After one of the most competitive campaigns this deep-red state has seen in decades, Gov. Tate Reeves (R) has won a second term as Mississippi’s governor.
While the race had not been officially called late Tuesday night, Democratic challenger Brandon Presley took the stage to deliver a concession speech in Jackson and congratulated his opponent.
“This campaign highlighted serious issues in Mississippi, and this is bigger than one man,” Presley said. “We ran a campaign that was gonna knit our state together. And tonight ends a campaign, it doesn’t end the journey.”
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As of early Wednesday morning, Reeves was leading Presley by a margin of 52.3 to 45.9, according to The New York Times.
With his victory, Reeves avoids what would have been a stunning and embarrassing upset. Republicans have run the state for 20 years, with Reeves’ two predecessors—Phil Bryant and Haley Barbour—easily winning their re-elections.
The race was so fiercely contested by both parties not because of any major political shifts in Mississippi, but because of Reeves’ weaknesses as an incumbent and Presley’s advantages.
Elected only by a five-point margin in 2019, Reeves is a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump. His management of the COVID pandemic drew national attention for resulting in one of the highest rates of death from the virus and lowest rates of vaccination. Reeves once said that his constituents were less afraid of fighting COVID because of their belief in the afterlife.
In 2023, however, Reeves’ biggest problem was a corruption scandal—the largest in Mississippi history—involving $77 million in misspent state welfare funds, from his time as lieutenant governor. The fallout ensnared several people, including the state director of human services, who pleaded guilty to criminal charges.
Presley, a cousin of Elvis Presley, serves as a member of the state’s Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities. A conservative Democrat who opposes abortion, Presley ran a campaign focused squarely on corruption and ethics, arguing that Reeves was compromised by the sprawling state welfare scandal. He also vowed to cut the state’s high grocery sales tax and expand Medicaid to low-income people.
The Democratic Governors Association, the party’s official arm for governor races, invested heavily in Presley’s campaign, spending over $5 million to support his campaign. A key element of their strategy was to mobilize Black voters, who comprise about a third of the state population.
Reeves seized on the DGA’s outside investment to paint Presley as a tool of out-of-state liberals, while he touted his association with Trump. The former president only officially endorsed Reeves for re-election a week before Election Day, and held a tele-rally for him in the final days of the campaign.
