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Editor's Note

EDITOR'S NOTE: Move On from ‘Antiquated and Useless’ Gang Bill

A very bad "gang bill" has died in the Legislature for the second year in a row. This death occurred after the Senate passed the bill to criminalize gang association …

National

Mississippi Small Businesses at Risk of Permanent Closure, Households Struggle

Approximately 62% of small businesses in Mississippi are at risk of permanently closing within five months as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new report from Main Street …

Education

EdBuild: New Formula in Hands of Few

Mississippi's new education funding formula is in the hands of a few lawmakers and the statehouse leadership—and what it will look like or how much money will go into the …

Civil Rights

Rep. Karl Oliver's Lynching Call Turns Spotlight to Mississippi Statues

When Rep. Karl Oliver decided to take to Facebook Saturday night to vent his anger over the Confederate statues coming off public property in Louisiana, he ignited a firestorm over …

Cover

Artists to Watch

In a short time, Deez Notez has already created a solid fan base with its ever-adapting set list.

Politics

Candidate Questionnaire: Bridgette Marie Morgan

The Jackson Free Press reached out to all judicial candidates who are running on the Nov. 6 ballot to represent jurisdictions throughout the Jackson metro area, regardless of whether they …

State

Hope Credit Union CEO Bill Bynum Gets $250,000 Heinz Award for the Economy

The Heinz Family Foundation recognized Bill Bynum, chairman and CEO of Hope Credit Union, as one of seven beneficiaries in the 26th edition of the Heinz Awards on Thursday, Nov. …

May 5, 2013 | 18 comments

FACTCHECK/UPDATED: Jonathan Lee Backers Gave More Than $1.2 Million to Republicans

By Donna Ladd

Note: This story has been updated with a total donation figure that Lee's backers gave to federal Republican candidates since 2008. The new paragraph is bolded down below.

In the WAPT-Clarion-Ledger debate, Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. alluded to the fact that he is a real Democrat when he unloaded on opponent Jonathan Lee in his closing statement. This is clearly a continuation of some Jacksonians' belief that Lee is a "Rankin County Republican," a meme we've heard off and on for months now.

We have factchecked both parts of that allegation to the best of our ability and will address them both below.

First, Rankin County

Lee's campaign materials make him sound like a life-long Jacksonian. His website states:

Jonathan was born, grew up and lives in Jackson. Jonathan was born and raised in Jackson into a family with deep ties throughout the community. The son of two Lanier graduates and part of a family whose roots span three generations in Jackson’s Georgetown community, Jonathan learned early what it meant to be proud of one’s city.

Jonathan called all of Jackson home – from growing up on Meadow Lane to getting picked up by his grandmother (“Big Mama”) after school who lived in Georgetown. After graduating from high school, Jonathan attended Mississippi State University, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and a Master’s in Business Administration.

The part that is left out of that description is that Lee's family moved to Rankin County in 1988 when he was 11. He later graduated from Northwest Rankin High School and did not live in Jackson again until 2009 when records show that Lee and his wife moved into Jackson from Rankin County. When asked, he does not deny that he has lived less than four years in Jackson as an adult.

Lee, who is 35 now, took over as president of his father's company when he was 24, according to his campaign materials. He told the Jackson Free Press that he stepped down from the company, which he never owned, in December 2011, meaning that he ran it for about 10 years.

Candidate Lee ran into a Rankin-related controversy last year after a commenter posted on the Jackson Free Press site that he was still driving a Maroon SUV with a Rankin County plate. In response to an Aug. 10, 2012, query about it, Lee emailed the Jackson Free Press:

This particular rumor has been shopped around various media outlets all week. The vehicle I assume that they are referring to is my company vehicle. My personal vehicle is registered in Hinds County, a fact easily verified.

MPI is owned by an entity chartered and located in Rankin County. It was where our distribution company was originally located. In fact, MPI has only been located in Jackson for 19 years. For those 19 years MPI has paid property taxes, inventory taxes, and school taxes in Jackson, Miss. The parent company is still located in Rankin county …

State

John McCain's Evolution on Confederate Flag, Family’s Slavery Legacy

Arizona U.S. Sen. John McCain, who died Saturday, Aug. 25, of brain cancer at age 81, once apologized for lying to voters about his position on the Confederate flag. He …

Frank Melton

BREAKING: Melton Reverses, Reinstates JFD 5

UPDATE: At a special City Council meeting this afternoon, Fireman Brandon Falcon informed City Council that he had just spoken to Mayor Melton, who asked Falcon and the other four …

Candidate

Marshand Crisler: The Man Watching the Mayor (2006)

The office of Jackson Council President Marshand Crisler bears the signs of a harsh duality. Crisler carries himself with a clean, pressed lookin startling contrast to the reporter sitting across …

Cover

Radical Crime-Fighting: What is Community Policing?

Police Chief Robert Moore could be the only man in the city who knows what "community policing" really means—and just how hard it could be to implement in Jackson. Yet, …

Candidate

2006 JFP Interview: Peterson Makes Her Case

<b>The JFP Interview with Faye Peterson</b>

Hinds County District Attorney Faye Peterson is nothing if not confident. It's a stalwart, rocky kind of demeanor that probably helps get her through her day in her office on …

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<b>The JFP Interview with Faye Peterson</b>

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