Gov. Tate Reeves (R) won re-election in Mississippi, defeating challenger Brandon Presley (D), according to the Cook Political Report.

“Voters in this deep red state haven’t elected a Democrat to the governor’s office in more than 20 years, but party leaders and voters are hopeful about their prospects this year, thanks to a tarnished incumbent and their celebrity-related challenger,” the Washington Post reports.

“Brandon Presley, a former small-town mayor and state utilities regulator, has run a surprisingly strong campaign against Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, who is seeking a second term. Presley also happens to be a cousin of Elvis Presley.”

“But that’s not what has Democrats excited as they prepare to head to the polls on Tuesday. Presley, 46, has focused his campaign on championing populist issues and battling corruption. Reeves, 49, has found himself on the defensive, tangled up in the state’s largest public corruption investigation over misuse of millions of dollars in welfare funds while he was lieutenant governor.”

Top political donors to the campaigns of Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) have received $1.4 billion in state contracts and grants from the agencies he oversees, Mississippi Today reports.

Cook Political Report: “Among the trio of this year’s off-year gubernatorial contests, Mississippi has emerged as the most surprising race.”

“Republican Gov. Tate Reeves still has the edge, according to Republicans and Democrats nationally and locally we’ve talked to, but it’s morphed into a competitive fight with added intrigue heading into Election Day thanks to an unusually strong challenger in Brandon Presley. There is also an increasing scenario that neither candidate will top 50% on Nov. 7, which means the contest could head to a runoff three weeks later.”

A new Democratic Governor’s Association poll in Mississippi finds Gov. Tate Reeves (R) leading challenger Brandon Presley (D) 46% to 45%, with nearly 10% still undecided 15 days from the election.

The poll also shows that among those undecided voters, 68% have an unfavorable opinion of Reeves, while just 2% view him favorably.

A new Mississippi Today/Siena College poll shows incumbent Gov. Tate Reeves (R) is leading challenger Brandon Presley (D) by 11 points ahead of the November general election, 52% to 41%.

Vox: “Mississippi is a lighter shade of red than outsiders might think. It’s been consistently easy in recent years for Democrats to get up to 45 percent of the vote here, but nearly impossible for them to top 50.”

“In 2023, their hope is that Brandon Presley, a longtime elected public service commissioner from the northeast corner of the state with a fondness for Diet Mountain Dew and folksy aphorisms, can somehow break their streak and win the state’s odd-year gubernatorial election.”

A Tulchin Research poll in Mississippi finds Gov. Tate Reeves (R) trailing challenger Brandon Presley (D), 47% to 43%.

Key takeaway: “The sprawling welfare scandal has emerged as one of the top issues of the 2023 governor’s race.”

“Republicans have had a lock on the Mississippi governorship for decades. But Democrats hope that a candidate with one of the most famous last names in America can change that,” Politico reports.

“Democrats are coalescing around Brandon Presley, a public service commissioner and a distant cousin of Elvis Presley to challenge Republican Gov. Tate Reeves. Reeves has middling poll numbers and clashed with some other state Republicans, but he secured his party’s nomination since several potential primary challengers bowed out, after sniffing around Reeves’ campaign for weakness.”

“Presley’s appeal for Democrats goes well beyond his connection to The King. Democrats believe that his record as a public official — combined with what would need to be a strong campaign and a weakened incumbent — gives them a chance to break the GOP’s streak of dominance over state government. It would follow a similar path to other recent Democratic governors elected in red states like Louisiana, Kentucky and Kansas.”

“Democrats in Mississippi are feeling optimistic that their party will be able to oust Gov. Tate Reeves (R) from the governor’s mansion this fall after Democrat Brandon Presley’s recent entry in the race,” The Hill reports.

“Reeves has suffered from low approval ratings and has been name-checked at times in the state’s long-running welfare scandal, but the governorship has proved elusive for Democrats in the red state for decades.”

Said Democratic strategist Brannon Miller: “There is not a better retail politician in the state of Mississippi, period. He knows how to connect with voters. He knows how to listen to voters, which I think is an underrated skill in a politician.”

Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves won the race for Mississippi governor Tuesday night, defeating Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood, the Jackson Clarion Ledger reports.

Republicans were on track Tuesday to control all statewide elected offices in Mississippi and are expected to maintain super-majority control of the Legislature. 

Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves (R) has won the Republican nomination for governor and will face Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood (D) and two other candidates in November, the AP reports.

Reeves defeated former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Bill Waller Jr. in Tuesday’s primary runoff.

Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves (R) and former state Supreme Court Justice Bill Waller Jr. (R) are headed to a runoff for the Republican nomination for Mississippi governor, the Jackson Clarion Ledger reports.

“Reeves, long considered the heir apparent to the governorship, received nearly 49% of votes… Waller picked up more than 33%, and first-term lawmaker Robert Foster finished with almost 18%. Reeves had tried to ignore his primary opponents, but will now face off with Waller in an Aug. 27 runoff election.”

“In the Democratic race, Attorney General Jim Hood (D) easily advanced to the general election, garnering 69 percent of votes.”

“Just days after state Rep. Robert Foster (R) said he wouldn’t be alone with a woman not his wife, even in a professional context, a second Republican candidate for governor has said he, too, follows what’s known as the ‘the Billy Graham rule,” Mississippi Today reports.

Former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. (R) said “that he would not be alone with a woman who isn’t his wife, even in a personal or professional context.”

Said Walker: “I just think it’s common sense. I just think in this day and time, appearances are important and transparency’s important, and people need to have the comfort of what’s going on in government between employees and people.”

“A Mississippi Republican gubernatorial candidate on Thursday stood by his decision to deny a female reporter’s request to accompany him on a campaign trip unless she brought along a male colleague,” CNN reports.

Said state Rep. Robert Foster: “I didn’t want to end up in a situation where me and Ms. Campbell were alone for an extended period of time throughout that 15- or 16-hour day, and so out of precaution, I wanted to have her bring someone with her — a male colleague. The other thing I think it’s important to point out is that this is my truck, and in my truck, we go by my rules and that’s my rule.”