Reeves urges voters to choose conservative successor, warns ‘elections have consequences’

Gov. Tate Reeves told a crowd at the Neshoba County Fair on Thursday that Mississippi “has too much momentum to lose” and urged voters to vet candidates for governor because “elections have consequences,” Magnolia Tribune reported.

Reeves, who is term-limited and has just over a year left in office, told fairgoers that conservative policymaking has improved the state and that the next governor should build on those gains, the Tribune reported. He cited, by his account, more than $85 billion in new private investment, a national ranking of second for growth in job openings since 2020, hiring demand up nearly 20%, education gains, plans to phase out the individual income tax and efforts to strengthen rural health care.

The open governor’s seat is expected to draw heavy interest among Republicans, the Tribune reported. Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson and former House Speaker Philip Gunn have already entered the race, and other Republicans said to be weighing bids include Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, Attorney General Lynn Fitch, State Auditor Shad White and businessman Tommy Duff. On the Democratic side, former Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley is the name most mentioned as a likely candidate, the Tribune reported.

Reeves warned against Medicaid expansion and urged the next governor to resist what he called expanding the “welfare state,” saying such a move would put taxpayers on the hook for billions. “There are always foxes in the henhouse looking for ways to expand welfare,” he said, according to the Tribune.

He also pushed for greater parental control over education, defended data center projects as vital to the state’s economic future, and pressed his successor to uphold traditional social values. Reeves said he is keeping his endorsements private for now but urged voters to choose a candidate who will continue conservative policies, the Tribune reported.

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