The first question Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba was asked after finishing his prepared remarks during his weekly Monday press conference was if he would be filing a campaign finance report by the Jan. 31 deadline.

“I do and I’m aware of the law,” Lumumba replied. “That’s all I’m saying.”

Lumumba hasn’t filed a campaign finance report since 2021, according to public records. Mississippi law states campaign finance reports must be filed annually, but punishment for failing to do so remains unclear.

The mayor has refused to answer any questions about his campaign finance reports since he was indicted and ultimately pleaded not guilty on Nov. 7 to five federal felony charges in relation to Jackson’s bribery scandal.

“That is associated with this case, and so I will not speak to it,” Lumumba said of campaign finances during a Nov. 18 press conference.

Additionally, a little over two weeks before his indictment, when speculation was rampant that Lumumba was involved in the bribery scandal and he dodged questions about it at a press conference, the mayor stated that not filing campaign finance reports was “not uncustomary for my campaign.”

The Clarion Ledger asked again why he hadn’t filed a campaign finance report since 2021 in early December, to which Lumumba replied “no comment.”

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In November, the Clarion Ledger sent a public records request for all of Lumumba’s campaign finance reports since 2014 — the first year he was elected to office. City officials said campaign finance reports are retained for five years only and they would “provide the documents that we have in our possession.”

On Dec. 5, the city released Lumumba’s 2021 campaign finance report. The report shows he raised more than $321,000 and spent over $305,000 throughout the duration of his campaign. It was also organized a bit confusingly, showing a list of individuals, companies and groups who donated, but not organized in a way that makes it clear who donated what. Instead, one page shows donors and where they reside, while another lists donations and their dates.

The mayor first announced he was planning on running for a third term in February, nine months before he would be indicted. Following his indictment, Lumumba said “nothing has changed,” and he is continuing his campaign.

January begins the qualifying period for candidates running for office in the 2025 municipal elections. The mayor’s seat, as well as all seven seats on the Jackson City Council, will be up for grabs this year.

The deadline to qualify as a candidate is Jan. 31, which is also the same day that candidates’ first campaign finance reports are due.

More on bribery scandal:FBI: Lumumba accepted $50K in envelope while on yacht near Miami, partied with DA Owens

Lumumba will be joined in a crowded field of candidates who have announced their intention to seek Jackson’s top office:

• Delano Funches, a professor at Jackson State University.
• Tim Henderson, a retired lieutenant colonel for the United States Air Force.
• John Horhn, the current Democratic state senator for Mississippi’s District 26.
• Kim Wade, the conservative talk radio host of the “The Kim Wade Show.”
• Marcus Wallace, the former mayor of Edwards, Mississippi.
• Albert Wilson, a local businessman.

Corinthian Sanders Sr., a former revenue analyst at the Mississippi Department of Revenue, originally announced planned on running for mayor. But when Ward 7 Councilwoman and Council President Virgi Lindsay opted to not seek reelection, Sanders decided to run for the Ward 7 seat.