Once again, Governor Tate Reeves has been able to hold off a strong Democratic challenger, this time one who matched him in campaign spending at about $11 million.
It was a good test of how money can move votes. In this case, not at all. Presley spent five million dollars more than previous Democratic challenger Jim Hood in 2019, but did worse than Hood. In 2019, Jim Hood got 414,368 votes (46.8 percent) while Presley got 370,992 (47 percent).
It seems no matter how hard they try, the Democrats can’t quite get the last few percentage points they need to win statewide office. No doubt, the left wing positions of the Democratic Party nationwide, are preventing Mississippi Democrats from getting over the 50 percent hump. Presley was a conservative moderate but Reeves, once again, was able to successfully hang the albatross of Nancy Pelosi et al. around his neck.
Corruption accusations dominated both sides and this was disappointing. Presley exaggerated Reeves’ involvement in the TANF scandal but Mississippi voters didn’t buy it. In retaliation, Reeves accused Presley of taking money from solar energy companies while at the PSC. We wish both sides had debated the profound policy issues at stake rather than sling mud.
The big loser is Medicaid expansion, which would bring over a billion dollars a year to Mississippi coffers and help stave off the hospital crisis, not to mention providing health care coverage to 200,000 low income working families. Reeves has been dead set against expansion and he won.
