Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves wins 2nd term, defeating Democrat Brandon Presley

Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves secures a second term, defeating challenger Brandon Presley in a hard-fought contest. #MississippiGovernor

Republican Governor Tate Reeves of Mississippi secured a second term in office, defeating challenger Brandon Presley. The mood at the separate parties for each candidate reflected the outcome, with Reeves' supporters cheering and Presley's party more somber. Despite Presley's aggressive push, Reeves prevailed with a message focused on job creation, low unemployment, and improvements in education. He also portrayed Presley as a liberal backed by out-of-state donors who were out of touch with Mississippi.

Presley, a state utility regulator and second cousin of Elvis Presley, criticized Reeves for refusing to expand Medicaid and pledged to clean up government corruption. The Republican stronghold of Mississippi has been governed by Republicans for the past 20 years, and the last time a Democrat won the presidential vote in the state was in 1976.

The race was disrupted by a voting mess when polling places in the state's largest county ran out of ballots and voters faced long lines in the key Democratic stronghold. Despite raising more money than Reeves, Presley was unable to secure the governorship. In other contests, Republican Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann and Republican Attorney General Lynn Fitch won second terms.

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