Establishment GOP Candidates Prove Successful in Mississippi Runoff

Earlier this week, establishment Republican candidates in the races for governor and attorney general in Mississippi proved successful, as they defeated their primary challengers.

In the governor’s race, Mississippi Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves, who has been widely viewed as an establishment candidate since he got his start in politics, defeated retired longtime state Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr.

In total, Reeves received 177,270 votes, or 54.3 percent, while Waller received 149,413, or 45.7 percent.

Reeves will now face Democrat state Attorney General Jim Hood in the general election, which will occur in November.

A poll released Wednesday by Hood’s campaign from Hickman Analytics, a DC-based Democrat-leaning pollster, found the governor’s race to be neck and neck. According to the data from the survey, it is a statistical tie with Hood at 43 percent and Reeves at 42 percent among all likely voters.

A separate poll from Y’all Politics, released in June, showed Reeves leading his challengers, including Waller, in the race for governor, with 37 percent of the respondents saying they would “definitely” vote for him and ten percent saying they would “probably” vote him.

In the race for attorney general, Lynn Fitch, who currently serves as the state treasurer, outpaced her opponent and garnered 165,677 votes, or 52.1 percent. Her primary challenger, lawyer Andy Taggart, fell short with 152,414 votes, or 47.9 percent overall.

Fitch will now attempt to defeat uncontested Democrat candidate Jennifer Collins, who served in the U.S. Army and reached the rank of colonel.

“Reeves and Fitch were able to use their tenure in statewide elected offices, MSGOP establishment machine and big money support to finally win-out,” Mississippi business and political consultant Billy Bova told Breitbart News.

In regards to Reeves and Fitch, Bova added, “Both jumped on board Trump’s coattails only after he won. Neither one is an America first economic populist. Truth be told, they would probably sell Mississippi to Mexico or China for a million bucks.”

The general election, which consists of several other statewide offices including Secretary of State, Treasurer, Auditor, Agriculture Commissioner, and Insurance Commissioner, will take place on November 5, 2019.