Republican Tate Reeves wins Mississippi governor race
JACKSON, Mississippi – Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves won the race for Mississippi governor Tuesday night, defeating Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood.
Republicans were on track Tuesday to control all statewide elected offices in Mississippi and are expected to maintain super-majority control of the Legislature.
In incomplete and unofficial results, Reeves led Hood on Tuesday night 53% to 46%.
After a race filled with attack ads, Reeves took a conciliatory tone in his victory speech in downtown Jackson.
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“We all know that campaigns are necessarily tough. Battles in the Legislature can be tough," Reeves said. "But we only have one governor. And that one governor must serve one people and that means all the people of Mississippi.”
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence both traveled to Mississippi within the last week to rally for Reeves. Meanwhile, former President
Barack Obama recorded a last-minute robocall in support of Hood.
“I can’t believe this is a competitive race,” Trump said at a rally in Tupelo, calling it “embarrassing.”
Reeves noted he disagreed with Hood on issues, but called him a dedicated public servant and asked the crowd to applaud Hood.
Hood conceded the race at about 10:30 p.m., telling supporters, "We've run a good race. I appreciate your support, and we've had fun."
Hood reiterated a campaign theme, that he ran to try to help "the least among us."
Reeves outspent Hood two-to-one, but polls leading up to the contest showed a tight race for governor.
Reeves, the second term lieutenant governor and former state treasurer, was long considered the heir apparent to Gov. Phil Bryant. He cast himself as a hard-line conservative and frequently brought national politics into his speeches and ads.
“We’re gonna run this state like Donald J. Trump is running America,” Reeves told a crowd last month.
Hood was the state's attorney general for 16 years. He shied away from associating with other Democrats and actively courted moderate Republicans upset with the status quo.
In addition to more spending on education and infrastructure, Hood campaigned on expanding Medicaid to lower-income Mississippians under the Affordable Care Act, which would bring billions of dollars of federal money to the state. Hood said this could be done without raising taxes, aligning himself with a plan touted by some Republicans.
Reeves and Hood were destined for a general election match-up until two Republicans with more moderate positions jumped in the Republican primary.
While Hood cruised to victory in the Democratic primary, Reeves needed a runoff to defeat a Republican opponent who called for spending more on education, expanding Medicaid and raising the gas tax to pay for infrastructure repair.
According to campaign finance reports filed last week, Hood's campaign has spent $5.2 million this year, while the main campaign fund for Reeves has spent $10.8 million.
Contact Luke Ramseth at 601-961-7050 or lramseth@gannett.com. Follow @lramseth on Twitter. Please support our work at the Clarion Ledger by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Election Day 2019: Tate Reeves wins Mississippi governor race, defeats Jim Hood
