Gov. Tate Reeves (R-MS) is poised to beat Democratic nominee Brandon Presley in the race for Mississippi‘s next governor, one of the higher-stakes November general elections.
A new Mississippi Today/Siena College poll shows the incumbent Republican with 52% of likely votes and Presley with 41%. Six percent of voters were still undecided, and 1% reported they were not going to vote.
A poll conducted in April showed Reeves leading Presley by similar margins, 49% to 38%. However, the latest survey shows the Republican governor capturing a state majority for the first time this year.
Presley, a distant cousin of Elvis Presley, launched his gubernatorial bid in January, threatening the long-standing conservative state that currently has a majority in all major offices.
While the 2023 gubernatorial race marks Preseley’s first run for statewide office, he is currently in his fourth term as the Northern District Public Service Commissioner. The Nettleton native ran for mayor of his hometown at the age of 23, winning with 78% of the vote in 2001 and becoming the youngest mayor elected in Mississippi history.
Reeves is running his sixth statewide campaign, beginning his governorship in 2020 after serving as lieutenant governor in 2011 alongside former Republican Gov. Phil Bryant. Reeves has a long political career in The Magnolia State, becoming the first Republican state treasurer in the early 2000s.
Ninety percent of likely Mississippi voters are concerned about a multimillion-dollar welfare scandal that occurred under Reeves when he was lieutenant governor, the poll depicts.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Presley has opened multiple attacks against Reeves, calling on him to return $1.7 million in campaign contributions that were reportedly linked to a welfare fraud scandal, with a majority of the funds coming from individuals who donated to organizations linked to the University of Southern Mississippi. In July 2022, a federal prosecutor subpoenaed the University of Southern Mississippi Athletic Foundation for their communications with former Gov. Phil Bryant and affiliates that spent millions on a volleyball stadium through welfare funds.
Reeves has denounced the scandal, denying he had involvement in which projects received funding. Among Mississippi voters, 45% say they believe Presley would do a better job at tackling government corruption and the welfare scandal, compared to 43% for Reeves.
