Hood Prevails in Mississippi’s Democratic Primary for Governor; GOP Runoff Looms

August 7, 2019 by Dan McCue
Hood Prevails in Mississippi’s Democratic Primary for Governor; GOP Runoff Looms

Jim Hood, Mississippi’s four-term attorney general, beat seven rivals Tuesday night to become the Democratic nominee for Mississippi governor, while on the Republican side, second-term Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves faces a runoff in three weeks against former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr.

Reeves failed to garner a majority of the vote in the Republican primary despite having a distinct money advantage over his rivals and being endorsed by Gov. Phil Bryant, who is term-limited.

But he remained defiant after the polls closed, telling supporters who gathered in a restaurant outside of Jackson Mississippi that he’s prevailed in a primary runoff in the past and will do so again.

“I am totally and completely confident that, number one, we are going to have a conservative as the Republican nominee for governor. I can tell you tonight that I am going to be the Republican nominee for governor of Mississippi,” Reeves said. “And I can tell you tonight — we are going to beat Jim Hood in November.”

Waller meanwhile greeted supporters at his downtown Jackson campaign headquarters with a smile, and vowed that he will be victorious in the GOP runoff election, slated for August 27.

As for Hood, he’s now hoping to do something a Democrat hasn’t down in 16 years in Mississippi – win the governorship.

He’s running on a platform that includes improving education and the state’s sagging infrastructure, reducing the state’s 7% tax on groceries and “cleaning up the Legislature” by eliminating contracts that lawmakers have directed toward specific companies that hire big lobbying firms.

He is also calling for an expansion of Medicaid, saying the state is losing billions of federal dollars.

Following Hood’s victory, Democratic Governors Association Chair Gina Raimondo said the attorney general “has spent his career fighting for working people against powerful special interests and that’s exactly how he’ll govern.

“As Attorney General, Jim provided Mississippi families relief who were impacted after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and protected consumers from fraud,” Raimondo continued. “Jim is running to expand health care to over 300,000 working Mississippians and to keep the state’s rural hospitals open. He will finally cut the tax on groceries so hardworking families can put food on the table. Mississippi will be a major pickup opportunity for the DGA.”

In a separate statement, Noam Lee, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, predicted the runoff on the Republican side “will expose lingering divisions in the party that will render whoever wins deeply damaged heading into the general election.

“We don’t know how nasty this primary will get but we do know the winner will be a candidate who supports wealthy special interests instead of working Mississippians,” Lee said. “Both Republicans are self-serving politicians who have used their positions to benefit their own ambitions. As this rancorous runoff heats up, Mississippians will find their interests are not a priority for either Waller or Reeves. We stand ready to hold whoever wins this runoff accountable for the extreme positions they take this November.” 

Mississippi is one of only three states electing a governor this year, the others being Louisiana and Kentucky.

In addition to the Republican and Democratic nominees, the Nov. 5 ballot for governor will feature a Constitution Party candidate, Bob Hickingbottom, and an independent candidate, David Singletary.

A+
a-
  • gubernatorial
  • Jim Hood
  • Mississippi
  • primary
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    State News

    Great Basin Tribes Want Bahsahwahbee Massacre Site in Nevada Named National Monument

    ELY, Nev. (AP) — White attackers turned a lush, high desert oasis in eastern Nevada, with its bubbling springs and... Read More

    ELY, Nev. (AP) — White attackers turned a lush, high desert oasis in eastern Nevada, with its bubbling springs and a rare stand of Rocky Mountain junipers, into killing fields. They massacred hundreds of Native people there in the 1800s — a horrific history once retold... Read More

    In Milwaukee, Biden Looks to Highlight Progress for Black-Owned Small Businesses

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is aiming to use a visit to the battleground state of Wisconsin on Wednesday... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is aiming to use a visit to the battleground state of Wisconsin on Wednesday to spotlight a surge in federal government support for Black-owned small businesses during his White House tenure and to highlight his administration's efforts to ramp up... Read More

    Why More Women Live in Major East Coast Counties While Men Outnumber Them in West

    Anyone who has suspected that there are more women than men where they live, or vice versa, will find fodder... Read More

    Anyone who has suspected that there are more women than men where they live, or vice versa, will find fodder for their suspicions in new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Whether it refutes or confirms their suspicions likely depends on where they live. Women outnumber... Read More

    Ranked Choice Voting Bill Moves to Hearing in Front of Wis. Senate Elections Committee

    MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A bipartisan bill that would dramatically change how Wisconsin residents choose congressional candidates by asking them... Read More

    MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A bipartisan bill that would dramatically change how Wisconsin residents choose congressional candidates by asking them to rank their top choices instead of voting for one of two candidates is headed for its first public hearing. The state Senate's election committee was... Read More

    Democrats Eye Wisconsin High Court's Liberal Majority to Win Abortion, Redistricting Rulings

    MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin's Supreme Court will flip from majority conservative to liberal control in August and Democrats have... Read More

    MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin's Supreme Court will flip from majority conservative to liberal control in August and Democrats have high hopes the change will lead to the state's abortion ban being overturned and its maps redrawn to weaken GOP control of the Legislature and congressional districts. Democrats... Read More

    States Confront Medical Debt That's Bankrupting Millions

    DENVER (AP) — Cindy Powers was driven into bankruptcy by 19 life-saving abdominal operations. Medical debt started stacking up for... Read More

    DENVER (AP) — Cindy Powers was driven into bankruptcy by 19 life-saving abdominal operations. Medical debt started stacking up for Lindsey Vance after she crashed her skateboard and had to get nine stitches in her chin. And for Misty Castaneda, open heart surgery for a disease... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top