- Gov. Tate Reeves (R-MS) won his reelection bid on Tuesday night, defeating Democratic challenger Brandon Presley, who had hoped to cobble together a multiracial coalition to victory.
- Reeves overcame low popularity and a multimillion-dollar welfare scandal, in which $77 million in federal funds for the state’s low-income residents was instead directed to wealthy Mississippians, in his defeat of Presley. Presley conceded shortly before midnight.
- Heading into Election Day, the governor was projected to win his race by a similar margin to his 2019 victory in which he defeated Democratic former state Attorney General Jim Hood, 52.1% to 46.6%. At the time Presley conceded, Reeves was roughly in that ballpark, with 52.4% of the vote with 88% of votes in.
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Rare GOP Bright Spot: Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves Reelected
Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves delivers a televised address prior to signing a bill retiring the last state flag with the Confederate battle emblem during a ceremony at the Governor's Mansion in Jackson, Mississippi, on June 30, 2020. - Lawmakers in Mississippi voted June 28 to remove the Confederate battle standard from the state flag, after nationwide protests drew renewed attention to symbols of the United States' racist past.
The measure passed with a 91-23 majority vote in the House of Representatives, triggering cheers in the Senate gallery. A few hours later, the Senate voted 37-14 for the bill. (Photo by Rogelio V. Solis / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ROGELIO V. SOLIS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
