According to local news outlet Mississippi Today, several Republican operatives are predicting a runoff this November between incumbent Republican Governor Tate Reeves and his Democrat challenger Brandon Presley.
One political consultant, who asked to be kept anonymous, said of Reeves: “There have been several polls in the last 10 days that almost guarantee he’ll be in a runoff election,” and added, “I would think the Democrats are smelling blood in the water.”
While different Republican operatives provided varying polling number, Mississippi Today reports most agreed (in speculation) that there is a chance that “an incumbent Republican governor in a reliably red state may not win on the first ballot.”
It’s been 20 years since Mississippi had a Democrat governor. Governor David Ronald “Ronnie” Musgrove, who served just one term (2000-2004), was a Democrat who held conservative social views. He signed an anti-gay adoption law, required the motto “In God We Trust” in every public school classroom, auditorium and cafeteria, and opposed abortion.
Note: Presley (who is a second cousin of the late great Elvis Presley) also holds conservative social views on many issues including gun control and abortion.
As seen in his political campaign video below, Presley says the Bible has shaped “who I am and what I believe. It’s why I’m pro-life,” and it’s where he turns when he doesn’t have the answers, he says.
Five years ago, the pro-gun, pro-life Democrat said, “The party isn’t going to try to change me from Washington, I’m just too dang independent.”
