| |||||||||||||||||
Turnout | 42.6% | ||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||
Reeves: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Presley: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Tie: 40–50% 50% No data | |||||||||||||||||
|
Elections in Mississippi |
---|
The 2023 Mississippi gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2023, to elect the governor of Mississippi. Incumbent Republican governor Tate Reeves won re-election to a second term, defeating Democratic nominee, Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley. [1]
Primary elections were held on August 8. [2] Reeves won the Republican nomination, while Presley won the Democratic nomination unopposed.
The race was considered to be competitive, with Reeves moderately favored. Reeves won re-election, but this was the best performance for a Democrat, the worst for a Republican, and the closest Mississippi gubernatorial election since 1999. It was also the closest ever gubernatorial election in the state won by a Republican, [3] and the closest gubernatorial election in the 2023 cycle.
This was the first Mississippi gubernatorial election since a 2020 referendum altered the election process. Previously, under a provision crafted as part of the 1890 Constitution of Mississippi, a candidate needed a majority of voters across the state and a majority of voters in a majority of state House of Representatives districts; if no candidates achieved such a result, the state House of Representatives would choose between the top two finishers, something that only happened in 1999.
This structure was referred to as Mississippi's version of the electoral college; it was originally crafted, in the words of the Mississippi Historical Society, as part of "the legal basis and bulwark of the design of white supremacy". In the 21st century, because the state House districts favor Republican candidates, the provision was seen as helping Republican gubernatorial candidates as well. [4] Under the new law, any candidate who receives a majority of statewide votes will be elected; if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a statewide runoff election between the top two candidates will be held. [5]
A socially conservative Southern state, Mississippi is considered safely Republican at the federal and state levels, with both of its U.S. senators, all but one of its U.S. representatives and all statewide executive officers currently belonging to the Republican Party. In the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump comfortably carried Mississippi by 17 percentage points. Incumbent governor Tate Reeves was first elected in 2019, narrowly defeating then-attorney general Jim Hood, who was the only Democrat elected to hold statewide office in Mississippi at the time.
Most analysts considered Reeves to be a favorite to win reelection, given the state's partisan lean and incumbency advantage. Nonetheless, the race was considered to be unusually competitive throughout the Fall as polling showed the race within the margin of error. Weaknesses for Reeves included his narrow victory four years prior, the heavy criticism he has faced for his handling of the Jackson water crisis, and for his ties to a welfare corruption scandal, both of which led him to have the lowest approval ratings of any Republican governor in the country. The Democratic nominee, Brandon Presley, was considered to be a strong general election candidate; he represented the Northern district on the Mississippi Public Service Commission since 2008, despite that district having a strong Republican bent, and held relatively moderate views on social issues, thus being closer to fitting the state. [6] [7]
Mississippi has the highest rate of disenfranchisement in the United States and around 16% of the African American voting age population is disenfranchised. [8]
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [a] | Margin of error | David Hardigree | Tate Reeves | John Witcher | Other | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mississippi Today/Siena College [24] | Jun 4–7, 2023 | 646 (RV) | ± 4.8% | 0% | 59% | 0% | 8% [b] | 33% |
American Strategies [25] [A] | May 22–24, 2023 | 646 (LV) | ± 3.9% | 2% | 70% | 4% | - | 24% |
Tate Reeves vs. Bill Waller Jr.
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [a] | Margin of error | Tate Reeves | Bill Waller Jr. | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mississippi Today/Siena College [27] | January 3–8, 2023 | 821 (RV) | ± 4.6% | 52% | 29% | 19% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Tate Reeves (incumbent) | 281,213 | 74.7 | |
Republican | John Witcher | 66,698 | 17.7 | |
Republican | David Grady Hardigree | 28,561 | 7.6 | |
Total votes | 376,472 | 100.0 |
Campaign finance reports as of June 9, 2023 [35] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Candidate | Raised | Spent | Cash on hand |
Brandon Presley | $1,760,057 | $773,134 | $1,714,455 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Brandon Presley | 196,307 | 100.0 | |
Total votes | 196,307 | 100.0 |
Source | Ranking | As of |
---|---|---|
The Cook Political Report [38] | Lean R | October 23, 2023 |
Inside Elections [39] | Lean R | September 1, 2023 |
Sabato's Crystal Ball [40] | Likely R | October 16, 2023 |
Elections Daily [41] | Likely R | November 7, 2023 |
Dates | Location | Presley | Reeves | Link |
---|---|---|---|---|
November 1, 2023 | WAPT Studios Jackson | Participant | Participant | YouTube |
Executive Branch officials
State senators
State representatives
Local officials
Organizations
Executive Branch officials
U.S. representatives
Statewide officials
State senators
State representatives
Local officials
Individuals
Labor unions
Newspapers and other media
Organizations
Aggregate polls
Source of poll aggregation | Dates administered | Dates updated | Tate Reeves (R) | Brandon Presley (D) | Other [d] | Margin |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Real Clear Politics [69] | August 20 – October 2, 2023 | October 5, 2022 | 51.5% | 42.0% | 6.5% | Reeves +9.5% |
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [a] | Margin of error | Tate Reeves (R) | Brandon Presley (D) | Other | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Public Policy Polling (D) [70] [B] | October 19–20, 2023 | 601 (V) | ± 4.0% | 46% | 45% | – | 10% |
Magnolia Tribune/Mason-Dixon [71] | September 27 – October 2, 2023 | 625 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 51% | 43% | – | 6% |
Mississippi Today/Siena College [72] | August 20–28, 2023 | 650 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 52% | 41% | 1% [e] | 6% |
Impact Research (D) [73] [C] | August 6–9, 2023 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 46% | 46% | – | 8% |
OnMessage Inc. (R) [74] [D] | July 7, 2023 | – | – | 49% | 32% | – | 19% |
Impact Research (D) [75] [C] | April 24–27, 2023 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 47% | 44% | – | 9% |
Mississippi Today/Siena College [76] | April 16–20, 2023 | 783 (RV) | ± 4.3% | 49% | 38% | 7% [f] | 6% |
Magnolia Tribune/Mason-Dixon [77] | March 6–10, 2023 | 625 (RV) [g] | ± 4.0% | 46% | 39% | – | 15% |
Mississippi Today/Tulchin Research [78] [E] | January 21–25, 2023 | 500 (RV) | ± 4.4% | 43% | 47% | – | 10% |
Mississippi Today/Siena College [79] | January 3–8, 2023 | 821 (RV) | ± 4.6% | 43% | 39% | 2% [h] | 14% |
Impact Research (D) [75] [C] | December 2022 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 49% | 42% | – | 9% |
Tate Reeves vs. generic opponent
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size [a] | Margin of error | Tate Reeves (R) | Generic Opponent | Undecided |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mississippi Today/Siena College [76] | April 16–20, 2023 | 783 (RV) | ± 4.3% | 36% | 60% | 4% |
Mississippi Today/Siena College [79] | January 3–8, 2023 | 821 (RV) | ± 4.6% | 33% | 57% | 10% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Tate Reeves (incumbent) | 418,233 | 50.94 | –0.97 | |
Democratic | Brandon Presley | 391,614 | 47.70 | +0.87 | |
Independent | Gwendolyn Gray (withdrawn) | 11,153 | 1.36 | N/A | |
Total votes | 821,000 | 100.00 | |||
Republican hold |
Reeves won 3 of 4 congressional districts. [81]
District | Reeves | Presley | Representative |
---|---|---|---|
1st | 58% | 41% | Trent Kelly |
2nd | 31% | 67% | Bennie Thompson |
3rd | 56% | 43% | Michael Guest |
4th | 62% | 36% | Mike Ezell |
Partisan clients
Paul Michael Parker is an American businessman and politician from the U.S. state of Mississippi. From 1989 to 1999, he served five terms in Congress as a member of the Democratic Party and, later, the Republican Party.
Jonathan Tate Reeves is an American politician serving as the 65th governor of Mississippi since 2020. A member of the Republican Party, Reeves served as the 32nd lieutenant governor of Mississippi from 2012 to 2020 and as the 53rd treasurer of Mississippi from 2004 to 2012.
Brandon Everitt Presley is an American politician who served as a member of the Mississippi Public Service Commission from the Northern District from 2008 to 2024 and mayor of Nettleton, Mississippi, from 2001 to 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Mississippi on November 3, 2015. All of Mississippi's executive officers were up for election. Primary elections were held on August 4, 2015, with primary runoffs to be held on August 25, 2015 if no candidate received a majority in the primary. The filing deadline for primary ballot access was February 27.
The 2020 United States Senate election in Mississippi was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Mississippi, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The 2019 Kentucky gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2019, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Kentucky. The Democratic nominee, Andy Beshear, defeated Republican Incumbent governor Matt Bevin. It was the closest gubernatorial election by votes since 1899. It was the closest race of the 2019 gubernatorial election cycle.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 5, 2019, in Kentucky and Mississippi, and on October 12, 2019, with a runoff on November 16, in Louisiana. These elections formed part of the 2019 United States elections. The last regular gubernatorial elections for all three states were in 2015. The Democrats had to defend an incumbent in Louisiana, while the Republicans had to defend an incumbent in Kentucky plus an open seat in Mississippi. Though all three seats up were in typically Republican states, the election cycle became unexpectedly competitive: Kentucky and Louisiana were seen as highly contested races; and Mississippi's race ultimately became closer than usual, despite being seen as favorable for the Republicans.
The 2019 Mississippi gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2019, to choose the next governor of Mississippi. Incumbent Governor Phil Bryant was ineligible to run for a third term due to term limits. The Democratic Party nominated incumbent Attorney General Jim Hood, the only Democrat holding statewide office in Mississippi; the Republican Party nominated incumbent Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves. In the general election, Reeves defeated Hood by a margin of 5.08%, with Reeves significantly underperforming Donald Trump, who won the state by 17 points in 2016.
The 2020 Indiana gubernatorial election was won by incumbent Republican Eric Holcomb on November 3, 2020. The election was held concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The 2022 South Carolina gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of South Carolina. Incumbent Republican governor Henry McMaster ran for re-election for a second full term in office and secured the Republican nomination in the June 14 primary. Joe Cunningham, former United States Representative from South Carolina's 1st congressional district, was the Democratic nominee. McMaster won the general election with 58% of the vote — a larger margin than in 2018.
The 2022 Alabama gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Alabama. Incumbent Governor Kay Ivey took office on April 10, 2017, upon the resignation of Robert J. Bentley (R) and won a full term in 2018. In 2022, she won her bid for a second full term in a landslide.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 7, 2023, in the states of Kentucky and Mississippi, with an election having occurred in Louisiana on October 14. These elections form part of the 2023 United States elections. The last regular gubernatorial elections for all three states were in 2019.
The 2023 Louisiana gubernatorial election was held on October 14, 2023, to elect the governor of Louisiana. Incumbent Governor John Bel Edwards was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a third consecutive term in office. This race was one of two Democratic-held governorships up for election in 2023 in a state that voted for Donald Trump in 2020.
The 2024 Indiana gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2024, to elect the next governor of Indiana, concurrently with the 2024 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Republican Senator Mike Braun won his first term in office, defeating Democrat former state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick. He will succeed Republican incumbent Eric Holcomb, who was term-limited and could not seek a third consecutive term.
The 2024 Missouri gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2024, to elect the governor of Missouri, concurrently with the 2024 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican governor Mike Parson was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a second full term in office due to having served more than two years of predecessor Eric Greitens' unexpired term following his resignation in June 2018. The Republican nominee, incumbent lieutenant governor Mike Kehoe, defeated the Democratic nominee, minority Leader of the Missouri House of Representatives Crystal Quade, to succeed Parson.
The 2024 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2024, to elect the governor of North Carolina. Democratic state attorney general Josh Stein won his first term in office, defeating Republican lieutenant governor Mark Robinson to succeed Democratic incumbent Roy Cooper, who was term-limited.
The 2025 Virginia gubernatorial election will be held on November 4, 2025 to elect the governor of Virginia. Incumbent Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin will be ineligible to run for re-election, as the Constitution of Virginia prohibits the state's governors from serving consecutive terms. Primary elections will take place on June 17, 2025.
The 2023 Mississippi elections took place on November 7, 2023, with the primary on August 8 and any required runoffs on August 29. All executive offices in the state up for election, as well as all 52 seats of the Mississippi State Senate, all 122 seats in the Mississippi House of Representatives, and many local offices. The qualifying deadline for all 2023 Mississippi races was February 1, 2023.
The 2023 Mississippi lieutenant gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 2023, to elect the lieutenant governor of Mississippi. Incumbent Republican Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann won re-election to a second term in office, significantly outperforming Republican Governor Tate Reeves in the concurrent governor election.
The 2027 Mississippi gubernatorial election will be held on November 2, 2027. Incumbent Republican Governor Tate Reeves will be ineligible to run for re-election, as the Constitution of Mississippi prohibits the state's governors from serving a third term.
Shad White isn't planning a run for governor, but he will be running for reelection as state auditor.
Young did tease his belief that Democrats will field a strong candidate to challenge Reeves for governor, an office that Young has said he is not seeking.
Official campaign websites