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Mississippi gubernatorial election, 2019 (August 27 Republican primary runoff)

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Governor of Mississippi
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 1, 2019
Primary: August 6, 2019
Primary runoff: August 27, 2019
General: November 5, 2019
Pre-election incumbent(s):
Phil Bryant (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Mississippi
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Lean Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican
Inside Elections: Lean Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2019
Impact of term limits in 2019
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2019
Mississippi
executive elections
Governor

Lieutenant governor
Attorney general
Secretary of state
Public service commissioner (3 seats)
Agriculture commissioner
Insurance commissioner
Auditor
Transportation commissioner (3 seats)
Treasurer

Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves (R) defeated former state Supreme Court Chief Justice William Waller (R) in the August 27 Republican primary runoff to succeed term-limited Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant (R). Reeves received 54.3% of the vote to Waller's 45.7%.[1]

Media outlets described Reeves as the Republican frontrunner due to his fundraising ($3.3 million in cash on hand as of August 17), his 15 years as a statewide officeholder, and his endorsement from Bryant.[2] Reeves' campaign emphasized his experience in state government and his opposition to abortion and tax increases.[3]

Waller, the son of Democratic Gov. Bill Waller Sr. (1972-1976), said that deficient infrastructure was the state's biggest problem and criticized Reeves for his opposition to tax increases. He said he could beat Democratic frontrunner Jim Hood in the general election by drawing votes from Democrats and independents.[4]

Reeves positioned himself as the more conservative candidate, criticizing Waller's support for expanding Medicaid and for increasing the state gas tax.[5] Waller said that Reeves' platform ignored the most important issues Mississippi faced, including rural healthcare, roads and bridges, and teacher pay.[6]

President Trump (R) did not endorse either Reeves or Waller. State Rep. Robert Foster (R), who received 17.7% of the vote in the August 6 primary, endorsed Waller on August 13.[7] Reeves, who had previously been endorsed by term-limited incumbent Phil Bryant (R), was endorsed by a group of officials including former Gov. Haley Barbour (R) on August 20.[8]

Bryant won the past two general elections with more than 60 percent of the vote. The state's last Democratic governor was Ronnie Musgrove, who served from 1999 to 2003. As of August 2019, two of three election forecasters tracked by Ballotpedia rated the general election as "Leans Republican" and the other rated it as "Likely Republican."

In the August 6 Republican primary, Reeves received 48.9% of the vote to Waller's 33.4%.[9] The runoff was triggered since no candidate received 50% of the vote.

Democratic Party For more information about the August 6 Democratic primary, click here.
Republican Party For more information about the August 6 Republican primary, click here.
Black.png For more information about the November 5 general election, click here.

Candidates and election results

Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for Governor of Mississippi

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Tate Reeves
Tate Reeves
 
54.1
 
179,623
Image of William Waller
William Waller
 
45.9
 
152,201

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 331,824
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August 6, 2019 Republican primary

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Mississippi

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Tate Reeves
Tate Reeves
 
48.9
 
187,312
✔
Image of William Waller
William Waller
 
33.4
 
128,010
Image of Robert Foster
Robert Foster
 
17.7
 
67,758

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 383,080
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Candidate profiles

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages


Tate Reeves, lieutenant governor
Tate Reeves 2019.jpg

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Republican

Incumbent: No

Political office: Mississippi Lieutenant Governor (Assumed office: 2012), Mississippi State Treasurer (2004-2012)

Biography: Reeves received his B.A. in economics from Millsaps College. After college, he worked as a financial analyst in Jackson, Mississippi. In 2003, he was elected Mississippi treasurer at age 29, becoming the first Republican to serve in the position.[10]

Key messages
  • At his campaign announcement, Reeves said, "I will run an optimistic campaign. A campaign that focuses on results and solutions for Mississippi's future and a campaign that always protects the taxpayers and always protects our Mississippi values." He named job creation, fiscal conservativism, low taxes, and education policy as his top priorities.[11]
  • Reeves emphasized his experience and leadership positions in state government. Reeves' campaign website highlighted his role in a 2016 income tax cut bill that he said decreased Mississippi's unemployment rate and increased economic growth. It also highlighted his opposition to abortion and support for more restrictions on abortion access.[3]
  • Reeves critcized Waller for his support for increasing the state gas tax and expanding Medicaid.[12]



Bill Waller Jr., former chief justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court
Bill Waller.PNG

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Republican

Incumbent: No

Political office: Mississippi Supreme Court (1997-2019; chief justice, 2009-2019), Jackson municipal court (1995-1996)

Biography: Waller received his undergraduate degree from Mississippi State University in 1974 and his J.D. from the University of Mississippi in 1977. He was an attorney at the firm Waller and Waller until he became a municipal court judge in 1995. He was also a brigadier general with the Mississippi Army National Guard. Waller's father was Bill Waller Sr. (D), who served as Mississippi governor from 1972 to 1976. [13]

Key messages
  • Waller said the primary focus of his campaign would be addressing Mississippi's infrastructure needs. He said, "the state of our roads and bridges is the equivalent of your house being on fire, and when your house is on fire, everyone has got to throw a bucket of water."[4]
  • Waller drew a contrast with Reeves, saying they have philosophical differences over tax increases and innovative policies to benefit the state. When asked by the Clarion Ledger whether he would raise the gasoline tax, Waller said, "I'm a conservative Republican, and we need to try to look at every option, every avenue that we have. That would be a consideration, but that would be a last gap."[4]
  • Waller said he would be best positioned to defeat Jim Hood (D) in the general election because he could draw votes from Democrats and independents.[4]



Endorsements

Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Post-primary endorsements

Republican candidate endorsements
Endorsement Reeves Waller
Individuals
Former Gov. Haley Barbour (R)[8] ✔
Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture Andy Gipson (R)[8] ✔
Mississippi Commissioner of Insurance Mike Chaney (R)[8] ✔
State representative and former gubernatorial candidate Robert Foster (R)[7] ✔
State Sen. Josh Harkins (R)[8] ✔
State Sen. Chris McDaniel (R)[14] ✔
State Rep. Mark Baker (R)[8] ✔
State Rep. Joel Bomgar (R)[8] ✔
Organizations
Mississippi Asphalt Pavement Association[15] ✔

Pre-primary endorsements

Republican candidate endorsements
Endorsement Reeves Waller
Individuals
Jim Herring, former Mississippi GOP chairman (2001-2008)[16] ✔
Mike Retzer, former Mississippi GOP chairman (1978-1982; 1996-2001)[16] ✔
Clarke Reed, former Mississippi GOP chairman (1966-1976)[16] ✔
Billy Powell, former Mississippi GOP chairman (1993-1996)[16] ✔
Gregg Harper, former U.S. representative[16] ✔
Joe Nosef , former Mississippi GOP chairman (2012-2017)[16] ✔
Arnie Hederman , former Mississippi GOP chairman (2011-2012)[16] ✔
Brad White , former Mississippi GOP chairman (2008-2011)[16] ✔
10 mayors from coastal Mississippi ✔
Gov. Phil Bryant (R)[17] ✔
Organizations
Americans for Prosperity Action[18] ✔
Mississippi Manufacturers Association[19] ✔
National Rifle Association[20] ✔
American Conservative Union[21] ✔
Mississippi Medical PAC[22] ✔
Mississippi Right to Life PAC[23] ✔
Newspapers and editorials
Hub City Spokes editorial board[24] ✔

Timeline

  • August 22, 2019: Reeves released an ad titled "Bill Waller: Nice Guy". In the ad, Reeves says that Waller supports expanding Medicaid and increasing the state gas tax.
  • August 21, 2019: Waller released an ad titled The Truth. In the ad, Waller says that his healthcare policy is similar to Mike Pence's (R) and his proposal to spend on Mississippi's roads is similar to Donald Trump's.
  • August 21, 2019: Reeves and Waller participated in a debate hosted by WJTV.
  • August 20, 2019: A periodic campaign finance filing deadline passed. Tate Reeves reported raising $2,500,000 between July 28 and August 17 (including $2,200,000 in transfers between his campaign committees) and having $3.3 million in cash on hand. Bill Waller reported raising $550,000 during the same period and having $350,000 in cash on hand.
  • August 19, 2019: The Reeves campaign began airing two campaign ads titled Two Good Men and Sounding Liberal. In both ads, Reeves says that Waller supports increasing the gasoline tax and expanding Medicaid in Mississippi.
  • August 19, 2019: The Mississippi Asphalt Pavement Association endorsed Waller.
  • August 14, 2019: The Reeves campaign began airing an ad titled Tate Reeves Will Lead on Education. In the ad, Reeves says that the state's education system had improved during his two terms as lieutenant governor and that he would seek to continue this improvement as governor.
  • August 13, 2019: The Waller campaign began airing an ad titled Conservative Solutions or Politics as Usual?. The ad said that Reeves was focused on attacking Waller while Waller was focused on presenting solutions to the challenges Mississippi faced.
  • August 13, 2019: The Reeves campaign began airing an ad titled Mississippi Decides Now criticizing Waller's policies on Medicaid and the state gas tax and comparing him to Jim Hood (D).
  • August 9, 2019: The Waller campaign began airing an ad titled Runoff!. In the ad, Waller said that he had dedicated his career to serving Mississippi and that he would focus on solving long-term problems such as the condition of roads and bridges if elected.
  • August 6, 2019: The primary election was held. Reeves and Waller advanced to a runoff.
  • August 1, 2019: The Hub City Spokes editorial board endorsed Waller.
  • July 30, 2019: A periodic campaign finance filing deadline passed. Robert Foster reported raising $48,000 during July 2019 and having $16,000 in cash on hand. Tate Reeves reported raising $1.4 million during July 2019 and having $5.0 million in cash on hand. Bill Waller Jr. reported raising $240,000 during July 2019 and having $120,000 in cash on hand.
  • July 30, 2019: Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy released the results of a poll of 500 likely primary voters. The poll found Reeves leading Waller with 41% support to Waller's 31% and Robert Foster's 13%. The poll had a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.
  • July 25, 2019: Bill Waller began airing an ad titled Trust. In the ad, Waller's wife says that Waller is trustworthy and has experience working with others to find solutions.
  • July 23, 2019: All three candidates participated in the first and only scheduled televised Republican gubernatorial primary debate.
  • July 17, 2019: Bill Waller began airing an ad titled Schools. In the ad, Waller says that he would increase teacher pay and expand access to vocational training.
  • July 10, 2019: A periodic campaign finance filing deadline passed. Robert Foster reported raising $22,600 during June 2019 and having $7,100 in cash on hand. Tate Reeves reported raising $1.1 million during June 2019 and having $5.8 million in cash on hand. Bill Waller Jr. reported raising $227,000 during June 2019 and having $373,000 in cash on hand.
  • July 9, 2019: Tate Reeves began airing an ad titled Heart for Mississippi. In the ad, Reeves' wife Elee said that his love for Mississippi motivated him to seek public office.
  • July 8, 2019: Bill Waller began airing an ad titled Coast. In the ad, Waller said that he would ensure that Mississippians from coastal counties would determine how the state spent settlement funds from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and promised to address the impact of the Bonnet Carre Spillway.
  • June 30, 2019: Bill Waller began airing an ad titled Roads. In the ad, Waller said that he would repair structurally deficient bridges and state highways.
  • June 25, 2019: Y'all Politics released the results of a poll of 354 primary voters it had commissioned from Impact Management Group. The poll found Reeves leading with 50% support to Waller's 19% and Foster's 9%, while 28% remained undecided. The poll had a margin of error of 5.3 percentage points.
  • June 21, 2019: Tate Reeves began airing an ad titled Coast. In the ad, Reeves said that he opposed efforts to spend funds from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement on non-coastal areas of Mississippi.
  • June 19, 2019: Bill Waller began airing an ad titled Integrity. In the ad, Waller's wife discussed his background and described him as a man of integrity and experience in leadership.
  • June 10, 2019: A periodic campaign finance filing deadline passed. Robert Foster reported raising $34,800 during May 2019 and having $16,600 in cash on hand. Tate Reeves reported raising $570,000 during May 2019 and having $6.3 million in cash on hand. Bill Waller Jr. reported raising $176,000 during May 2019 and having $541,000 in cash on hand.
  • June 10, 2019: Tate Reeves began running a campaign ad in which he stated his support for a Mississippi license plate which includes the phrase "In God We Trust". Watch it below.
  • May 6, 2019: Robert Foster began airing an ad titled Outsider. In the ad, Foster described himself as a political outsider.
  • April 30, 2019: A quarterly campaign finance filing deadline passed. Robert Foster reported raising $73,000 from January 1 to April 30 and having $18,900 in cash on hand. Tate Reeves reported raising $1 million from January 1 to April 30 and having $6.7 million in cash on hand. Bill Waller Jr. reported raising $583,000 from January 1 to April 30 and having $513,000 in cash on hand.[25]
  • April 24, 2019: Tate Reeves began airing his first campaign ad. In the ad, Reeves said that he would help Mississippi reach its full potential by cutting regulations, lowering taxes, and training the workforce. He said Attorney General Jim Hood (D) would not help the state reach its potential. Watch it below.
  • April 16, 2019: Mississippi Today reported that four former chairs of Mississippi GOP endorsed Bill Waller Jr. Read more below.
  • April 2, 2019: Robert Foster and Bill Waller Jr. participated in a debate at Mississippi State University hosted by the university's College Republicans. Tate Reeves did not participate, saying he needed to tend to legislative duties. Read more here.
  • February 28, 2019: State Sen. Chris McDaniel (R), who ran for U.S. Senate in 2014 and 2018, announced that he would not run for governor in 2019. He said he wanted to take a break from statewide campaigns and spend time with his two sons.[26]
  • February 20, 2019: Term-limited Gov. Phil Bryant (R) endorsed Tate Reeves for governor. “If a governor and a lieutenant governor cannot work closely together if I cannot be loyal to him as well as he has been loyal to me — then we’re on the wrong path,” Bryant said.[17]
  • February 14, 2019: Former Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. told the Associated Press that he would run for governor.[27]
  • February 6, 2019: A Mason-Dixon poll of a two-candidate matchup between Tate Reeves and Robert Foster showed Reeves with 62 percent of the vote and Foster with 9 percent. The margin of error was 5 percentage points.

Campaign themes

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The following campaign themes came from the candidates' campaign websites, where available.

Tate Reeves

Campaign website

Reeves' campaign website stated the following:

“

Education
We’ve made great progress on education in Mississippi. We’ve won results on workforce training, teacher pay raises, record school funding, and scholarships for future teachers—just to name a few things. The most important item: we focused on outcomes, not inputs. We’re no longer just measuring success by how many dollars we put into the system, but by how many kids get a quality education. And it has made all the difference. In national assessments, our kids are outpacing the nation when it comes to gains in math and reading. They are ready to compete with anyone for jobs and further education.

Of course, there’s more to do. We need to fix the broken bureaucracy that is holding kids back. We need to do more to make sure that when Mississippi kids graduate from high school they’re ready and able to find a Mississippi job or get a Mississippi college education. When I went to public school in my small Mississippi town, I learned real skills that got me ready for life. That’s missing in too many places these days. We also need to look after our most vulnerable students. I support the program that gives children with disabilities access to the education they need to thrive. I’ll protect them. It’s the right thing to do.

As governor, we’ll keep working on our schools so that our students are equipped to start lives, careers, and families here in our state.

Taxpayer Watchdog
When I first ran for office, I promised to be a watchdog for the taxpayers. I promised to slash wasteful spending and look after every single dollar that you pay in taxes. We’ve done just that. We’ve cut taxes for every single taxpayer in the state. Teachers and truckers, farmers and families. Everybody who paid taxes before our tax cuts now pays less. We even cut taxes on Christmas Trees. (Merry Christmas!)

Guess what happened. Revenue went up! More business came to Mississippi. More people have jobs, and more money in their pockets to spend in Mississippi businesses. We’ve been able to cut state debt and invest a billion dollars in roads and bridges because we are bringing in more money. That’s what I’ll continue to do as governor: invest in priorities while keeping the lid on wasteful spending and stopping the tax hikes that lobbyists and liberals push.

2nd Amendment
If, God forbid, President Trump is replaced by one of the radical liberals running in 2020, the people of Mississippi will not take kindly to their proposed efforts to confiscate our guns. They are already talking about declaring a national emergency to round them up. These are our rights as Americans, and we will protect them. I believe in your right to protect your family. I believe in your right to defend your home. I will not compromise or back down on this critical issue. We passed a law that says: if the federal government declares a state of emergency they cannot and will not seize our Mississippi guns. As Governor, I will uphold that promise no matter what.

Pro-Life
I am 100% pro-life, and I believe it is our responsibility to defend the innocent unborn. Today, there are liberals across the country advocating for abortion up-to and even after the moment of birth. It is the greatest evil of our time, and it’s not good enough to say that it is not your job to protect those babies. We need to be proactive. That is why we passed the “heartbeat bill” which says that when a baby has a heartbeat, it cannot be killed. As governor, I’ll continue to stand up for the unborn and protect them.

Crime
We’ve passed the Blue Lives Matter act—harsher penalties for cop killers. We’ve pushed for pay raises for troopers and criminal justice reform to make it less likely that a person leaving prison will commit another crime. We’ve outlawed sanctuary cities, and I will stand with President Trump to ring the alarm about the emergency on our border. Drug cartels and illegal immigration threaten our whole country, and we need leaders who will stand strong on this issue. The safety of Americans must come first.

Health Care
We can do more to help Mississippians get the quality health care that they deserve, and that starts with protecting the financial integrity of our Medicaid system and ensuring that it is fiscally sound. We’ve pushed innovative solutions like “health care zones” to improve coverage across the state. I am also the only candidate in this race who opposes expanding Obamacare and recognizes the disastrous effects it would have on our system long-term. Across the country, liberals are taking a “spend now, solve later” approach to health care: between the socialism that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders are pushing to the Obamacare expansion being pushed here in Mississippi. I don’t believe in sound-bite solutions like “Medicaid-for-All”, “Single Payer Health Care”, or “Obamacare expansion”—I believe in real, free-market innovations that will make a difference in the long-run.[28][29]

”

Bill Waller Jr.

Campaign website

Waller’s campaign website stated the following:

“

1. Improving Roads and Bridges
Mississippi’s roads and bridges are in critical need of improvement. They are a key factor for public safety and economic growth—now and in the future. Using revenue from the lottery will only be a drop in the bucket to address the major needs for our infrastructure. We can’t stick our head in the sand and hope these problems will go away. We’ve got to address this issue in a long-term, sustainable way that protects taxpayers, whether it be through a tax swap or some other mechanism that generates adequate funds so we can take care of our crumbling roads and bridges.

2. Better Preparing High School Students for the Workforce
In today’s world, the reality is, not every high school student is going to college. They still deserve the same opportunities to have a good-paying job and a career that allows them to support their family and live the American dream. That’s why we must better prepare high school students for the workforce before they graduate. That means bringing community colleges into high schools to help teach job skills they’ll be able to use to get a good job after graduation. Having a better trained workforce will not only help fill the available jobs today, but it will also help recruit additional industries to our state because we’ll have a better trained workforce.

3. Increasing Teacher Pay to Support, Attract and Retain High Quality Teachers
Teachers are working hard, and we need to support them even more with a pay raise that keeps good teachers here and attracts new teachers. Students, parents and teachers deserve more focus than they’re getting now. Currently, Mississippi has the lowest teacher salary in America, and clearly, our teachers need a pay raise so we can get their salary up to the Southeastern average as quickly as possible.

4. Solving the Health Care Crisis with a Conservative Solution
When nearly half of Mississippi’s rural hospitals are in high financial risk of closing, we have a health care crisis in our state. Ignoring the problem is not going to bring about a solution to ensuring access to quality, affordable health care, particularly in rural areas. I’m exploring ideas that bring about improvements in health care, that reforms Medicaid in a way that doesn’t put taxpayers or our state budget at risk, and maximizes Mississippi’s potential to bring about more accessible, quality health care. Our citizens deserve our best efforts on this pressing issue.[30][29]

”

Policy stances

Medicaid expansion

The candidates took the following positions on expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. As governor, Phil Bryant (R) did not pursue Medicaid expansion, which would allow individuals making up to 138 percent of federal poverty level to receive Medicaid coverage.[31]

  • Tate Reeves said he was opposed to expanding Medicaid. He said, "I will remain opposed to any call for Obamacare expansion, no matter what other name or what other form you want to call it. I am opposed to Obamacare expansion in Mississippi because it is not in the best interest of Mississippi taxpayers.”[32]
  • Bill Waller said he favored some form of Medicaid expansion according to WLOX.[33] In an April 2 debate at Mississippi State University, he said, “We can have conservative principles invested in the Medicaid plan, where they’re requiring policy payments, co-payments, work.”[34]

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Tate Reeves

Support

"Tate Reeves Will Lead on Education" - Reeves campaign ad, released August 14, 2019
"Heart for Mississippi" - Reeves campaign ad, released July 9, 2019
"Coast" - Reeves campaign ad, released June 21, 2019
"In God We Trust" - Reeves campaign ad, released June 10, 2019
"Mississippi Conservative" - Reeves campaign ad, released June 10, 2019
"Family" - Reeves campaign ad, released May 28, 2019
"Full Potential" - Reeves campaign ad, released April 24, 2019

Oppose

"Conservative Solutions or Politics as Usual?" - Waller campaign ad, released August 13, 2019

Bill Waller

Support

"The Truth" - Waller campaign ad, released August 21, 2019
"Robert Foster Endorses Bill Waller" - Waller campaign ad, released August 15, 2019
"Runoff!" - Waller campaign ad, released August 9, 2019
"Trust" - Waller campaign ad, released July 25, 2019
"Schools" - Waller campaign ad, released July 17, 2019
"Coast" - Waller campaign ad, released July 8, 2019
"Roads" - Waller campaign ad, released June 30, 2019
"Integrity" - Waller campaign ad, released June 19, 2019
"Signs" - Waller campaign ad, released June 5, 2019

Oppose

"Bill Waller: Nice Guy" - Reeves campaign ad, released August 22, 2019

Debates and forums

August 21 debate

Reeves and Waller participated in a debate hosted by WJTV on August 21, 2019.

  • View the Local Memphis round-up of the debate here.
  • View the Mississippi Clarion Ledger round-up of the debate here.
  • View the Mississippi Today round-up of the debate here.
  • View the WJTV round-up of the debate, including a complete recording, here.
  • View the WKRG round-up of the debate here.

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Mississippi gubernatorial election, 2019 (August 6 Republican primary)
Poll Poll sponsor Tate Reeves William WallerRobert FosterUndecided/OtherMargin of errorSample size
Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy
July 24-27, 2019		N/A 41%31%13%15%+/-4.5500
Impact Management Group
June 10-14, 2019		Y'all Politics 50%19%9%28%+/-5.3354
AVERAGES 45.5% 25% 11% 21.5% +/-4.9 427
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Campaign finance

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Mississippi Secretary of State covering all contributions and expenditures made in 2019 through August 17. Both candidates had individual finance accounts in addition to their committee finance accounts. Money raised and spent in those individual accounts is counted alongside funds from their committee accounts.

In addition to the above figures, Reeves entered 2019 with $6,745,136.94 already in his accounts.

Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[35][36][37]

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

Campaign tactics and strategies

Statements on Donald Trump

Both candidates had made statements about President Donald Trump and his policies.

  • Tate Reeves spoke positively about his relationship with Trump when asked by reporters at his campaign announcement. He said he had attended the White House Christmas party.[11]
Reeves had also tweeted several statements in support of Trump as of early March 2019. For example, on February 14, he tweeted, "I’m proud to see that President Trump is doing everything in his power to address the national emergency at our border. We must stop the flood of drugs and crime pouring over our border, and walls work! This is what we sent him there to do!"[38]
  • When asked about his relationship with Trump, Bill Waller said, "I've never met him, and never talked to him on the phone ... This is a state race, not a federal race. He's certainly got his share of issues right now. I don't think he would get involved. If he did, it's not going to affect this race. We are running for Mississippi governor, not president of the United States." When asked if he was planning to contact Trump, Waller said, "I'm not."[4]

Relationship between Reeves and Republican legislators

In January 2019, Reeves asked for Republican state senators to endorse his bid for governor. As lieutenant governor, Reeves presided over the Mississippi State Senate.

After several senators declined to sign the pledge, Mississippi Today interviewed lawmakers about their relationship with Reeves. Reporter Adam Ganucheau wrote, "In an act that once would have been considered suicidal, several Republican senators bucked Reeves or spoke out about his top-down, heavy-handed leadership style. Reeves has also faced criticism for not giving rank-and-file Republicans a say on major policy."[39]

One unnamed senator said, “Somebody said they like his policies, like on tax cuts, but that he might not have the best bedside manner. That’s a good way to say it.”[39]

Other Republicans spoke highly of Reeves. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Joey Fillingane (R) said, “He’s always extraordinarily respectful, and if we disagree about a bill moving through my committee, he’s willing to let me make my case to both him and the committee members. There really isn’t a single bill that crosses his desk that he doesn’t know everything about. If he takes a meeting on it, he knows it better than almost anyone.”[39]

In response to some senators not endorsing his campaign, Reeves' campaign said, “Since qualifying to run earlier this month, Lieutenant Governor Reeves has asked hundreds of legislators and local elected officials and grassroots leaders for their endorsements. As the campaign progresses he will ask every Mississippian for their endorsements too — and we will keep working until we get a majority.”[39]

Endorsements of Waller by former state GOP chairs

On April 16, 2019, Mississippi Today reported that four former chairmen of the Mississippi GOP endorsed Bill Waller Jr. and cited displeasure with Tate Reeves.

Billy Powell, the chairman from 1993 to 1996, said, “Waller has a much more even temperament to beat Jim Hood in November. What bothers me about Tate is his arrogance. He doesn’t have the tendency to really want to work with people. It’s more of a ‘my way or highway’-type position. His arrogance really turns me off.”

Clark Reed, the chairman from 1966 to 1976, said, “Our infrastructure is crumbling. It’s a crime where we are. We need a gas tax increase. Everybody knows it. I think Tate’s a conservative, but he doesn’t want to seem to pull the trigger at these critical times. He’s a good man, but gosh, you’ve got to have the courage to do the things that might be risky.”

Mike Retzer, the chairman from 1978 to 1982 and 1996 to 2001, said, “Tate had an opportunity, a great opportunity to do some good for our state. Republicans are against taxes, but our roads and bridges are in trouble. Now we’re totally locked in, and taxes are always a sticking point with us, but I think leaders have to lead. Opting to be against everything is one thing, but I think there are issues he should look at more closely.”

About the endorsements, Waller Jr. said, “I think that shows that the senior, established, respected Republican leadership also recognizes that a new direction of leadership is needed.”

In response to the endorsements, Reeves' campaign said, “More than 300 conservative Mississippi leaders have endorsed Tate Reeves, including the governor. That didn’t get covered by Mississippi Today because it showed the party is united not divided. Hundreds more conservatives turned out for rallies and events across the state last week. The Republican Party is going to nominate the proven conservative in this race, and that’s Tate Reeves.”[16]

Social media

Twitter accounts

Facebook accounts

Click the icons below to visit the candidates' Facebook pages.

Republican Party Tate Reeves Facebook
Republican Party Bill Waller Facebook

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Two of 82 Mississippi counties—2.4 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Chickasaw County, Mississippi 6.06% 4.52% 2.13%
Panola County, Mississippi 0.12% 8.62% 6.52%


Context of the 2019 elections

Party control in Mississippi

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Republicans in Mississippi gained a state government trifecta as a result of the 2011 elections, when they took control of the state House.

Mississippi Party Control: 1992-2025
Four years of Democratic trifectas  •  Fourteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor R R R R R R R R D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R[40] D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

Past elections

2015

See also: Mississippi gubernatorial election, 2015
Governor of Mississippi, 2015
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Robert Gray 32.4% 234,858
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngPhil Bryant Incumbent 66.2% 480,399
     Reform Shawn O'Hara 1.4% 9,950
Total Votes 725,207
Election results via Mississippi Secretary of State

2011

See also: Mississippi gubernatorial election, 2011
Governor of Mississippi, 2011
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngPhil Bryant 61% 544,851
     Democratic Johnny DuPree 39% 348,617
Total Votes 893,468
Election results via Mississippi Secretary of State


State profile

See also: Mississippi and Mississippi elections, 2019
USA Mississippi location map.svg

Partisan data

The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019

Presidential voting pattern

  • Mississippi voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Congressional delegation

State executives

  • Democrats held three and Republicans held 9 of Mississippi's 15 state executive offices. Elections for the other offices are nonpartisan.
  • Mississippi's governor was Republican Phil Bryant.

State legislature

Mississippi Party Control: 1992-2025
Four years of Democratic trifectas  •  Fourteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor R R R R R R R R D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R[41] D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

Mississippi quick stats
More Mississippi coverage on Ballotpedia:


Demographic data for Mississippi
 MississippiU.S.
Total population:2,989,390316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):46,9233,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:59.2%73.6%
Black/African American:37.4%12.6%
Asian:1%5.1%
Native American:0.4%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
Two or more:1.2%3%
Hispanic/Latino:2.9%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:82.3%86.7%
College graduation rate:20.7%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$39,665$53,889
Persons below poverty level:27%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Mississippi.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


See also

Mississippi government:

Elections:

Ballotpedia exclusives:

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The New York Times, "Mississippi Primary Runoff Election Results," accessed August 28, 2019
  2. ↑ WTVA, "Hood and Reeves headline 2019 Mississippi election field," March 2, 2019
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Tate Reeves for Governor, "Home," accessed March 4, 2019
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Clarion Ledger, "Why is Bill Waller running for governor? In his words: Mississippi's 'house is on fire,'" March 1, 2019
  5. ↑ Advertising Analytics, "Mississippi Decides Now - Reeves for MS Governor," accessed August 13, 2019
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named fosterendorse
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Y'All Politics, "Robert Foster endorses Bill Waller Jr. for Governor," August 13, 2019
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Y'All Politics, "Tate Reeves endorsed by array of elected Republicans at GOP headquarters," August 20, 2019
  9. ↑ Mississippi Secretary of State, "Republican Certified Election Results, 2019," August 16, 2019
  10. ↑ Office of the Mississippi State Treasurer, "State Treasurer Tate Reeves," accessed May 7, 2011
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Clarion Ledger, "Tate Reeves announces run for governor focused on 'Mississippi values,'" January 3, 2019
  12. ↑ Y'All Politics, "Reeves and Waller debate for the soul of the MS Republican Party," August 22, 2019
  13. ↑ State of Mississippi Judiciary, "William L. Waller, Jr.," accessed November 12, 2018
  14. ↑ Jackson Free Press, "‘Shared Belief’: McDaniel Endorses Reeves to Block Medicaid Expansion," August 16, 2019
  15. ↑ Clarion Ledger, "Ex-Governor Barbour backs Reeves in Mississippi GOP runoff," August 21, 2019
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 16.7 16.8 Mississippi Today, "‘I think he’s more electable than Tate’: Four past GOP chairmen throw support to Waller over Reeves," April 16, 2019
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 WJTV, "Bryant endorses Tate Reeves for Governor," February 20, 2019
  18. ↑ Y'all Politics, "Americans for Prosperity Action Endorses Tate Reeves for Governor," June 13, 2019
  19. ↑ Y'all Politics, "Tate Reeves endorsed by Mississippi Manufacturers Association," June 3, 2019
  20. ↑ National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, "NRA Endorses Tate Reeves for Governor of Mississippi," July 9, 2019
  21. ↑ American Conservative Union, "ACU Endorses Tate Reeves," accessed July 23, 2019
  22. ↑ Y'all Politics, "Tate Reeves Outlines Health Care Policy Agenda as Mississippi Medical PAC Endorses," July 15, 2019
  23. ↑ Y'all Politics, "Tate Reeves endorsed by Mississippi Right to Life PAC," July 22, 2019
  24. ↑ Hub City Spokes, "Among Republicans, Waller is best choice for governor," August 1, 2019
  25. ↑ Mississippi Today, "In 2019 governor’s race, Reeves and Hood flex large fundraising totals as Waller catapults into the fold," May 10, 2019
  26. ↑ Clarion Ledger, "Chris McDaniel announces decision on run for governor," February 28, 2019
  27. ↑ WREG, "Former chief justice Waller to run for Mississippi governor," February 14, 2019
  28. ↑ Tate Reeves for Governor, "Issues," accessed July 10, 2019
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  30. ↑ Bill Waller for Governor, "Issues," accessed July 10, 2019
  31. ↑ Mississippi Today, "Gov. Bryant quietly in talks about a Medicaid expansion plan for Mississippi," December 19, 2018
  32. ↑ Biloxi Sun Herald, "This year’s race for Mississippi governor could rival Barbour-Musgrove," March 4, 2019
  33. ↑ WLOX, "Retired Chief Justice Bill Waller, Jr. discusses gubernatorial bid," March 1, 2019
  34. ↑ Jackson Clarion-Ledger, "Waller, Foster talk roads, Medicaid expansion and teacher pay in first debate of governor's race," April 3, 2019
  35. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
  36. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
  37. ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
  38. ↑ Twitter, "Tate Reeves on February 14, 2019
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 Mississippi Today, "Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, fighting unpopularity and defeated agendas, asks GOP senators to pledge support," January 22, 2019
  40. ↑ Republicans gained a majority in 2007 when two Democratic state senators switched their party affiliation. Democrats regained the majority as a result of the 2007 elections.
  41. ↑ Republicans gained a majority in 2007 when two Democratic state senators switched their party affiliation. Democrats regained the majority as a result of the 2007 elections.
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