financial reports show.

Amis followed with $10,966 spent while Sanders had spent $4,568.

Pittman, who had not submitted the most recent October filing, said he has spent approximately $2,000 out of his own pocket.

He said he is working with the Secretary of State to file the correct paperwork for October that reflects his out-of-pocket spending so far.

Before the October report, Pittman had submitted three mandatory filings in May, June and July that showed no money raised or spent.

In the Place One election, Murphey was leading the money race, showing $3,007 cash on hand. Sanders showed $1,316. Amis had $389 by the October 10 deadline.

Circuit judges Robert Chamberlin of DeSoto County and Jimmy McClure of Sardis are running unopposed.

Candidates’ campaign finance information can be viewed on the Secretary of State Web site at www.sos.ms.gov.