Learn about Tate Reeves, the Republican Governor of Mississippi, as he secures a second term in the conservative stronghold. Explore his key initiatives and achievements during his tenure.
Tate Reeves’ Priorities and Achievements in Mississippi
Mississippi’s Jackson In the conservative state where his party is dominant, Republican Governor Tate Reeves won reelection to a second term. Reeves defeated challenger Brandon Presley, who raised more funds and made aggressive efforts to deliver a rare statewide win for Democrats in the Deep South.
“Mississippi is moving forward, and this is Mississippi’s time,” Reeves declared, rallying supporters at a party in the Jackson suburb of Flowood, emphasizing the central theme of his campaign.
The atmosphere at Presley’s party in the capital city of Jackson was tense, as it was announced a few hours after polls closed: “Tonight is a setback, but we are not losing hope… This campaign raised the issues that needed to be raised in Mississippi.”
The race for this GOP stronghold was unusually competitive, but Reeves gained strength with a message focused on job creation, low unemployment, and improvements in education. He also cast Presley as an out-of-state, liberal-backed candidate out of touch with Mississippi.
Last week, Reeves stated during the only debate among candidates, “To believe anything Brandon Presley says, you have to believe that everything in Mississippi is bad.”
Presley, a state utility regulator and second cousin of Elvis Presley, argued that Reeves’ refusal to expand Medicaid, leaving out low-wage workers without health insurance, has harmed the state. He pledged to clean up government corruption and criticized spending on favored projects for well-connected individuals instead of helping some of the poorest in the country’s poorest states.
Regarding Reeves, Presley remarked, “He won’t discuss ethics reform. “He’s the poster child for a broken, corrupt system.”
Republicans have held the Mississippi governorship for the past 20 years, with a commanding majority in all statewide offices and the legislature. The last time a Democrat won the presidency in Mississippi was in 1976 when Jimmy Carter was on the ballot.
In this closely contested race, voting faced glitches when polling places ran out of ballots in the state’s largest county, forcing long lines of voters to wait for ballots to arrive and then run out again in Democratic strongholds. One judge ordered polling places in four Jackson precincts to stay open an extra hour until 8 p.m. Another judge extended voting until 9 p.m. at four polling places in Jackson.
Hinds County’s Democratic election commissioner – all Democrats – had counted on reduced turnout and fell short on having enough ballots on hand. Frustrated voters endured long lines, waiting for batches of ballots to arrive and then run out again.
“It’s sheer incompetence,” said Perry Perkins, coordinator of Working Together Mississippi, a nonpartisan group that coordinates poll-watching. “It’s a joke.”
This year, Presley’s campaign raised $11.3 million, while Reeves raised $6.3 million. However, Reeves started the year with more funds. By the end of October, Presley had spent $10.8 million and still had $1.3 million on hand, while Reeves spent $11 million and had $1.2 million remaining.
Before emerging victorious in an open contest for governor in 2019, Reeves, then 49, held the positions of lieutenant governor and state treasurer for two years each.
At 46, Presley served six years as mayor of his small hometown of Nettleton and was elected to the three-member Mississippi Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities, before his defeat.
In other races:
• Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann won a second term after defeating Democratic challenger D. Rayford “Ray” Grover in a primary with very low spending. Hosemann defeated state Sen. in an August Republican primary that was very competitive. Chris McDaniel.
• Republican Attorney General Lynn Fitch, whose office led legal fights to overturn Roe v. Wade and change the reach of abortion, also secured a second term by defeating Democratic disability rights attorney Greta Kemp Martin in Mississippi.”