Brandon Presley: 'It looks like we came up a little short' in Mississippi governor's race

When Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brandon Presley and his wife Katelyn Mabus Presley took the stage at his campaign watch party at The Faulkner in downtown Jackson, his supporters cheered him on.

The announcement he was about to make wasn't what Presley's supporters had hoped for, but they listened as Presley told them the governor's race was over.

"Thank you to everybody that came out tonight to be here with us," Presley said. "It means the world to me. Unfortunately, it looks like we came up a little short.

"I spoke with Gov. Reeves just a minute ago and congratulated him on his victory."

Reeves won by about 40,000 votes in the incomplete and unofficial tally — a close race considering about 800,000 people cast ballots in Tuesday's general election. According to wisevoter.com, Mississippi has approximately 1.75 million registered voters, making voter turnout a little less than 50%.

Turnout was about the same in the 2019 gubernatorial race in which Reeves won over former Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood with 460,000 votes to Hood's 414,000.

Tommy Hairston of Madison and Gary McGaha of Rienzi who attended the watch party, may have been disappointed in Presley's loss but were grateful for what the candidate represents.

McGaha, a retired educator, added that he felt Presley ran a thoughtful campaign.

"I like the ideals that were voiced," he said. "It is encouraging to hear campaign slogans that are not divisive and that will help the state move on together."

Hairston also was encouraged by Presley's positive message.

"I think Presley has some good points," Hairston said.

Presley encouraged his supporters to continue to help move Mississippi forward despite the loss. He said he was proud of how the campaign was run and that he was able to put issues such as the expansion of Medicaid in front of voters.

And, despite the loss, he wanted to end the campaign on a high note.

"We want to end this campaign well," Presley said. "We feel like we began it well and we want to end it well."

Presley thanked his family, his campaign team, supporters and the many volunteers who spent countless hours going door-to-door to talk to people about the campaign and listening to their concerns about the state.

"So many of you have laid so much on the line in this race to try to do the right thing," he said.

Presley said he was proud of the way his campaign brought people together — both Republican and Democrat — and bridged the racial divide to bring people together.

"This damned thing was never just about me," Presley said. "It's about Mississippi as a whole. This is bigger than just one man. We still have issues that confront our state."

Ken McMullan of Louisville, who attended Presley's watch party, said he is a longtime supporter. Presley gained a lot of respect in McMullan's eyes when as a public service commissioner he refused to support a multi-billion-dollar power plant in nearby Kemper County that failed.

"I think a lot of Brandon Presley," McMullan said. "He thought it was going to fail the taxpayers. He got outvoted on it, but he was right. I think he is honest and he is trustworthy."

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This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Democrat Brandon Presley concedes Mississippi governor's race